Armstrong: Charter For Compassion

To: Ravieh

If you are old enough, then you have to know that this world is not perfect. We all have our imperfections: I certainly do, and I am sure you do also.

One judges a person by the totality of his/her life. I am sure that Karen Armstrong would be the first to tell you that she is not a pefect person either.

However, your assertions about her, and your summarily dismissing her as you did, is at best unfair, and at worst slanderous.

In all due respect, you should know better than that to leave such a comment. Pure and simple!

Dear Observer

Thank you for taking time to search me out but I would like to see your evidence to the assertion that I resent Islam. Where am I supposed to be on record to have said: I disagree with Islam? I only resent the misrepresentation of Islam as done by the likes of MKO and the IRI on one side of this spectrum and Ms Armstrong on the other. That's all!

To: Ravieh

You know for sure how to twist and turn a good thing, and change it into something totally opposite of what it's meant to be.

Karen Armstrong has been known for over thirty (30) years for such humanitarian efforts. I know that you resent Islam, as evident by your writings in other blogs. But that doesn't give you a license to critize en-masse a religion that you disgree with.

Cynicism is generally not a good thing. But I have to respectfully say that with your comment here, you have taken it to new heights!

An Islamic apologist with a self-fufilling agenda

Islamic apologists come in all shapes and colors. They can be trendy and funky like Hooman Majd or they can be feministic and sanctimonious like Karen Armstrong. Ms Armstrong's initiative may get her income flowing through the US lecture circuit and interviews, not to mention books but will fail to change the reality: Islam is not a passifist faith in which compassion is the overriding concern. Islam is not a faith of choice but a faith of obidience and with obidience comes force and with force comes violence.

Thank you, Karen Amstrong

I have never been a religious person and I don't intend to be. I have read two of here books, the History of God and Muhammad. I certainly feel enriched for having had the opportunity to read her works.

Dear Mehrnaz

Thank you for your kind words. Please don't forget to give your input at Karen's website that I have listed below.

Many Thanks,

Mammad

Dear Princess

You are being way too kind to me. I do appreciate very much your kind words.

This internet is an ocean of contents, much of it being trivial and unimportant. Every once in a while, we come across pearls such as this interview of Karen Armstrong by Bill Moyers, and we should share it with others.

Tks again. Please don't forget to share your thoughts at the Charter for Compassion web site that I indicated below.

Regards,

Mammad

Dear IRANdokht

Thank you very much for your kind words. Karen Armstrong is truly an exceptional woman.

I am glad you enjoyed the videos - Best,

Mammad

Thank you!

Thank you Haj Seyd Mammad for this brilliant post. I too love and respect Karen Armstrong very much. I agree with Princess; we could certainly do with her ideas of compassion in the background of so much hatred and bigotry on this site. Not religious bigotry (after all the contributors are 'open-minded') but secular, racial and nationalist bigotry.

Karen Armstrong deserves the Nobel Peace Prize!

This woman has such a brilliant beautiful mind. I love her, and what an extremely illuminating conversation. Thank you, Haj Seyed Mammad. 

It seems to me that religions have become much more convoluted. The Charter of Compassion is essentially what Buddha and Confucius said three millennia ago. Why not just go back to the simple message of the first thinkers. The message is simple but very difficult to put into practice. So instead of wasting time and energy on the trivial, if everybody focused their time and energy to work on their own practice, the world would be a much better place. I wish Ms. Armstrong success in her mission.

I also hope our esteemed compatriots were listening when she said Nationalism is a form of secular idolatry. I completely agree with her, Nationalists can be as bad as religious fanatics!

Finally, Haj Seyed Mammad, I don't believe I have commented on your blogs before, but would like to take this opportunity to say that I absolutely love your posts. Your name has come to mean "quality" to me. :) Thank you! 

Thank you!!!

This is the most interesting subject. I love the analysis, the argument of putting compassion first in the way we deal with others and the suggested approach. I can imagine how difficult it is to change one's mindset, all we can do is try it ourselves and hope that this idea spreads widely. 

Although she speaks of the politics of secularizations of the muslim countries with a little too much authority, and I do not agree with everything she says in that regard, I really want to read her books!  

This is great post, thank you so much!

IRANdokht

The Charter for Compassion

The Charter for Compassion is Karen Armstrong's effort to promote the principles of the Golden Rule across the religious and global spectrum. The group effort to build an interfaith 'charter of compassion' is guided by the Council of Sages, a multi-faith, multi-national group of religious thinkers and leaders. The council will guide the writing of the final charter, but the process is open to submissions from anyone, anywhere who has an interest in the founding guildlines laid out below:

The Charter does NOT assume:

. all religions are the same
. compassion is the only thing that matters in religion
. religious people have a monopoly on compassion

The Charter DOES affirm that:
 
. compassion is celebrated in all major religious, spiritual and ethical traditions
. the Golden Rule is our prime duty and cannot be limited to our own political, religious or ethnic group
. therefore, in our divided world, compassion can build common ground

Last year Karen Armstrong received the $100,000 TED prize, presented at this international conference of experts in the fields of technology, entertainment and design for her efforts on behalf of the Charter for Compassion. You can find out more about the Council of Sages and offer your own thoughts at the Charter for Compassion web site: //charterforcompassion.org/.