Compassion is the key in Islam and Buddhism and Judaism and Christianity. They are profoundly similar.
Karen ArmstrongRead
Today we often think that before we start living a religious life we have first to accept the creedal doctrines and that before one can have any comprehension of the loyalty and trust of faith, one must first force one's mind to accept a host of incomprehensible doctrines. But this is to put the cart before the horse.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A genuine religious life does not require blind acceptance of doctrines; rather, it should stem from a deeper understanding and trust in faith.
Karen Armstrong suggests that many people mistakenly believe that they must first adhere to a set of religious doctrines before they can genuinely engage in a religious life. However, she argues that this approach is misguided, as true loyalty and trust in faith should arise naturally rather than being forced upon an individual by dogma. The essence of spirituality and faith encompasses understanding and personal connection, rather than mere acceptance of established beliefs.
Themes
FaithDoctrineReligionTrustUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a lecture on the nature of faith in religious studies.
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All quotes βYet a personal God can become a grave liability. He can be a mere idol carved in our own image, a projection of our limited needs, fears and desires. We can assume that he loves what we love and hates what we hate, endorsing our prejudices instead of compelling us to transcend them.
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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.
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Far from being the father of jihad, [Prophet] Mohammad was a peacemaker, who risked his life and nearly lost the loyalty of his closest companions because he was determined to effect a reconciliation with Mecca
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Yes, all fundamentalists feel that in a secular society, God has been relegated to the margin, to the periphery and they are all in different ways seeking to drag him out of that peripheral position, back to center stage.
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Religion is a search for transcendence. But transcendence isn't necessarily sited in an external god, which can be a very unspiritual, unreligious concept.
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