Compassion is not just a sloppy emotional bonhomie; it requires a serious intellectual effort to learn about one another, even if it’s unflattering to ourselves. RD contributor and religion scholar Laurie Patton interviews Karen Armstrong upon the launch of her global call to action, the Charter for Compassion.
A commenter from a recent review of Karen Armstrong’s new book writes that a central claim of hers is “utterly false.” Our blogger examines that claim.
Of all the monotheisms, Christianity has come to depend the most on the idea of belief, or doctrine. But there is a strong countertradition, now submerged, that insists that any time we say we know who God is, or what God wants, we are committing an act of heresy.
The best-selling scholar says that the Bible is more violent than the Qur’an, that religious fundamentalism is political, and more.
