The Charter for Compassion is a natural Interfaith movement initiated by thoughtful, conscientious, educated people of many faiths, in response to the steady rise and growth of "fundamentalists" religious groups that interpret their scriptures literally and therefore tend to be theocratic. 

Below you can read the Charter, but it first should be said that the wise mentality it expresses and point of view it takes is not new, because truly wise people in the world have always been inspired by the Spirit of truth within us. 

In a very significant way, that phenomenon increased significantly in the period historians call "The Enlightenment," also known at the Age of Reason, which inspired and motivated most of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America in 1776.

They helped make Deism, Freemasonry, other esoteric spiritual teachings and Eastern spiritual teachings accepted and popular, realizing the true intent of Jesus of Nazareth. Mainstream Western philosophers of the late 1700s helped to expand that trend, and they also became fascinated with Eastern culture, religion, literature and philosophy.

All that had a profound impact on the Western (European and American) cultural leaders by the middle of the 1800s, and it influenced such great philosophers and writers as Schopenhauer, Emerson, Thoreau, Nietzsche, Baudelaire, James, Shelley, and Whitman, among others. 

In 1893 a Parliament of Religions was held in Chicago, and leaders from each of the great religions presented their views on life. This created even greater appreciation for Eastern religions, which were represented by notables such as Swami Vivekenanda, who spoke about Hinduism, and Soyen Shaku, a Zen-Buddhist abbot. Shortly after that, the first Buddhist society in the West was founded.

In 1925, an important and significant but far lesser known event in the U.S. was the arrival of the great Paramahansa Yogananda from India, sent to America by his guru to spread an Interfaith message and teach Hatha and Raja Yoga to Americans. And he established the Self Realization Fellowship, which is still going strong after growing significantly in the 1960s.

Such Interfaith movements were boosted by both Eastern and Western spiritual teachers in the 1960s and 1970s, and their impact still influences many of us. For example, many progressive Christians have been influenced, such as the scholars on the Jesus Seminar, like Karen Armstrong, the author of many great books like The History of God and The Battle for God, and a founding member of a wonderful Interfaith movement called The Charter for Compassion, which is as follows:  

The Charter for Compassion

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the center of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

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(To visit the Charter for Compassion web site, and to see a video about it, click here.

Apr 1, 2012 -- 9:23AM, gorm-sionnach wrote:

Look, if you want to discuss this document, group or what it represents, then do so.

Please, do not post whole segments from other sources as if it counts for either your own thoughts, or as a substitute for discussion. If you think a link has some merit, and you wish to bring it to other attentions, then post a hyperlink and a short description of what those clicking it will be linked to.

The "Welcome" post says that if we have a topic about interfaith relations people can discuss it here.

If a moderator deems this topic was introduced improperly, they can tell me. Are you a moderator?

My understanding is that this board is for Interfaith Dialogue. The article I reposted to introduce this topic was written by two groups that promote Interfaith dialogue. One is the All Faiths Coalition for Peace, Freedom and Justice, and the other is The Charter for Compassion.

I can't imagine why anyone would be against compassion, peace, freedom, and justice. So your comment seems odd to me.