VISION, VALUES & PRINCIPLES
Building a new society
As religious community in South Africa we strive to build a just and equitable society, a society that cares for all its citizens, especially for those that are weak and marginalized; a democratic society that respects our constitution, the rule of law, that guards against the misuse of power, that fosters our diversity and plurality, and that fosters the role of civil society. Such a society can only be built on the shared moral values within our diverse traditions, in order to build a wholesome society.
Shared values for a new society
As religious community our vision is based on the following principles and values, which are shared by most religious traditions:
- A just and equitable society that protects the rights of the weak, the poor, and the marginalised. A society that fosters human rights, respect for life, and tolerance for differences;
- A caring society that reaches out to uplift, support, and improve, the quality of life of all South Africans, as well as visitors living amongst us.
- A democratic society that supports our constitution, the parliament, and our democratically elected representatives on all levels of government; that guards against the misuse of power; that fosters the role of civil society (religious communities, Non-Governmental Organisations, etc.); that acknowledges the importance of the principle of subsidiarity (partnerships between different sectors) for democracy; that fosters our diversity and pluralism on all levels of society.
- A moral and honest society that opposes fraud, corruption and a culture of self-enrichment.
Research and technical capacity
The NRASD strives to serve the broader inter-faith and ecumenical movement – firstly through research projects related to the key challenges facing the South African society; secondly, through the building and sharing of experiences to compete for national and international grants, to build our local technical knowledge and capacity to coordinate international grants. In this regard the NRASD also benefits from the different research programmes and international networks of the EFSA Institute, that serves as Secretariat of the NRASD.