For all of those posting negative comments, is that not defeating the purpose of the message of this video?! The Charter of Compassion is supposed to encourage society to get along and help each other out, despite our differences! Why bother posting a negative comment on here anyway? If it bothers you that much, close the window and move on.
Thanks so much for posting. We need to remind ourselves that as human beings we all share much more than that which divides us. Compassion is the river which nurtures all souls!!!
Excellent video. In a world full of genocides and apathy, compassion is one of the few things we've got that is truely good. It has the capacity to transcend every barrier, I sincerely hope that humanity as a whole may one day set aside violence and fear and learn to love and forgive. I hope that everyone can know happiness
Having love and compassion for everyone is exactly what we have when the Spirit of God is residing within us. And that's what Jesus had,,even for those who put him to death shown by him saying., "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do". When we're filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ we love as Jesus loves,,not in our own strength though but through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in those who live in Christ,,,And nothing can overcome the Spirit of Jesus Christ. LOVE TRUTH.
Your individuality is not at stake. This video is an encouragement to be compassionate. Believe what you want to believe, that's great! I'm not Christian, I don't believe in religion because I feel it is damaging. Religion itself is the collectivism you speak of, not Karen Armstrong. Please, though, continue to fight compassion and good people trying to do right. Progress means acting together, not acting as one. I hope you find the difference one day.
Great video! True Love and Compassion are very powerful and healing forces - they provide a pathway for transformation at national, societal and individual levels.
You can speak all you want of compassion but "by your works ye shall be judged" and so far none of the world's religions are doing well. I'm better with the God that is me, thank you!
Please join me and thousands around the world to make a real difference in the lives of others. It's only true Compassion when you are moved to feel the pain of others.
Years ago I concluded after being offered the opportunity to consider the matter that the earth, her land and natural resources, belongs to everyone equally. Sometimes this is stated: the earth belongs to everyone in common. Because I accepted this as true I found that its implications touched everything since everything sits on or comes from the land and everyone one of us lives on her surface every day 24/7/365. How do we harmonize common ownership of the earth with private ownership?
I love this. Karen Armstrong is so right. This is expecting compassion explicitly (but not exclusively) from religious people too - which is, of course, essential. We need to get rid of the fundamentalist paradigm of intolerance, in whatever shape it comes (atheist fundamentalism, theistic fundamentalism...). People are people. Religious people included. And yes, that's why we need to defend people's right to frame their personal sense of compassion in a religious paradigm. Not everyone needs religion - but for many people, this is how it works, for now. Religion is to them an expression of compassion, in a world where nationalism, racism, money, greed, faith in technology, and many more things are constantly calling for our attention - in detriment of our human(e)ness.
The religion businesses like Christianity, exist only because they have been successful at maintaining a good revenue flow, taking advantageous of mostly the more superstitious gullible minds, with the main targets being the poor, and poorly educated, the oppressed or innocent children whose minds have not yet developed critical thinking. Anyone feeling down or seeking a magic power outside themselves and some comfort are ideal customers. Religions pretend to be a "source" of things like love, compassion, forgiveness, and hope, to needy people, when the truth is that most everyone has those qualities in their hearts anyway. It seems odd to me that the theistic religions sell the product of a dream of an afterlife and get away with it! Even though they are all restricted to being merely Faith-based belief systems, which anyone can verify in any encyclopedia or at any Library, people are still victimized by time-tested methods using the mighty "power of belief" This Neurotheology is effective in gathering followers and convincing them that Vishnu, Allah and Jesus are real, and is what makes believers "feel the presence of Allah" or know that Jesus has answered their prayers. Sadly Christianity is now a multi-billion dollar worldwide enterprise with estimated financial, commercial and property assets in the trillions. If it were not for the fact hat Jesus is dead and buried he would be in tears over what greedy men have done with his simple message of "love one another." Wishing you Love, Truth and Peace
Mr ***** when someone interferes in a positive post just throwing in a generalized, stigmatizing point of view - like seeing only "business" and "gullible minds" in religion and talking about Christianity being just a "multi-billion dollar worldwide enterprise" while there is clearly more going on, I always wonder where this inclination to negativism comes from. For millions of people, their beliefs have no strict correlation with profits, egotism and greed - no more than it could be the case with you or any non-religious person out there. They are simply focused on the main teachings of the central person or persons in the religious stories that they love (and they love those stories because they keep remind mankind of this sort of wisdom). Even an atheist can get this (I certainly do). So unless you can see the bigger picture here, your criticism does not really make much sense to me. Here's a few clues that may be helpful. Religions do not inherently "pretend to be a 'source' of things" as you claim. Some people do, others certainly don't experience religion that way. Religion points at sources, by means of stories, myths, but does not necessarily put a claim on those sources. You are making an argument from circumstances, because you seem to observe religion with a monologuous mindset right now. Also, what you call "Neurotheology" is "Neuroshit" of another kind in other people - such a terminology is not contributing any convincing argument against religion as such. Nor are religions simply trying to convince us that "Vishnu, Allah and Jesus are real" - what's real is the characteristics attributed to these gods or persons, and these properties are unmistakably human - the bad ones (e.g. intolerance) as well as the good ones (the tools religions offer to deal with intolerance). Most religions show us all the paradoxes of mankind - that's exactly why people recognize themselves in it and in those stories. That's how we understand the power of those stories and myths. Myths being a program for action, a preparation for situations in daily life. The embedding of those myths in a so-called 'sacred book' may be problematic in many ways, but no more than a constitution is problematic when it does not evolve with its time. I prefer to let religions evolve - they evolve all the time, and they are far from just being a greedy business. You are confusing the big reality out there with the particular situations of misuse that you have in mind. Love Truth and Peace to you as well.
***** If you saw something negative that may be because your vision is clouded by looking through Bible-colored glasses. Promoting Truth over merely believing something is true because it says it is, as you Hindus, Christians and Muslims do, is not negative. It is very positive and healthy. You are correct that for the congregations profits are not the focus, which is the same for Walmart where customers pay and do not get to see the financial statements of Walmart. The normal human attributes of empathy and compassion and "doing unto others" is a normal part of daily life for the vast majority of human beings on Earth, and no religion businesses are needed to have that, correct? That was the case long ago before men invented any gods and religions for thousands of years. Believing in stories is fine and much wisdom can be learned through stories. The deception of fooling gullible people into saying the stories are real and happened however, is harmful and serves only the agenda of the religion business for profit and power over others. Since when is deception for profit a positive thing? Yes, absolutely religions are telling their customers their gods are real and they speak Truth. You can see solid evidence of that right here with Muslims preaching the Truth of Allah and Christians preaching the Truth of Jesus. They know Vishnu, Allah and Jesus are real because they have had mental "religious experiences" in their mind, you know! Neuroscience is not "an argument" anymore than drug therapy or brain surgery is. They are just normal realities of how the brain operates and what the biochemical processes are. You can be taken to a medical lab and have probes put in your brain to simulate a near-death experience in cerebral apoxia and a Muslim will see a bright white light and images of their family and important events flash by, along with images of Mohammed or Allah if they are devout Muslims. And a Christian with experience the exact same effects and see the same images flash by except they see Jesus or some image of God which comes from their subconscious mind planted there by indoctrination by the Business of Christianity. Believers are living a lie to feed wealth and power for the agenda of competing religion businesses. Yes, the PEOPLE in religions do much good work and charity because they are normal people giving of their time and money. Magic invisible gods are not the source of charity and love. You are free to deny that Biochemistry is real in the brain if you like. Do religions make mankind any better in ANY way? No, History shows the opposite and wherever religions are strong in the world also the crime rates, disease, poor education and violence are higher. Who is the biggest group admitted to all prisons in the U.S and the U.K? That would be the Christians. Would that have anything to do with the immoral Christian doctrine that tells people they can be the worst criminal and have murdered and raped for years and still they can come "as they are" and will be accepted by Christianity and can later repent and ask forgiveness of a magic friend and their record is wiped clean by the sacrifice of some magic blood and they can then go to imaginary Heaven? Where are the most Law abiding moral, loving and peaceful peoples in the world with the lowest crime rates and lowest violence? That would be in Scandinavia where religions have practically died out. [ Myths being a program for action, a preparation for situations in daily life. ] Was that intended as a joke? Knowing Truth is the wise and practical way to make decisions and set a course to enlightenment as a human being for daily Life. Having a myth that someone is a witch, or is gay, or is not a virgin on marriage, and they all should be killed because the myth says so is not good advice, right? Because the religious writings are held to be inerrant, "God inspired" and unchangeable they hold back progress and any normal evolution of human thought for the indoctrinated followers. We still have millions of people driven to think women must submit to men because their Bible and Qur'an say so, and we still have sexual mutilation of boys and girls that in lesser developed countries caused suffering and death year after year to hundreds of children through botched sacred operations all because the gods strangely failed to create human beings with proper looking sex organs. It's time to put superstition and intolerant religions in the garbage, in favor of common sense and normal imperfect human values. One of us is confused over what the agenda of religions is, and the things you describe for explaining morality, the meaning of Life, Love, and how to deal with situations in daily life are already covered by basic humanity and Philosophy and the Laws we establish to set standards for relative morality, and punishments to enforce what the people what. I thank you for sharing your ideas and I was glad to see you at least did not try to pretend that religion stands for Truth and that magic invisible sky gods are real. The simple fact is that 2 million Americans are now leaving Christianity each year due to better levels of education and the Church proving itself to be greedy and having out-dated morality. We know that Islam will be the main surviving religion in a few decades, but it too will eventually fall as it fails to adapt quickly enough to Life as it evolves, and like the dinosaurs, religions will be left behind to have an end to their tyranny. peace
***** It would surprise me if I, as an atheist who un-believes in any such thing like a supernatural being out there, would be "looking through Bible-colored glasses" - although this is arguably still a possibility in the subconscious mind. But so is the possibility that you are looking through the colored glasses of some conspiracist ideas, hence seeing things that aren't really there. Let's keep this sober: No one here (except you) was suggesting anything about "believing something is true because it says it is". Your remark about empathy is more or less correct: empathy is certainly not owned by religions. On the other hand, empathy was widely available among religious people just the same - as religious people are just people like anyone else. Hence, I see no problem in admitting that many good things are found in the history of religions - this is just a fair observation for someone who realizes that for a very long time most people have been somehow religious in one way or another. You suggest once again that I should deny that "the stories are real". But we are not talking the same language. Most ancient stories are real in the sense that they convey meaning, connected to an event or series of events which have roots in the reality of life. Myths, after a couple of decades, lose their less important details and the core values (which are remembered the most, because they made a deep impression) get more focus, and become the subject of mythification. They are still true in a sense that many historians and sociologists have explained very well. They give us a glimpse into what was really important to certain people in a specific place and time. And many of those lessons are valuable. Your negativity lies in ignoring all of that and telling a story which seems hooked on the worst parts and defunct of a broader understanding of context - in which religion is just an aspect of humanity. Your negativity also leads you to saying "Yes, the PEOPLE in religions do much good work and charity because they are normal people giving of their time and money" -- which is stating the obvious. Without those "PEOPLE" there would be no religion. You can try separating the "PEOPLE" from the "religion" you seem having qualms about but this abstraction is not very helpful anyway. Of course it is the people in religions - there is nothing else but the people. And, when you add to it: "Magic invisible gods are not the source of charity and love", again, you are stating the obvious. Sure, fundamentalist christians may believe that way. But even believers who believe that god is such a "source" won't necessarily deny that god is this source for every human being. In other words believers are often inclusivists, not exclusivists. They are well aware that in the end, it is always a human choice. Arguments like "Do religions make mankind any better in ANY way? No" are just that - statements cut off from reality. The reality is that religions do not "make" anything whatsoever - humans are the ones who make themselves and the world better, and among those humans there happen to be many who use the religious stories as a continuous reminder of things like compassion, caring, not being selfish, and so on - the things that all great religions adopted. Simply because those are human inventions, that's why they were uberhaupt incorporated in religions. The Scandinavian argument is bunk. The Nordic countries share with the rest of Europe a long history of secularism - and secularism is something which was very well understood by (if not invented by) Catholics for many centuries, deep into our European history (I am European by the way). Not atheism but humanism characterizes much of Europe's developments since and long before the Enlightenment. Secularism is, of course, much more important than atheism (I would not call myself atheist if someone would not first of all understand that I am a humanist and secularist). Too, the Nordic countries have different economic models, which allowed them to obtain a certain prosperity (often at the expense of very high taxes - up to 70 percent) and at this point it is hard to compare their 'advantages' to other European countries. Certainly is there no argument in this story pro or contra atheism whatsoever. You are cherry-picking arguments for something (whatever it is that you are trying to argue) but this sort of argument is based on very shallow suggestions - they do not consider the variety of conditions that play a role in such questions like the whereabouts of Scandinavian countries. If a catholic would argue that Switzerland is rich because it is is Catholic, you would rebuke this 'argument' in much the same way. If you are not familiar with the view that myths are a program for action, thinking it is "a joke", I would recommend reading agnostic writers like Karen Armstrong or atheists like, let's say, Jonathan Gottschall, who after studying religions and myths found that these stories have a function as a simulation of the big problems of life that helps us cope better with those problems when we do experience them. (Gottshall, by the way, admits that his first writings were anti-theistic, but after a while he saw that this is not the way forward - so he tried to understand things properly before criticizing them). These and other experts on religion and myths are not telling "jokes". They arguably have a solid understanding of what they are talking about. Religious myths being held to be "inerrant" is something for Evangelicals I suppose (those attributed in the title of a book by Mark Noll: "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind") - but I'm not hooked on stupid. You can run an entire lifetime on some belief that all religion is like "evangelical" but then you are not being real. Your assessment on Islam is wrong too. Christianity world wide is still growing faster (between 75000 and 135000 new 'christians' every day). Yet, fact is that church life is declining everywhere, and religion is re-inventing itself. Christians like Gretta Vosper are, like so many others, technically atheist. Just as atheists sometimes call themselves 'christian atheists', those christians do not always differ that much - what they emphasize with 'christian' is the need to become more humane (compassionate). It is the history of religions that make those terms intertwined - and I think this is for good reasons. What happened in religions is not unique to religion, but has its own deep roots, and it is not unfair of people to refer to a religious context in which the best things of humanity (like the golden rule) have been 'captured' (without that necessitating any form of exclusivism, as I already said). I feel the same thing towards Islam. I love reading about religious. Being atheist does not come with a requirement of being disinterested in our past. The "religions will be left behind" is an old story, an idea from the French Revolution (before the French Encyclopedists were all killed in the aftermath of the early revolution). Religion may once die, but this is not likely to happen any time soon. Even Europe's most famous atheist (Habermas) works together with religious thinkers - not against them. A tradition which was also understood by people like Carl Sagan, E.O.Wilson and many others - but not the 'new atheist' morons - who are essentially neocons with an anti-religious twist in their minds. I don't do conflict-based rhetoric (just in case you still wouldn't realize it). Peace.
***** My apologies then for my misunderstanding of who you portrayed yourself to be because I have never encountered an Atheist working so hard to defend the concept of religion like you do. I am not an Atheist myself and let go of the need to have any religious labels for beliefs or disbeliefs in any gods men created long ago. If you think the History of religions shows them to be a benefit to mankind instead of centuries of long bloody struggles for money and power, then you are free to do that. I don't find your fancy footwork of saying myths have truth to be very convincing. We do agree that religion will not be dying any time soon. It is on the decline worldwide as Education is finally getting to the far corners of the world. Religions only survive in places of low education and where people are stressed to seek magic outside help in their lives. If they seek Enlightenment then we have Philosophy and the basic teachings of the Eastern religions like Buddhism that promotes human values more than any of the self-serving theistic religions. I thank you for your clarifications and will trouble you no more. Wishing you Love, Truth and Peace
This is great, thank you or setting this up, virtually everybody believes in some form of spiritual values, I don't think you even need to contrast it against fundamentalism, establishing a common charter on compassion might, hopefully, help us create a focus on the common spiritual core of all faiths.
Please do not confuse me with a religious zealot. The reason I am not is because of the rationale you just gave. I am simply surprised you did not find the same message of spreading compassion (and thus trying to calcify the fundamentalism you described) among religions as a path to creating tolerance. You are right, even as to the advantages we possess as Americans (or modern citizens). I am just hopeful that change among the faiths is possible. Chatting with you has been great.
@voiceofelijah2012: I have always felt that by "through me" Jesus meant following his footsteps, his heart - growing the same kind of clarity and compassion. Where did Jesus encourage judgement on people who don't talk about God with the same language as oneself?
@Etular Is that what it's called? All I know is I gave organized religion the best years of my life only to be in a constant state of depression and guilt. Five years ago I had an awakening and haven't looked back. Now I'm happy and love my life and would never go back to religion again. Praise me! LOL
As always, the meaning of the words dies first, then freedom gets taken away: -progress does not mean acting together, it means moving forward; -individualism does not mean acting alone, it means making decisions alone and thinking for yourself; This project doesn't encourage compassion, it encourages indoctrination and acceptance of ideas without thinking: people can decide to be compassionate by themselves, they don't need to be told what to think.
The fact is Mike, and here is the gospel for you. Christ came to die for you. He loved you very much to give his life for you. No one else cared for you that much, but Jesus did. He wants to change your life, give you a new beginning and a new direction. He wants a relationship with you and so he is willing to hear you call to him, but it's up to you. He is a real person, with real answers. All he wants in return is your love. His yoke is easy, his burden is light. This is the love of Christ 4 u
How can we ensure our that our information gathers, analysts, planners, and decision makers all have empathy and compassion skills? They were never listed as part of any government job description.
@mikegeordie - Hi Mike, I'm glad you replied. You say you believe in Allah and Islam, Buddha and Shiva and Hinduism, why? What is the basis for this belief? What did ANY of these religions do for YOU personally?
Many of these people are Christian. This is not some sort of NWO religion, it's really just a PAC for compassion. You can believe whatever you want and still support this group. Just don't hate; love.
It's not my version, it's based on Christ's own words. He said, he that follows me will do the will of my father, what is the fathers will? That all come to repentance, love others and take up their cross and follow him -Christ.
you're great Karen! it is simply unbelievable that your video is scaring the religious right.... they are thinking you are trying to rid the world of individual religions... so threatened....it is just mind blowing how scared people are of compassion and the golden rule.... WHY??? it is so scary to hear these people freak out over this video. I simply don't understand it.
I reject any consensus/compromise people participating in this project may agree to, and reserve my right to continue defining my own standards of behaviour, as an individual. Should this site, or any other, start censoring speech based on this charter, please let me now, so that I can avoid those sites.
Individualism is by definition "stubbornness" against collectivism. You're right: without someone trying to impose their will on me, I would have no need to affirm my individuality: I would just be free. If you think reason means collectivism, and progress means becoming a single entity that solves problems by acting like the Borg, then your conclusion makes sense. What you are basing those ideas on though has nothing to do with reason, and everything to do with your indoctrinaton as a child.
@danwazhere7 Yes, Jesus did come to us to bring the message of love, life, truth and salvation for all and especially for those suffering, but Jesus also said to the Pharisees “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” and I feel that the essence of the message of the “Charter Compassion”, was Jesus message of Love above all.
@mikegeordie Karl Barth (one of the most important Christian thinkers of the last century) would argue to the contrary; that no Christian should think himself better than a non-Christian; rather, the whole affair is a matter of grace, God's grace. The Christian response is to see clearly that He is in no better position than the non-Christian by his own merit, that all he has that his fellow hasn't is God's gift, and that He must share it. But He must share it as it is, as he received it.
That's a great question. God can never receive sin, nor accept sin because of our failure. I will leave that final act of those who have never heard the gospel in God's hands. I cannot judge them so I leave that to the almighty. As for other religions, here is what the word says, "There is a way which seems to be right for man, but it leads to destruction." Proverbs 14:12 Christ said, there is but one way and that is thru him and him alone. Christ died, rose and is coming again, no one else is.
The financial difficulties in the US today are caused by misplaced compassion -- selling homes to those who had a proven history of bad credit and the banks KNEW couldn't afford it. The government made them give loans anyway because, after all, they didn't want to appear "racist". I feel bad for those who bought gorgeous homes they knew they couldn't afford, and subsequently lost. Sometimes, saying "no" is the truest compassion.
@mikegeordie - unconditional love is based on one thing, the act of one man who died so that others might live. What is it about the cross you find so offensive?
@blocke06 That´s my point! Promoting compassion for the sake of compassion sounds a lot safer than promoting religion for the sake of compassion (like Karen Armstrong does). If she admits that religion has caused fundamentalism and atrocities, why not discard it and just focus on compassion? Her agenda is so obvious!
Well, I fear that's impossible. Now I don't want to sound pessimistic, I just think we should aspire new systems, alternatives to the idea of private ownership. For a just society.
I confess Genesis have spoilt me. "TOUCH THE SCREEN! TOUCH THE SCREEN!" ;-) Since I've watched that "Jesus he knows me" parody, I always got to giggle about these "TV missioners".
@mikegeordie You referred to those who preached that they were better than others because they are Christian. Nevertheless, that is not to say that God doesn't care. God cares immensely.
-Social progress cannot be achieved alone, therefore an individual moving forward as equal to societal progress is a baseless claim. -Individualism does not mean discompassionate Indoctrination how? By getting religious leaders together to make their outlooks more positive and accepting? People clearly are not generally compassionate on their own - history shows that. They may not need be told what to think, but they need to be made aware of their actions. The decision to act is theirs.
The golden rule (reciprocity) exists outside religion. It's the only universal value across all cultures and all times. There is no need for a charter. Everyone, including atheists, agree de facto by nature, on reciprocity and compassion... The exception to that rule are the psychopaths (neurologicaly incapable of empathy) and religious fundamentalists (they exclude infidels from humanity, but they reciprocate between them)
@danwazhere7 It is dangerous to get bogged down in the law and miss the essence of Jesus command, which is to love and show compassion for one another above all. What is it if you have “so called” found Jesus and do not love.
@voiceofelijah2012: I feel there's a lot of judgement in your words. Isn't that in conflict with what Jesus taught? Do you feel that pushing your absolute truth on people helps to spread the heart of Christ's message, which was to look inside and find compassion towards all beings?
How about the fact that I'm in London (just hanging out), and you're across the globe, having a chat with me. How about the fact that in ten hours we could be standing face to face. How about the fact that I, a young american, with relatively modest means, could pick up the phone and in ten minutes have chinese food delivered in London, for a very small cost to me? How about the fact that we are safe from most diseases people died of between the years 198.000 BC and 100 AD?
@Aukikco, Just following his footsteps won't cut it without repentance. There needs to be a true 180 in a person's life and that is only through surrending to Jesus Christ and accepting him as Lord and Saviour. Christ made it clear that he was the only way, not him and muhammad, not him and Buddha, not him and Hinduism, but him and him ONLY. These people didn't die for you, he did, they didn't sacrifice themselves on a cross for you, he did. He gave his life for you so you would not die. believe
"THAT is what you should fear." I fear nothing. As a former Christian and someone who now sees Christianity for the delusion it is and am able to live without all the absurd baggage the religion brings with it (fear, indoctrination, self-loathing, contradiction, hate & war-mongering, fables, and other nonsense) my ability to view reality rationally and logically has been crystalized. You can keep your sky-fairies and mythical demons and magical kingdoms like Heaven & Hell. I'll live REAL.
Mike, God does in fact require something in return - repentance. It was God's love for us that he sent his son to die for us because of sin. It was love that he came and it was love that he died. People go to hell for one reason - rebellion. They go to a place they were never meant to go because of unbelief. You might think it wrong and unjust, but in God's point of view it's very just. He sent his son to die, sacrificed his son for YOU, but if you reject him, then you are rejecting God and luv
But there is no force involved in this! It is people coming together in something greater than self-interest: Selflessness. We can spread it but it cannot be by force, because that is what modern religion is doing, and it is harmful. Those are great individuals, but again, they were followed. MLK, Harvey Milk, Gandhi, Reagan, Bobby Kennedy, etc all produced social progress through collective efforts. The people you mentioned either weren't social progressives or completely alone.
Because of the act of one man sin entered into the world. We are judged by what light we are given. Those who do not know Christ still die lost, why? Because God does not nor cannot accept sin unless it has been taken care of by the cross. This is the ONLY solution for man, the cross. There is no other way, all others have failed miserably. The only hope for man is the cross and the only solution for mans problems is the cross.
Christ died on the cross because you are a sinner, needing a saviour. We are sinners needing a saviour. The cross bridged the gap between man and God due to sin. Yes, unconditional love DOES require something in return, it requires submission to the one who died for your sins. It requires man to come to God thru the cross. But it is the same love that will send a soul to hell for not accepting and not believing,. Christ made it very clear that those who reject him will die lost.
How can you declare that Christ changed your life when you don't believe? That's being double minded. He cannot change your life if you don't ACCEPT him as your saviour. Repentance is denying your way of thinking and accepting God's way of thinking. That means a change. Romans 10:9-10 that is salvation. God does in fact need our worship because without him none of us would ever be here in the first place.
Also, have you seen the state of America today? Really awesome, the financial degeneration that occurs when people are left to their own free enterprises.
You are the first person I have met who has dismissed Reagan as 'helpful.' However, even judging those individuals based on their long term success is kind of useless when considering the argument. But even with just MLK and Harvey Milk, are you saying it is possible *gasp* to fight for individual freedoms collectively? Getting a conversation going about the world religions being tolerant is not tyranny. It is progress.
"should be careful" Is that a threat ? Perhaps the threat of violence or suffering from the mind of the peace talking collectivist entity. I'm far from ignorant, but revealing human nature would certainly be more of interest to me, thus to uncloak any dogma that refuses to be criticized.
Is this a Joke? You can't just follow your own understanding of good because for what is good to some people it might be bad for others. Some people love to be treated in some ways that others don't like. If you want to find a balance at least bother to know Jesus for sake of humanity.
Mike, I have a very popular facebook account that I have, why not come there and we can talk, debate and mesh things out? my name is christopher gregory and my image is a blue microphone. I see you are in the UK, when I was in the horror film industry as a film director of several popular B horror flicks, the UK was my base. Shepperton studios.
Scribes were not charged with creating peace on earth. Their sole purpose was to provide a sense of identity. We all know the best way to identify who you are is to identify who you are not. And in order to do this you have to show how your dogma is superior. ALL religions have passages that espouse intolerance. Religion, belief in the supernatural and anachronistic values are the problem. Not the solution.
No, it is what the FACT bear out. Anyone willing to study Christianity from an unbiased HISTORICAL perspective utilizing unbiased, non-circular sourcing and retain an open mind, especially when reading the Bible, rather than defaulting to indoctrination, it is quite easy to see the facts clearly. It is not easy, though. I grant you. My own indoctrination in Christianity was very strong. Once I let go of it, however, I was able to see and awaken form the delusion.
if you believe there is many ways to God, and you are a "Christian" then you simply are not a Christian dont agree with me? John 14:6, and all religions seem the same but one stands out alone, Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected in Christianity, does Islam believe this? no...enough said, Jesus died for all sins , if there are many ways to God then Jesus died for no reason,this is the devils BIGGEST lie, the lie always makes it sound more appealing and attractive to believe,one way Jesus!
One is not "lucky" simply because one is born in america versus one born in India. Nor does one being born in america make one a christian. One must go thru the cross because that is the only answer to YOUR seperation from God. Christ made it perfectly clear, he is the ONLY way, there is no other. I could go into detail but that would take too much time. The fact is Mike, you are lost without love, it is love that was shown on the cross for you and me. The cross was an act of love.
If you want to truth why dont ask it your Creator who can show you bestly than him.Look all of the religions and its books and ask what is truth or what the truth is.According to Islam and its holy book Quran.Who turn its face to God,God says I will drive the hearts to the truth.
@Aukikco, if you think that I am not following Christ's example then you don't know my Christ. Jesus preached repentance. Christ caleld some people dogs, snakes, liars, even the children of the devil. Absolute truth is only in Christ. The fact is, if you die without Christ, you will die lost, forever in a place called hell. It will be that same loving saviour who shall judge, and condemn you to an everlasting place of torment. I tell you this because u don't have 2 die lost. Come to Christ 2 day
It refers to man's religious attempt to create his own unique way to God. There is no other religion but the cross. Religion is man's attempt to come to God, the cross (faith) is God's way of coming to man. God still judges today, but he has reserved his extreme position down the road. The world is being shaken Mike, the world is being turned upside down, why? Christ is coming. Look around you, the final pages of revelation are today's headlines. We are in the last days.
The two people who fought for individual freedom (judging a man by his character) on that list were MLK and Milk, and their work was fruitful(pun kindof intended) as a result. As far as Gandhi goes, India isn't exactly the paradise he preached, now is it, precisely because of his socialist policies. Reagan, while helpful on the short term, took the Republican party in a direction that proved extremely destructive: compassionate conservatism lead to our current predicament.
Then Mike, you don't know Christ personally, for if you did you'd understand that God never changes. He makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 6:9 who will never inherit eternal life. Yes, free will is a two edged sword. You are free to reject the cross, but that freedom is also one that will send you to eternal damnation and seperation. Hell is not a state of mind, it's a real place, with real souls, with real punishment. Christ spoke about hell more than heaven. Matthew 10:28
I simply replied to a nonsensical comment you posted. Then you replied back, and so on. THAT is why I commented to you and why this discussion has been happening. I'm not arguing. I'm just calling you on the nonsense you keep claiming. Nothing more. No intrusion. You posted on a public forum.
Mike, I like our discussion, but for man, those who reject God there is a price to pay. The word says that man's heart is wicked, there is no good in the heart of man. If goodness was all that was needed, then Christ came and died in vain. Christ told many that they were the children of the devil. The ONLY person who is part of God's family is those who have repented of their sins and came to Christ.
They are trying to unify people under the common presumption of compassion. Trying to undo such a necessary effort is beneficial to whom? You do not have to agree. Just tell me how you believe you are helping by hindering compassion?
I wish you considered what I wrote instead of closing yourself off. But I can't force you to agree nor would I want that. My first sentence didn't mean anything? Has social progress ever been realized by one individual? No. You said progress was moving forward, but you also advocate individualism. Those two do not coalesce. Individuality is great, but only when those individuals come together does anything get done. Religion indoctrinates children as you will your own. There is no difference.
Amazing that Hitchens gets millions of views for promoting intolerance, and a charter for tolerance and equality gets less than 100k. What's wrong with society?
I never called you hateful. Calm down friend. If there is any kind of NWO I assure you it isn't these folks. They just want to promote tolerance and (it seems) non-violence. How could a non-violent group take over? I don't see a Gandhi ruling any nation. I agreee diversity is not something to be ashamed about. But if it leads to Islamic terrorists and Christians who kill abortion doctors then we should stand as one and fight back. Paranoia and fear help no one.
...and? ..and yet it appears you're not, but it does appear that you maybe deluded/troubled/angry ....but an Atheist, no, it does not appear that you're an Atheist.
Isn't that what the Religious Society of Friends believes? Everyone is free to make up their own religious beliefs based on their "inner light"? So make your own rules, do your own thing, reality is what YOU say it is, everything is relative. No wonder Richard Nixon was a Quaker!
For all of those posting negative comments, is that not defeating the purpose of the message of this video?!
The Charter of Compassion is supposed to encourage society to get along and help each other out, despite our differences!
Why bother posting a negative comment on here anyway? If it bothers you that much, close the window and move on.
Thanks so much for posting. We need to remind ourselves that as human beings we all share much more than that which divides us. Compassion is the river which nurtures all souls!!!
Excellent video. In a world full of genocides and apathy, compassion is one of the few things we've got that is truely good. It has the capacity to transcend every barrier, I sincerely hope that humanity as a whole may one day set aside violence and fear and learn to love and forgive. I hope that everyone can know happiness
Salaam, shalom, shanti, Frieden, paz, peace to all beings!
Having love and compassion for everyone is exactly what we have when the Spirit of God is residing within us. And that's what Jesus had,,even for those who put him to death shown by him saying., "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do". When we're filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ we love as Jesus loves,,not in our own strength though but through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in those who live in Christ,,,And nothing can overcome the Spirit of Jesus Christ. LOVE TRUTH.
That this video exists, gives me hope.
Your individuality is not at stake. This video is an encouragement to be compassionate.
Believe what you want to believe, that's great! I'm not Christian, I don't believe in religion because I feel it is damaging. Religion itself is the collectivism you speak of, not Karen Armstrong.
Please, though, continue to fight compassion and good people trying to do right. Progress means acting together, not acting as one. I hope you find the difference one day.
I think this video has information that we need to hear, especially in relation to religious intolerance's. Compassion is necessary.
God have mercy on us all...
Great video! True Love and Compassion are very powerful and healing forces - they provide a pathway for transformation at national, societal and individual levels.
You can speak all you want of compassion but "by your works ye shall be judged" and so far none of the world's religions are doing well. I'm better with the God that is me, thank you!
she nailed it...she did not make it about herself and her views but she left it on us to think.
Please join me and thousands around the world to make a real difference in the lives of others. It's only true Compassion when you are moved to feel the pain of others.
Years ago I concluded after being offered the opportunity to consider the matter that the earth, her land and natural resources, belongs to everyone equally. Sometimes this is stated: the earth belongs to everyone in common.
Because I accepted this as true I found that its implications touched everything since everything sits on or comes from the land and everyone one of us lives on her surface every day 24/7/365. How do we harmonize common ownership of the earth with private ownership?
This is just such a breath of fresh air. Thanks you for your work.
I love this. Karen Armstrong is so right. This is expecting compassion explicitly (but not exclusively) from religious people too - which is, of course, essential. We need to get rid of the fundamentalist paradigm of intolerance, in whatever shape it comes (atheist fundamentalism, theistic fundamentalism...). People are people. Religious people included. And yes, that's why we need to defend people's right to frame their personal sense of compassion in a religious paradigm. Not everyone needs religion - but for many people, this is how it works, for now. Religion is to them an expression of compassion, in a world where nationalism, racism, money, greed, faith in technology, and many more things are constantly calling for our attention - in detriment of our human(e)ness.
The religion businesses like Christianity, exist only because they have been successful at maintaining a good revenue flow, taking advantageous of mostly the more superstitious gullible minds, with the main targets being the poor, and poorly educated, the oppressed or innocent children whose minds have not yet developed critical thinking. Anyone feeling down or seeking a magic power outside themselves and some comfort are ideal customers.
Religions pretend to be a "source" of things like love, compassion, forgiveness, and hope, to needy people, when the truth is that most everyone has those qualities in their hearts anyway. It seems odd to me that the theistic religions sell the product of a dream of an afterlife and get away with it!
Even though they are all restricted to being merely Faith-based belief systems, which anyone can verify in any encyclopedia or at any Library, people are still victimized by time-tested methods using the mighty "power of belief" This Neurotheology is effective in gathering followers and convincing them that Vishnu, Allah and Jesus are real, and is what makes believers "feel the presence of Allah" or know that Jesus has answered their prayers. Sadly Christianity is now a multi-billion dollar worldwide enterprise with estimated financial, commercial and property assets in the trillions. If it were not for the fact hat Jesus is dead and buried he would be in tears over what greedy men have done with his simple message of "love one another."
Wishing you Love, Truth and Peace
Mr ***** when someone interferes in a positive post just throwing in a generalized, stigmatizing point of view - like seeing only "business" and "gullible minds" in religion and talking about Christianity being just a "multi-billion dollar worldwide enterprise" while there is clearly more going on, I always wonder where this inclination to negativism comes from. For millions of people, their beliefs have no strict correlation with profits, egotism and greed - no more than it could be the case with you or any non-religious person out there. They are simply focused on the main teachings of the central person or persons in the religious stories that they love (and they love those stories because they keep remind mankind of this sort of wisdom). Even an atheist can get this (I certainly do). So unless you can see the bigger picture here, your criticism does not really make much sense to me.
Here's a few clues that may be helpful. Religions do not inherently "pretend to be a 'source' of things" as you claim. Some people do, others certainly don't experience religion that way. Religion points at sources, by means of stories, myths, but does not necessarily put a claim on those sources. You are making an argument from circumstances, because you seem to observe religion with a monologuous mindset right now.
Also, what you call "Neurotheology" is "Neuroshit" of another kind in other people - such a terminology is not contributing any convincing argument against religion as such. Nor are religions simply trying to convince us that "Vishnu, Allah and Jesus are real" - what's real is the characteristics attributed to these gods or persons, and these properties are unmistakably human - the bad ones (e.g. intolerance) as well as the good ones (the tools religions offer to deal with intolerance). Most religions show us all the paradoxes of mankind - that's exactly why people recognize themselves in it and in those stories. That's how we understand the power of those stories and myths. Myths being a program for action, a preparation for situations in daily life. The embedding of those myths in a so-called 'sacred book' may be problematic in many ways, but no more than a constitution is problematic when it does not evolve with its time. I prefer to let religions evolve - they evolve all the time, and they are far from just being a greedy business. You are confusing the big reality out there with the particular situations of misuse that you have in mind.
Love Truth and Peace to you as well.
***** If you saw something negative that may be because your vision is clouded by looking through Bible-colored glasses. Promoting Truth over merely believing something is true because it says it is, as you Hindus, Christians and Muslims do, is not negative. It is very positive and healthy.
You are correct that for the congregations profits are not the focus, which is the same for Walmart where customers pay and do not get to see the financial statements of Walmart.
The normal human attributes of empathy and compassion and "doing unto others" is a normal part of daily life for the vast majority of human beings on Earth, and no religion businesses are needed to have that, correct? That was the case long ago before men invented any gods and religions for thousands of years.
Believing in stories is fine and much wisdom can be learned through stories. The deception of fooling gullible people into saying the stories are real and happened however, is harmful and serves only the agenda of the religion business for profit and power over others.
Since when is deception for profit a positive thing?
Yes, absolutely religions are telling their customers their gods are real and they speak Truth. You can see solid evidence of that right here with Muslims preaching the Truth of Allah and Christians preaching the Truth of Jesus. They know Vishnu, Allah and Jesus are real because they have had mental "religious experiences" in their mind, you know!
Neuroscience is not "an argument" anymore than drug therapy or brain surgery is. They are just normal realities of how the brain operates and what the biochemical processes are. You can be taken to a medical lab and have probes put in your brain to simulate a near-death experience in cerebral apoxia and a Muslim will see a bright white light and images of their family and important events flash by, along with images of Mohammed or Allah if they are devout Muslims. And a Christian with experience the exact same effects and see the same images flash by except they see Jesus or some image of God which comes from their subconscious mind planted there by indoctrination by the Business of Christianity. Believers are living a lie to feed wealth and power for the agenda of competing religion businesses.
Yes, the PEOPLE in religions do much good work and charity because they are normal people giving of their time and money. Magic invisible gods are not the source of charity and love. You are free to deny that Biochemistry is real in the brain if you like.
Do religions make mankind any better in ANY way? No, History shows the opposite and wherever religions are strong in the world also the crime rates, disease, poor education and violence are higher. Who is the biggest group admitted to all prisons in the U.S and the U.K? That would be the Christians.
Would that have anything to do with the immoral Christian doctrine that tells people they can be the worst criminal and have murdered and raped for years and still they can come "as they are" and will be accepted by Christianity and can later repent and ask forgiveness of a magic friend and their record is wiped clean by the sacrifice of some magic blood and they can then go to imaginary Heaven?
Where are the most Law abiding moral, loving and peaceful peoples in the world with the lowest crime rates and lowest violence? That would be in Scandinavia where religions have practically died out.
[ Myths being a program for action, a preparation for situations in daily life. ]
Was that intended as a joke? Knowing Truth is the wise and practical way to make decisions and set a course to enlightenment as a human being for daily Life.
Having a myth that someone is a witch, or is gay, or is not a virgin on marriage, and they all should be killed because the myth says so is not good advice, right?
Because the religious writings are held to be inerrant, "God inspired" and unchangeable they hold back progress and any normal evolution of human thought for the indoctrinated followers. We still have millions of people driven to think women must submit to men because their Bible and Qur'an say so, and we still have sexual mutilation of boys and girls that in lesser developed countries caused suffering and death year after year to hundreds of children through botched sacred operations all because the gods strangely failed to create human beings with proper looking sex organs. It's time to put superstition and intolerant religions in the garbage, in favor of common sense and normal imperfect human values.
One of us is confused over what the agenda of religions is, and the things you describe for explaining morality, the meaning of Life, Love, and how to deal with situations in daily life are already covered by basic humanity and Philosophy and the Laws we establish to set standards for relative morality, and punishments to enforce what the people what.
I thank you for sharing your ideas and I was glad to see you at least did not try to pretend that religion stands for Truth and that magic invisible sky gods are real.
The simple fact is that 2 million Americans are now leaving Christianity each year due to better levels of education and the Church proving itself to be greedy and having out-dated morality. We know that Islam will be the main surviving religion in a few decades, but it too will eventually fall as it fails to adapt quickly enough to Life as it evolves, and like the dinosaurs, religions will be left behind to have an end to their tyranny.
peace
***** It would surprise me if I, as an atheist who un-believes in any such thing like a supernatural being out there, would be "looking through Bible-colored glasses" - although this is arguably still a possibility in the subconscious mind. But so is the possibility that you are looking through the colored glasses of some conspiracist ideas, hence seeing things that aren't really there. Let's keep this sober: No one here (except you) was suggesting anything about "believing something is true because it says it is".
Your remark about empathy is more or less correct: empathy is certainly not owned by religions. On the other hand, empathy was widely available among religious people just the same - as religious people are just people like anyone else. Hence, I see no problem in admitting that many good things are found in the history of religions - this is just a fair observation for someone who realizes that for a very long time most people have been somehow religious in one way or another.
You suggest once again that I should deny that "the stories are real". But we are not talking the same language. Most ancient stories are real in the sense that they convey meaning, connected to an event or series of events which have roots in the reality of life. Myths, after a couple of decades, lose their less important details and the core values (which are remembered the most, because they made a deep impression) get more focus, and become the subject of mythification. They are still true in a sense that many historians and sociologists have explained very well. They give us a glimpse into what was really important to certain people in a specific place and time. And many of those lessons are valuable. Your negativity lies in ignoring all of that and telling a story which seems hooked on the worst parts and defunct of a broader understanding of context - in which religion is just an aspect of humanity.
Your negativity also leads you to saying "Yes, the PEOPLE in religions do much good work and charity because they are normal people giving of their time and money" -- which is stating the obvious. Without those "PEOPLE" there would be no religion. You can try separating the "PEOPLE" from the "religion" you seem having qualms about but this abstraction is not very helpful anyway. Of course it is the people in religions - there is nothing else but the people. And, when you add to it: "Magic invisible gods are not the source of charity and love", again, you are stating the obvious. Sure, fundamentalist christians may believe that way. But even believers who believe that god is such a "source" won't necessarily deny that god is this source for every human being. In other words believers are often inclusivists, not exclusivists. They are well aware that in the end, it is always a human choice.
Arguments like "Do religions make mankind any better in ANY way? No" are just that - statements cut off from reality. The reality is that religions do not "make" anything whatsoever - humans are the ones who make themselves and the world better, and among those humans there happen to be many who use the religious stories as a continuous reminder of things like compassion, caring, not being selfish, and so on - the things that all great religions adopted. Simply because those are human inventions, that's why they were uberhaupt incorporated in religions.
The Scandinavian argument is bunk. The Nordic countries share with the rest of Europe a long history of secularism - and secularism is something which was very well understood by (if not invented by) Catholics for many centuries, deep into our European history (I am European by the way). Not atheism but humanism characterizes much of Europe's developments since and long before the Enlightenment. Secularism is, of course, much more important than atheism (I would not call myself atheist if someone would not first of all understand that I am a humanist and secularist). Too, the Nordic countries have different economic models, which allowed them to obtain a certain prosperity (often at the expense of very high taxes - up to 70 percent) and at this point it is hard to compare their 'advantages' to other European countries. Certainly is there no argument in this story pro or contra atheism whatsoever. You are cherry-picking arguments for something (whatever it is that you are trying to argue) but this sort of argument is based on very shallow suggestions - they do not consider the variety of conditions that play a role in such questions like the whereabouts of Scandinavian countries. If a catholic would argue that Switzerland is rich because it is is Catholic, you would rebuke this 'argument' in much the same way.
If you are not familiar with the view that myths are a program for action, thinking it is "a joke", I would recommend reading agnostic writers like Karen Armstrong or atheists like, let's say, Jonathan Gottschall, who after studying religions and myths found that these stories have a function as a simulation of the big problems of life that helps us cope better with those problems when we do experience them. (Gottshall, by the way, admits that his first writings were anti-theistic, but after a while he saw that this is not the way forward - so he tried to understand things properly before criticizing them). These and other experts on religion and myths are not telling "jokes". They arguably have a solid understanding of what they are talking about.
Religious myths being held to be "inerrant" is something for Evangelicals I suppose (those attributed in the title of a book by Mark Noll: "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind") - but I'm not hooked on stupid. You can run an entire lifetime on some belief that all religion is like "evangelical" but then you are not being real.
Your assessment on Islam is wrong too. Christianity world wide is still growing faster (between 75000 and 135000 new 'christians' every day). Yet, fact is that church life is declining everywhere, and religion is re-inventing itself. Christians like Gretta Vosper are, like so many others, technically atheist. Just as atheists sometimes call themselves 'christian atheists', those christians do not always differ that much - what they emphasize with 'christian' is the need to become more humane (compassionate). It is the history of religions that make those terms intertwined - and I think this is for good reasons. What happened in religions is not unique to religion, but has its own deep roots, and it is not unfair of people to refer to a religious context in which the best things of humanity (like the golden rule) have been 'captured' (without that necessitating any form of exclusivism, as I already said). I feel the same thing towards Islam. I love reading about religious. Being atheist does not come with a requirement of being disinterested in our past.
The "religions will be left behind" is an old story, an idea from the French Revolution (before the French Encyclopedists were all killed in the aftermath of the early revolution). Religion may once die, but this is not likely to happen any time soon. Even Europe's most famous atheist (Habermas) works together with religious thinkers - not against them. A tradition which was also understood by people like Carl Sagan, E.O.Wilson and many others - but not the 'new atheist' morons - who are essentially neocons with an anti-religious twist in their minds.
I don't do conflict-based rhetoric (just in case you still wouldn't realize it).
Peace.
***** My apologies then for my misunderstanding of who you portrayed yourself to be because I have never encountered an Atheist working so hard to defend the concept of religion like you do. I am not an Atheist myself and let go of the need to have any religious labels for beliefs or disbeliefs in any gods men created long ago.
If you think the History of religions shows them to be a benefit to mankind instead of centuries of long bloody struggles for money and power, then you are free to do that.
I don't find your fancy footwork of saying myths have truth to be very convincing.
We do agree that religion will not be dying any time soon. It is on the decline worldwide as Education is finally getting to the far corners of the world. Religions only survive in places of low education and where people are stressed to seek magic outside help in their lives. If they seek Enlightenment then we have Philosophy and the basic teachings of the Eastern religions like Buddhism that promotes human values more than any of the self-serving theistic religions.
I thank you for your clarifications and will trouble you no more.
Wishing you Love, Truth and Peace
This is great, thank you or setting this up, virtually everybody believes in some form of spiritual values, I don't think you even need to contrast it against fundamentalism, establishing a common charter on compassion might, hopefully, help us create a focus on the common spiritual core of all faiths.
I am a life member of the golden rule club.
Please do not confuse me with a religious zealot. The reason I am not is because of the rationale you just gave. I am simply surprised you did not find the same message of spreading compassion (and thus trying to calcify the fundamentalism you described) among religions as a path to creating tolerance.
You are right, even as to the advantages we possess as Americans (or modern citizens). I am just hopeful that change among the faiths is possible. Chatting with you has been great.
I got goosebumps.
@voiceofelijah2012: I have always felt that by "through me" Jesus meant following his footsteps, his heart - growing the same kind of clarity and compassion. Where did Jesus encourage judgement on people who don't talk about God with the same language as oneself?
@Etular Is that what it's called? All I know is I gave organized religion the best years of my life only to be in a constant state of depression and guilt. Five years ago I had an awakening and haven't looked back. Now I'm happy and love my life and would never go back to religion again. Praise me! LOL
As always, the meaning of the words dies first, then freedom gets taken away:
-progress does not mean acting together, it means moving forward;
-individualism does not mean acting alone, it
means making decisions alone and thinking for yourself;
This project doesn't encourage compassion, it encourages indoctrination and acceptance of ideas without thinking: people can decide to be compassionate by themselves, they don't need to be told what to think.
thanks for the inspiration =)
I KNEW IT!! I KNEW THE BACKGROUND MUSIC WAS FAMILIAR.
9 Ghosts I by Nine Inch Nails
The fact is Mike, and here is the gospel for you. Christ came to die for you. He loved you very much to give his life for you. No one else cared for you that much, but Jesus did. He wants to change your life, give you a new beginning and a new direction. He wants a relationship with you and so he is willing to hear you call to him, but it's up to you. He is a real person, with real answers. All he wants in return is your love. His yoke is easy, his burden is light. This is the love of Christ 4 u
How can we ensure our that our information gathers, analysts, planners, and decision makers all have empathy and compassion skills? They were never listed as part of any government job description.
@mikegeordie - Hi Mike, I'm glad you replied. You say you believe in Allah and Islam, Buddha and Shiva and Hinduism, why? What is the basis for this belief? What did ANY of these religions do for YOU personally?
well said rusfidem
stand by your beliefs and views but do it with out demonising those who may have different beliefs and views
Many of these people are Christian. This is not some sort of NWO religion, it's really just a PAC for compassion. You can believe whatever you want and still support this group. Just don't hate; love.
It's not my version, it's based on Christ's own words. He said, he that follows me will do the will of my father, what is the fathers will? That all come to repentance, love others and take up their cross and follow him -Christ.
...it simply will not work for long...we know human nature....!
Like Confucius compassion is the rule to live!
you're great Karen! it is simply unbelievable that your video is scaring the religious right.... they are thinking you are trying to rid the world of individual religions... so threatened....it is just mind blowing how scared people are of compassion and the golden rule.... WHY??? it is so scary to hear these people freak out over this video. I simply don't understand it.
I reject any consensus/compromise people participating in this project may agree to, and reserve my right to continue defining my own standards of behaviour, as an individual.
Should this site, or any other, start censoring speech based on this charter, please let me now, so that I can avoid those sites.
Individualism is by definition "stubbornness" against collectivism. You're right: without someone trying to impose their will on me, I would have no need to affirm my individuality: I would just be free.
If you think reason means collectivism, and progress means becoming a single entity that solves problems by acting like the Borg,
then your conclusion makes sense. What you are basing those ideas on though has nothing to do with reason, and everything to do with your indoctrinaton as a child.
@danwazhere7 Yes, Jesus did come to us to bring the message of love, life, truth and salvation for all and especially for those suffering, but Jesus also said to the Pharisees “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” and I feel that the essence of the message of the “Charter Compassion”, was Jesus message of Love above all.
@mikegeordie Karl Barth (one of the most important Christian thinkers of the last century) would argue to the contrary; that no Christian should think himself better than a non-Christian; rather, the whole affair is a matter of grace, God's grace. The Christian response is to see clearly that He is in no better position than the non-Christian by his own merit, that all he has that his fellow hasn't is God's gift, and that He must share it. But He must share it as it is, as he received it.
That's a great question. God can never receive sin, nor accept sin because of our failure. I will leave that final act of those who have never heard the gospel in God's hands. I cannot judge them so I leave that to the almighty. As for other religions, here is what the word says, "There is a way which seems to be right for man, but it leads to destruction." Proverbs 14:12 Christ said, there is but one way and that is thru him and him alone. Christ died, rose and is coming again, no one else is.
The financial difficulties in the US today are caused by misplaced compassion -- selling homes to those who had a proven history of bad credit and the banks KNEW couldn't afford it. The government made them give loans anyway because, after all, they didn't want to appear "racist".
I feel bad for those who bought gorgeous homes they knew they couldn't afford, and subsequently lost. Sometimes, saying "no" is the truest compassion.
@mikegeordie - unconditional love is based on one thing, the act of one man who died so that others might live. What is it about the cross you find so offensive?
If you remove the word religion from this video message, you lose nothing.
This video makes me happy. :-D
Here is and interesting point: this video has had more views that the charter has signitures.
@voiceofelijah2012: so why exactly do you choose to ignore what Jesus teaches about compassion and judgement?
@blocke06 That´s my point! Promoting compassion for the sake of compassion sounds a lot safer than promoting religion for the sake of compassion (like Karen Armstrong does).
If she admits that religion has caused fundamentalism and atrocities, why not discard it and just focus on compassion?
Her agenda is so obvious!
Well, I fear that's impossible. Now I don't want to sound pessimistic, I just think we should aspire new systems, alternatives to the idea of private ownership. For a just society.
I confess Genesis have spoilt me. "TOUCH THE SCREEN! TOUCH THE SCREEN!" ;-)
Since I've watched that "Jesus he knows me" parody, I always got to giggle about these "TV missioners".
@mikegeordie You referred to those who preached that they were better than others because they are Christian.
Nevertheless, that is not to say that God doesn't care. God cares immensely.
And your statement leads us to conclude...?
-Social progress cannot be achieved alone, therefore an individual moving forward as equal to societal progress is a baseless claim.
-Individualism does not mean discompassionate
Indoctrination how? By getting religious leaders together to make their outlooks more positive and accepting? People clearly are not generally compassionate on their own - history shows that. They may not need be told what to think, but they need to be made aware of their actions. The decision to act is theirs.
The golden rule (reciprocity) exists outside religion. It's the only universal value across all cultures and all times. There is no need for a charter. Everyone, including atheists, agree de facto by nature, on reciprocity and compassion... The exception to that rule are the psychopaths (neurologicaly incapable of empathy) and religious fundamentalists (they exclude infidels from humanity, but they reciprocate between them)
Do you fear for your religion.
@danwazhere7 It is dangerous to get bogged down in the law and miss the essence of Jesus command, which is to love and show compassion for one another above all. What is it if you have “so called” found Jesus and do not love.
@voiceofelijah2012: I feel there's a lot of judgement in your words. Isn't that in conflict with what Jesus taught? Do you feel that pushing your absolute truth on people helps to spread the heart of Christ's message, which was to look inside and find compassion towards all beings?
How about the fact that I'm in London (just hanging out), and you're across the globe, having a chat with me. How about the fact that in ten hours we could be standing face to face.
How about the fact that I, a young american, with relatively modest means, could pick up the phone and in ten minutes have chinese food delivered in London, for a very small cost to me? How about the fact that we are safe from most diseases people died of between the years 198.000 BC and 100 AD?
I think "慈悲" would be a better translation for "compassion", compared to "憐憫"
@manoliosYA look up what prejudice means. it doesn't fit what you're trying to say here. I understood, though.
@Aukikco, Just following his footsteps won't cut it without repentance. There needs to be a true 180 in a person's life and that is only through surrending to Jesus Christ and accepting him as Lord and Saviour. Christ made it clear that he was the only way, not him and muhammad, not him and Buddha, not him and Hinduism, but him and him ONLY. These people didn't die for you, he did, they didn't sacrifice themselves on a cross for you, he did. He gave his life for you so you would not die. believe
"THAT is what you should fear."
I fear nothing. As a former Christian and someone who now sees Christianity for the delusion it is and am able to live without all the absurd baggage the religion brings with it (fear, indoctrination, self-loathing, contradiction, hate & war-mongering, fables, and other nonsense) my ability to view reality rationally and logically has been crystalized. You can keep your sky-fairies and mythical demons and magical kingdoms like Heaven & Hell. I'll live REAL.
Mike, God does in fact require something in return - repentance. It was God's love for us that he sent his son to die for us because of sin. It was love that he came and it was love that he died. People go to hell for one reason - rebellion. They go to a place they were never meant to go because of unbelief. You might think it wrong and unjust, but in God's point of view it's very just. He sent his son to die, sacrificed his son for YOU, but if you reject him, then you are rejecting God and luv
But there is no force involved in this! It is people coming together in something greater than self-interest: Selflessness. We can spread it but it cannot be by force, because that is what modern religion is doing, and it is harmful.
Those are great individuals, but again, they were followed. MLK, Harvey Milk, Gandhi, Reagan, Bobby Kennedy, etc all produced social progress through collective efforts. The people you mentioned either weren't social progressives or completely alone.
absolutely... even the koran states that God formed tribes and nations so people could know one another.
Because of the act of one man sin entered into the world. We are judged by what light we are given. Those who do not know Christ still die lost, why? Because God does not nor cannot accept sin unless it has been taken care of by the cross. This is the ONLY solution for man, the cross. There is no other way, all others have failed miserably. The only hope for man is the cross and the only solution for mans problems is the cross.
Christ died on the cross because you are a sinner, needing a saviour. We are sinners needing a saviour. The cross bridged the gap between man and God due to sin. Yes, unconditional love DOES require something in return, it requires submission to the one who died for your sins. It requires man to come to God thru the cross. But it is the same love that will send a soul to hell for not accepting and not believing,. Christ made it very clear that those who reject him will die lost.
How can you declare that Christ changed your life when you don't believe? That's being double minded. He cannot change your life if you don't ACCEPT him as your saviour. Repentance is denying your way of thinking and accepting God's way of thinking. That means a change. Romans 10:9-10 that is salvation. God does in fact need our worship because without him none of us would ever be here in the first place.
Also, have you seen the state of America today? Really awesome, the financial degeneration that occurs when people are left to their own free enterprises.
Then you have just proven my first post to be completely true.
A shame that the narrowness of dogmas cuts down on life's "Great Mystery", which is different and beautiful for each person-even athiests.
Peace.
You are the first person I have met who has dismissed Reagan as 'helpful.'
However, even judging those individuals based on their long term success is kind of useless when considering the argument.
But even with just MLK and Harvey Milk, are you saying it is possible *gasp* to fight for individual freedoms collectively?
Getting a conversation going about the world religions being tolerant is not tyranny. It is progress.
"should be careful" Is that a threat ? Perhaps the threat of violence or suffering from the mind of the peace talking collectivist entity. I'm far from ignorant, but revealing human nature would certainly be more of interest to me, thus to uncloak any dogma that refuses to be criticized.
Is this a Joke? You can't just follow your own understanding of good because for what is good to some people it might be bad for others. Some people love to be treated in some ways that others don't like. If you want to find a balance at least bother to know Jesus for sake of humanity.
Mike, I have a very popular facebook account that I have, why not come there and we can talk, debate and mesh things out? my name is christopher gregory and my image is a blue microphone. I see you are in the UK, when I was in the horror film industry as a film director of several popular B horror flicks, the UK was my base. Shepperton studios.
Scribes were not charged with creating peace on earth. Their sole purpose was to provide a sense of identity. We all know the best way to identify who you are is to identify who you are not. And in order to do this you have to show how your dogma is superior.
ALL religions have passages that espouse intolerance.
Religion, belief in the supernatural and anachronistic values are the problem. Not the solution.
No, it is what the FACT bear out. Anyone willing to study Christianity from an unbiased HISTORICAL perspective utilizing unbiased, non-circular sourcing and retain an open mind, especially when reading the Bible, rather than defaulting to indoctrination, it is quite easy to see the facts clearly. It is not easy, though. I grant you. My own indoctrination in Christianity was very strong. Once I let go of it, however, I was able to see and awaken form the delusion.
if you believe there is many ways to God, and you are a "Christian" then you simply are not a Christian dont agree with me? John 14:6, and all religions seem the same but one stands out alone, Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected in Christianity, does Islam believe this? no...enough said, Jesus died for all sins , if there are many ways to God then Jesus died for no reason,this is the devils BIGGEST lie, the lie always makes it sound more appealing and attractive to believe,one way Jesus!
One is not "lucky" simply because one is born in america versus one born in India. Nor does one being born in america make one a christian. One must go thru the cross because that is the only answer to YOUR seperation from God. Christ made it perfectly clear, he is the ONLY way, there is no other. I could go into detail but that would take too much time. The fact is Mike, you are lost without love, it is love that was shown on the cross for you and me. The cross was an act of love.
If you want to truth why dont ask it your Creator who can show you bestly than him.Look all of the religions and its books and ask what is truth or what the truth is.According to Islam and its holy book Quran.Who turn its face to God,God says I will drive the hearts to the truth.
Why do you need religion to be compassionate?
@Aukikco, if you think that I am not following Christ's example then you don't know my Christ. Jesus preached repentance. Christ caleld some people dogs, snakes, liars, even the children of the devil. Absolute truth is only in Christ. The fact is, if you die without Christ, you will die lost, forever in a place called hell. It will be that same loving saviour who shall judge, and condemn you to an everlasting place of torment. I tell you this because u don't have 2 die lost. Come to Christ 2 day
you're quite right for making your views heard...it is the same old shit
@mikegeordie You say a thing rarely said, the content of almost no revelation, very confidently. But you seem set in it, so let's leave it indeed.
It refers to man's religious attempt to create his own unique way to God. There is no other religion but the cross. Religion is man's attempt to come to God, the cross (faith) is God's way of coming to man. God still judges today, but he has reserved his extreme position down the road. The world is being shaken Mike, the world is being turned upside down, why? Christ is coming. Look around you, the final pages of revelation are today's headlines. We are in the last days.
@FunnyJoe100 you must be joking.
The two people who fought for individual freedom (judging a man by his character) on that list were MLK and Milk, and their work was fruitful(pun kindof intended) as a result.
As far as Gandhi goes, India isn't exactly the paradise he preached, now is it, precisely because of his socialist policies.
Reagan, while helpful on the short term, took the Republican party in a direction that proved extremely destructive: compassionate conservatism lead to our current predicament.
I'm an atheist
Then Mike, you don't know Christ personally, for if you did you'd understand that God never changes. He makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 6:9 who will never inherit eternal life. Yes, free will is a two edged sword. You are free to reject the cross, but that freedom is also one that will send you to eternal damnation and seperation. Hell is not a state of mind, it's a real place, with real souls, with real punishment. Christ spoke about hell more than heaven. Matthew 10:28
I simply replied to a nonsensical comment you posted. Then you replied back, and so on. THAT is why I commented to you and why this discussion has been happening. I'm not arguing. I'm just calling you on the nonsense you keep claiming. Nothing more. No intrusion. You posted on a public forum.
Yeah It's a threat of violence. I'm going to find this random individual over youtube, and I'm going to do him in for sure.
Notice how none of the good stuff requires religion but most of the bad stuff does...
Mike, I like our discussion, but for man, those who reject God there is a price to pay. The word says that man's heart is wicked, there is no good in the heart of man. If goodness was all that was needed, then Christ came and died in vain. Christ told many that they were the children of the devil. The ONLY person who is part of God's family is those who have repented of their sins and came to Christ.
They are trying to unify people under the common presumption of compassion. Trying to undo such a necessary effort is beneficial to whom?
You do not have to agree. Just tell me how you believe you are helping by hindering compassion?
I wish you considered what I wrote instead of closing yourself off. But I can't force you to agree nor would I want that.
My first sentence didn't mean anything? Has social progress ever been realized by one individual? No. You said progress was moving forward, but you also advocate individualism. Those two do not coalesce. Individuality is great, but only when those individuals come together does anything get done.
Religion indoctrinates children as you will your own. There is no difference.
Amazing that Hitchens gets millions of views for promoting intolerance, and a charter for tolerance and equality gets less than 100k.
What's wrong with society?
I never called you hateful. Calm down friend. If there is any kind of NWO I assure you it isn't these folks. They just want to promote tolerance and (it seems) non-violence. How could a non-violent group take over? I don't see a Gandhi ruling any nation. I agreee diversity is not something to be ashamed about. But if it leads to Islamic terrorists and Christians who kill abortion doctors then we should stand as one and fight back. Paranoia and fear help no one.
...and? ..and yet it appears you're not, but it does appear that you maybe deluded/troubled/angry ....but an Atheist, no, it does not appear that you're an Atheist.
Isn't that what the Religious Society of Friends believes? Everyone is free to make up their own religious beliefs based on their "inner light"? So make your own rules, do your own thing, reality is what YOU say it is, everything is relative. No wonder Richard Nixon was a Quaker!
You should take your own advice!
Wake up! Try actually reading the Bible. The REAL message of Christ is that HE is the ONLY way!
blame my atheism for it