11.19.09
Selective Compassion
from First Things:
The Selective Compassion of Karen Armstrong
Monday, November 16, 2009, 9:00 AM
Joe Carter
Among people who know nothing about religion and don’t care much about factual information (an unfortunately large demographic), Karen Armstrong has become something of a sensation. But for those who think that claims about religion, ethics, or history should have some grounding in reality, Armstrong is considered an embarrassment.
Armstrong has been criticized by Christians for her ignorance of Christianity, from Jews about her ignorance of Judaism, from Muslims for her ignorance of Islam, and from historians for her ignorance of history. As Hugh Fitzgerald wrote in the New English Review:
For Karen Armstrong history does not exist. It is putty in the hands of the person who writes about history. You use it to make a point, to do good as you see it. And whatever you need to twist or omit is justified by the purity of your intentions—and Karen Armstrong always has the purest of intentions.
Unfortunately, good intentions trumps ignorance, which is why Armstrong was awarded the 2008 TED prize and granted “One Wish to Change the World.” Her TED Prize “wish”, to initiate an international Charter for Compassion that helps restore the Golden Rule as central to religious practice and daily life throughout the world, was unveiled last week.
Promoting compassion and the Golden Rule are certainly noble efforts. It would seem to be an easy task, then, to create a charter with which most people could agree. But Armstrong naturally fails in the effort, failing to get even the most liberal bandwagon jumpers to sign on. Yet it does includes some notable names. The primary affirmers of the statement include the Dalai Lama, Queen Noor of Jordan, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Deepak Chopra, and Goldie Hawn. From that august list you can probably guess at the type of content the document contains.