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Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

danyoung — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:40:56 -0000

Karen,
My question is: Can someone believe in Christianity without believing in Jesus Christ? As background let me say that in my search for what I believe by a process of elimination I have come across the idea that: "God is not what I don't believe in". This is my response to a church that insists that any searching that I may do is a result of an insufficient belief in God. With respect to Jesus I feel somewhat the other way. The church insists that I believe in the person of Jesus as a physical truth. I prefer to believe in Jesus' teachings, and I find the truth of Jesus as a person to be somewhat irrelevant. After all, Jesus said "Follow me". He didn't say "Worship me". Yet the church insiste that worship is the end all of religious experience. I find this discomforting. I find worship of a person to be idolitrous, and I'm much more comforted by a belief in Christ's values and ideas as expressed by the Christian religion than I am by a belief in the person of Christ. Hence I'm toying with the assertion "I believe in Christianity but not in Christ". I would relish your comment.

Dan Young

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

dizi izle — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:36:07 -0000

Should be a good one. Thanks!

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

dizi izle — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:12:28 -0000

thank you

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Kirsten Bolwig — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:23:08 -0000

Dear Karen Armstrong, I was moved by your eloquent address before the TED audience referring to the Alliance of Civilizations and compassion. May I make the plea that you consider the Alliance between the Abrahamic religions the first part of two stages, the second being forming a bridge between the Alliance and the spiritual wisdom of the indigenous people of the world namely those of Central America, Australia and New Zealand. Their spiritual understanding of how to live in harmony and respect with all life if combined with the ethos of compassion that is seen in the Great Religions will result in the full expression of the Golden Rule. We will not have peace on Earth until we have peace with the Earth. Many Blessings, Kirsten Bolwig kirsten@kirstenbolwig

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Kirsten Bolwig — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:56:34 -0000

Could you please forward this plea to Karen Armtrong.
Dear Karen, I have listened moved to your recent address to the TED audience on the subject of compassion and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. I plead that you consider the Alliance between the Abrahamic religions as the first of a two part program with the second objective being forming a bridge between the Alliance and the spiritual wisdom of the indigenous people of the world namely Central America, Australia and New Zealand. Peace on Earth cannot integrate within the hearts of mankind until there is peace with the Earth and respect for all that co-exist on Her. With the combined spiritual wisdom of both there will truly be the balanced force that can carry us forward through the next millenium. Many Blessings, Kirsten Bolwig kirsten@kirstenbolwig.com

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Birgitta Adolfson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:55:08 -0000

U talk 2 me – 1 love – lets rewind colourful and invent the wheel again!

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Birgitta Adolfson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:54:59 -0000

U talk 2 me – 1 love – lets rewind colourful and invent the wheel again!

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

birgittaadolfson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:54:17 -0000

U talk 2 me – 1 love – lets rewind colourful and invent the wheel again!

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Charlie Beggs — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:06:44 -0000

GOD..........That which gave to us our desires, feelings, instincts and all other perceptions and involintary reactions unavailable to lesser species currently incapable of perception. That is why the Golden Rule works for all religions, and is in fact a nescessary tennant for thier inception

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Jonathan French — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:36:24 -0000

Do you have any resources to assist in the process of educating our youth in the school system. I am a religious education teacher and realize that many of your words and thought process would be of great benefit to young people. I am looking for ways in which to translate your ideas into 'lessons' for the classroom.

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

steveh2u — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:24:36 -0000

Do you think religion will ever disappear?

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

tpahornet — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:52:11 -0000

Why in the United States and elsewhere in the world are the fundamentalist of most religions so set at destroying others. i.e. Born again christians who were so supportive to both GW Bush's wars of aggression? This mindset is both scary and how can they justify their beliefs when the bible clearly states in the 10 commandments that it is against God's Law to kill or steal from your neighbor?

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

hopeseekr — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:41:52 -0000

http://www.reddit.com/r/red......

I have been libelled seriously by a redditor. I have been trying to get in contact w/ reddit admins for many days now. "send a message" via reddit has gotten no response. Please email me. I realy wish I could just talk w/ you guys but I am going to have to escalate this into the court system if I am unable to contact anyone.

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

atmosfera — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:58:55 -0000

I strongly disagree with you linking human values to supernatural beings but I am with you on the idea of multiplying the compassion concept all over the world.

I think you should include the full rainbow of human perspectives.

Why don't you frame the charter for compassion under an inclusive, collaborative light that includes Buddhist, Christians, Muslims and non religious people?

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Edelle Rose — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:03:51 -0000

Is it possible that compassion reinforces the concept of self and other as separate instead of One? The parts of the body do not show compassion for each other because they do not recognize that they are separate. Self interest encourages us to care for our eyes as well as our feet and teeth. This seems to me to be a good model for care of each other and they Earth. We are really all one!

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Matthew Chrisler — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:46:01 -0000

What types of relations are being built along religious lines between the people of the United States and Iran?
Religion, far from causing the original problem, has now been appropriated by both Iran and the United States to symbolize a clash of civilizations that is NOT a fundamental conflict.

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Alexis Ohanian — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:28:08 -0000

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Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Alexis Ohanian — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:28:01 -0000

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Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

shackett — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:03:24 -0000

I've been moved by this idea since the day I read the Dalai Lama's quote, "My religion is kindness." Compassion is something I believe in deeply, too. But how can compassion regain it's place in religion when there's no money to be made being compassionate? How will people see different groups with kindness when they've already been taught that their religion condemns those groups? I wish I could believe that people really wanted a movement towards compassion... but most people don't want to work for their religion, they want something that comforts them and gives them a sense of power, and that they are right and others are wrong. How can compassion compete with that to those who don't already feel it?

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

pattyhardy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:20:20 -0000

Would you consider branding (of products and services) to be the new biblia pauperum of the consumer?

Background:
I call devoted consumers the 'illiterati' because there is a willfully ignorant and cult-like aspiration in consumerism - for example, coca cola is a prerequisite at any gathering; fashion drives the choice of clothing, food, holiday and motor vehicle sales, and so on. Fashion has a primary function in consumerism. Fashion is the portal to self esteem.

Consumerism is so harmful to the planet and to the soul, it cannot be a considered choice. It is the antithesis of spiritual devotion. It is quite simply the replacement of god with mammon, hence the biblia pauperum.

What do you think?

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Alexis Ohanian — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:31:44 -0000

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Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Alexis Ohanian — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:31:38 -0000

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Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

theaiberall — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:51:42 -0000

Each religion has at its basic level a respect for something, usually something meaningful (e.g., Judaism respects the Torah, Islam the Koran, Christianity respects faith). This is true whether the adherents and leaders of the religion practice the morality laid down by their own religions. Can this notion of respect be grown into a common ground that all religions can accept?

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

franzoo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:21:12 -0000

What do you think is the best way to bridge the gap between the message of religion and the way that message is executed by it's leaders?

Re: Ask Karen Armstrong Anything

Alexis Ohanian — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:22:49 -0000

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