International Conference “Religion and Ethics in Modern Society”

This conference gathered hundreds of Vietnamese scholars, politicians and religious dignitaries, along with scholars from prestigious universities in the United States, Germany, England, China and Taiwan. This is an academic activity to promote research and training in Religious Studies in schools, and on the other hand, it is also an opportunity for domestic and international scholars, as well as scholars and religious dignitaries to exchange and meet to enhance mutual understanding.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim - Vice Principal of the University gave the opening speech at the conference, mentioning the relationship between religion and ethics as the two oldest categories appearing in human life. The relationship between them is also extremely complex. There may be secular and non-religious ethics, but no religion does not have its own ethical standards. Although religions in general guide people towards noble human values, teaching followers to encourage good and eliminate evil, human history has also witnessed many conflicts and religious wars due to differences between them in their concepts of cultural values ​​as well as ethical standards.

The speech also mentioned the multi-religious nature in Vietnamese social life. Historically, Vietnam has gone through periods when Buddhism was the state religion during the Ly and Tran dynasties, then that role shifted to Confucianism during the Le and Nguyen dynasties. From modern times to the present, with the introduction of Catholicism, followed by Protestant sects, we Vietnamese people have brought cultural values ​​as well as Christian ethical standards, making the picture of religious ethics in Vietnam more diverse.

One of the outstanding features in the picture of religious life in Vietnam is the integration of the three religions (Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism) as the spiritual and traditional spiritual foundation of the Vietnamese people. One of the reasons why religions in Vietnam can integrate is because they are not too different from each other, but on the contrary, have many similarities in the concepts of rituals, cultural values ​​and ethical standards.

So, what is Vietnamese ethics, how is the relationship between religious ethics and secular ethics in Vietnam different from that in other countries - these are the questions posed to scientists at this conference.

With over 80 reports and presentations, the content of the Conference is divided into 4 sessions: 1/ Religion and ethics: General theoretical issues; 2/ Religion and ethics: cases of specific religions; 3/ Religion and ethics in society: comparative studies; and 4/ Policy issues and promoting religious resources.

After this workshop, the University signed a cooperation agreement with Truong Vinh University (Taiwan) in the field of training in Religious Studies, Philosophy and other social sciences. For many years, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has cooperated with a number of research institutes in the field of religion, including the Missionswissenschaftliches Institut e. V Missio of Germany or the Institute of Global Engagement (IGE) of the US and many other international agencies and organizations.