An Open Letter to Karen Armsrong*
Reference: Laudable Efforts of MS Karen to bring forth -"The Charter for Compassion" that will be unveiled to the world on November 12, 2009.
Dear ‘Karen Armstrong’
First of all kudos! and support for your efforts to bring forth the “The Charter for Compassion” that will be unveiled to the world on November 12, 2009.
I came across your name and the mission/wish- ‘The Charter for Compassion’,only recently! As For the first time I read your name with one of your quotation (from your book ‘The Case for God!),in last issue of ‘Oprah Magazine!’-“We are talking far too much about God these days and what we say is often facile. In our democratic society, we think that the concept of God should be easy and that religion out to be readily accessible to anybody.
‘That book was really hard!’ readers have told me reproachfully, shaking their heads in faint reproof. ‘Of course it was’. I want to reply. ‘It was about God’.”
Title of your book attracted me to know more about you. And I searched on “You Tube” where I come to know about your "wish": “to initiate an international Charter for Compassion – to help restore the Golden Rule as central to religious practice and daily life throughout the world.”
On further search I came across the fact that a charter-‘The Charter for Compassion will be unveiled to the world on November 12, 2009.”
In the above mentioned lecture(2008 TED Prize acceptance Lecture)of yours I was little astonished to see a fractured approach when you say: “ I wish that you would help with the creation, launch, and propagation of a Charter for Compassion — crafted by a group of inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and based on the fundamental principle of the Golden Rule. We need to create a movement among all these people that I meet in my travels, that you probably meet too, who want to join up, in some way, and reclaim their faith, which they feel, as I say, has been hijacked. We need to empower people to remember the compassionate ethos, and to give guidelines. This Charter would not be a massive document. I’d like to see it — to give guidelines as to how to interpret the scriptures, these texts that are being abused. Remember what the rabbis, and what Augustine said about how scripture should be governed by the principle of charity. Let’s get back to that, and the idea, too, of Jews, Christians and Muslims, these traditions now so often at loggerheads, working together to create a document which we hope will be signed by a thousand, at least, of major religious leaders from all the traditions of the world.”
Here I would like to ask you one make clear one thing that why there is emphasis on the words“creation, launch, and propagation of a Charter for Compassion crafted by a group of inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam…….”
Why You forgot to write / include the inspired thinkers of eastern religions(Hindism,Buddhist and Zen!and others!also.
I would like mention that I am aware ( and you state) that:
· Of course the writing of the cahrter is complete as your wbeb page(http://charterforcompassion.com/) states “Although the writing is complete, there are still ways to engage with the Charter now…….”
· “In late 2008, people of all nations, all faiths, all backgrounds, submitted their words to the Charter. In early 2009, the Council of Conscience sorted through and discussed the world’s contributions to determine the final version of the Charter. The Charter is now complete•
· “By recognizing that the Golden Rule is fundamental to all world religions, the Charter for Compassion can inspire people to think differently about religion. This Charter is a collaborative project and everyone is encouraged to participate”.
However my contention is that as there is still time to engage with the charter, I would like to emphasize the need to not to exclude/divide Religions in to Abrahamic Religions/Traditions and omitting/not involving Eastern Religions/Traditions(especially Indian!) at any sage of efforts/credit for efforts, intentionally or un-intentionally, crediting(or giving impression) that only thinkers of Abrahaminic tradition were involved in the creation of the Initial draft! As one find(or gatherers impression) in the above statement reproduced here for clearity–
“crafted by a group of inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and based on the fundamental principle of the Golden Rule”
My intention is not to criticize any thing, but to suggest/alert!about and bring forth the fact that while dealing with such sensitive, wide ranging draft of global nature with a global approach there should not be even a faint impression/intention to divide people and groups intentionally or unintentionally! As the whole process is supposed to be holly generous and open minded.
I would like to take this opportunity to applaud your efforts for bringing about understanding among people of diverse faith and working for the cause of Divine! And for your open minded, clear-cut explanations about situation of world religions! And intentions of changing things in positive way! Reflected in your following statements/writings and comments!
· “The Charter will show that the voice of negativity and violence so often associated with religion is the minority and that the voice of compassion is the majority”
· “”Inspired by the Jewish tradition’s emphasis in matters of faith versusI practice:"I say that religion isn’t about believing things. It’s about what you do. It’s ethical alchemy. It’s about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness.”
· “…fundamentalism is not just a response to but, paradoxically, a product of contemporary culture. "We need to create a new narrative, get out of the rat-run of hatred, chauvinism and defensiveness; and make the authentic voice of religion a power in the world that is conducive to peace."
· "All the great traditions are saying the same thing in much the same way, despite their surface differences."
· “if religion is not about believing things, what is it about?What I’ve found is that, across the board, religion is about behaving differently. Instead of deciding whether or not you believe in God, first you do something, you behave in a committed way, and then you begin to understand the truths of religion. And religious doctrines are meant to be summons to action: you only understand them when you put them into practice”.
· “Now, pride of place in this practice is given to compassion. And it is an arresting fact that right across the board, in every single one of the major world faiths, compassion — the ability to feel with the other, and the way we’ve been thinking about this evening — is not only the test of any true religiosity, it is also what will bring us into the presence of what Jews, Christians and Muslims call "God" or the "Divine." It is compassion, says the Buddha, which brings you to Nirvana. Why? Because in compassion, when we feel with the other, we dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and we put another person there. And once we get rid of ego, then we’re ready to see the Divine. And, in particular, every single one of the major traditions has highlighted — has said — has put at the core of their tradition — what’s become known as the Golden Rule. First propounded by Confucius five centuries before Christ, "Do not do unto others what you would not like them to do to you." That, he said, was the central thread that ran through all his teaching and that his disciples should put into practice all day and every day. And it was the Golden Rule would bring them to the transcendent value that he called rén, human-heartedness, which was a transcendent experience in itself.”
All this initial understanding about your spalndis approach to religion!and for the case of God!/Dinine!had made me to explore more of your contribution,which no doubt will make a enlightening/insightful experience!
All my support and good wishes for your Intentions and efforts to bring forth –“The Charter for Compassion that will be unveiled to the world on November 12, 2009.”in collaboration of UN!
With best regards!
@run
(Dr.Arun Raghuwanshi)
International Yoga Master
Yogaway Inernational
Oakville(ON),Canada/Korea/India
(24th Sept.’09)
*
About Karen Armstrong:
Karen Armstrong is one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world. Armstrong is a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford. In 1982 she wrote a book about her seven years in the convent, Through the Narrow Gate, that angered and challenged Catholics worldwide; her recent book The Spiral Staircase discusses her subsequent spiritual awakening after leaving the convent, when she began to develop her iconoclastic take on the great monotheistic religions.Karen Armstrong
Karen Armstrong is one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world. Armstrong is a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford. In 1982 she wrote a book about her seven years in the convent, Through the Narrow Gate, that angered and challenged Catholics worldwide; her recent book The Spiral Staircase discusses her subsequent spiritual awakening after leaving the convent, when she began to develop her iconoclastic take on the great monotheistic religions.
She has written more than 20 books around the ideas of what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and around their effect on world events, including the magisterial A History of God and Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World. Her latest book is The Bible: A Biography. Her books include: A History of God [1993], which became an international bestseller; Jerusalem, One City, Three Faiths [1996]; The Battle for God, A History of Fundamentalism [2000]; Islam, A Short History [2000]; Buddha (2001); The Spiral Staircase: A Memoir (2004); A Short History of Myth (2005).The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions (2006); and finally Muhammad: A Prophet for our Time (2006).
In the post-9/11 world, she is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding.
In 2008, Karen Armstrong won the TED Prize. Watch her wish:.
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