I am currently reading a book by Karen Armstrong. (The History of God) We have just increased the number of gigs I can have monthly so tonight I listened to a "Ted Talk" by her. She put into words some of the things I struggle to put into words. Here are some sentences from her talk.
"Up until 17th Century 'belief' meant 'I love' or 'I engage myself'', it was not about giving intellectual assent to doctrines"
"Religion is about behaving differently"
As she compared religions she came to the conclusion that essentially being religious is "To behave in a committed way and then you begin to understand the truths of religion." (I had a post that said a similar thing... I talked about different ways of knowing.)
In a comparisson of main religions "Pride of place is given to compassion... to feel with the other... as a true test of religiosity" and "it is compassion that brings us into the presence of the divine." ... because "our ego is taken out of the centre of our being".
"A lot of religious people prefer to be right rather than compassionate."
"Our situation in the world today is so serious that any ideology that does not promote a sense of global understanding and global appreciation is failing the test of the times."
It is so inspiring to hear of a faith stretching the boundaries of love, and having a real breadth, depth and relevance. Unfortunately so much religion in the west today seems to be a religious expression of a selfishness and tribalism that causes the problems in the first place.
Great stuff, Karen Armstrong, I liked it.
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