I have nothing maternal in me, and men want to be mothered a lot of the time. Karen Armstrong lotmanmaternal Change image and share on social
Compassion is not a popular virtue. Karen Armstrong compassionpopularvirtue Change image and share on social
Compassion is not a popular virtue. Very often when I talk to religious people, and mention how important it is that compassion is the key, that it's the sine-qua-non of religion, people look kind of balked, and stubborn sometimes, as much to say, what's the point of having religion if you can't disapprove of other people? Karen Armstrong balkcompassiondisapprove share on social
When violence becomes imbedded in a region, then this affects everything. It affects your dreams, your fantasies and relationships, and your religion becomes violent, too. Karen Armstrong affectdreamfantasy Change image and share on social
Well, the idea of God as a supreme being means that he is simply like us, writ large, and just bigger and better, the end product of the series; whereas this divine personality that we meet in the Bible was, for centuries, regarded simply as a symbol of a greater transcendence that lay beyond it. Karen Armstrong biblebigcentury share on social
Human beings have always been mythmakers. Karen Armstrong beinghumanmythmaker Change image and share on social
In the past some of the most influential Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians, such as Maimonides, Aquinas and Ibn Sina, made it clear that it was very difficult to speak about God, because when we confront the ultimate, we are at the end of what words or thoughts can do. Karen Armstrong aquinachristianclear share on social
Every fundamentalist movement I've studied in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is convinced at some gut, visceral level that secular liberal society wants to wipe out religion. Karen Armstrong christianityconvincefundamentalist Change image and share on social
Religions have always stressed that compassion is not only central to religious life, it is the key to enlightenment and it the true test of spirituality. But there have always have been those who'd rather put easier goals, like doctrine conformity, in place. Karen Armstrong centralcompassionconformity share on social
Even before 9/11 I was gripped by a sense of dread: our lack of criticism about what we were doing in the Middle East - the slagging off of a whole religious tradition. Karen Armstrong criticismdreadeast Change image and share on social