COMMUNITY
THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION
I
n 2008, a TED talk by a former nun turned bestselling author and interfaith commentator
led to the development of the Charter for Compassion. Karen Armstrong came to prominence for her 1993 book “A History of God” and then greater prominence following the
events of September 11, 2001, when she began to be called on to speak about the commonalities between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Raised Catholic, she no longer identifies with any one religion, but takes interest in the common thread of compassion between
all religions.
In the 2008 TED talk, Armstrong noted the emphasis on compassion and the Golden Rule do unto others as you would have them do unto you - exists in all religions, but is too often
overshadowed currently by an emphasis on the details of one’s creed and whether those
details are “right”. She proposed the creation of a global Charter for Compassion to bring
together leaders from Christianity, Judaism and Islam to emphasize the Golden Rule in their
respective religions. Her TED proposal won support and, in 2009, following extensive public input, the final text of the Charter for Compassion was unveiled with special events in
several cities globally. It now reaches beyond the three Abrahamic religions to include all
world faiths and faith communities.