Twelve Days of Compassion with Karen Armstrong (2011/12)

Karen Armstrong is a former Catholic nun who left the convent to study literature, becoming one of the most provocative and original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world, and a leading international authority on faiths, religious fundamentalism and monotheism.

Her poignant and captivating talks have sparked worldwide debate and healthy discussion. Her bestselling books, including Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life and A History of God, examine the differences and the profound similarities between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and their impact on world events.

In 2008, she was awarded the TED Prize in recognition and support of her call for a council of religious and spiritual leaders to draw up a “Charter for Compassion" that applies shared moral priorities to foster greater global understanding based on the principles of justice and respect. The project has grown to a considerable international following, and a network of Compassionate Cities is emerging that endorse the Charter and find ways to implement it practically, realistically and creatively.

As a speaker and writer, she asserts that all major religions embrace the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule, and also emphasizes that many of today’s religions bear similar strains of fundamentalism borne of frustration with contemporary life and current events.

Charter for Compassion

The Charter is a call to restore the Golden Rule to the center of religious, moral and civic life through listening, understanding and treating all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Not simply a statement of principle, the Charter is a summons to take creative, practical and sustained action to create a just economy and a peaceful world.

Drafted in 2009 by a multi-faith, multi-national council of thinkers, leaders and citizens as part of Karen Armstrong's TED Prize wish, the Charter has been affirmed by more than 80,000 individuals, communities, cities and schools. Click here to learn more and to view Armstrong's 2008 TED Prize talk.

Outcomes noted in our Community Impact Report include:

• Hosting Armstrong's State of the Charter for Compassion Global Address and the public unveiling of the Greater Vancouver Compassion Network, part of an international movement to build compassionate communities
• Co-launching a compassionate cities initiative to 14 Metro Vancouver municipalities with the Greater Vancouver Compassion Network
• Promoting curriculum developed by the Vancouver School Board to teach high school students about compassion

• Compassion is Not 'Soft,' It's the Key to Global Survival, Acclaimed Author Insists
  The Vancouver Sun, March 28, 2012 (front page story)
• In Search of Compassion
  The Vancouver Sun, April 6, 2012
• Islamophobia: We Need to Accept the 'Other'
  The Globe and Mail, March 26, 2012
• Karen Armstrong On The State Of The Charter For Compassion
  Huffington Post, March 22, 2012