want to try to create God's HEAVEN on this earth. Render on the God what
is God's and to Ceaser whay is Ceaser's. Matters of faith are private
matters and Matters of the world are for the worldly.
No one can create a perfect Islamic, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu or
whatchamacallit kadazandusunsacredvirginslustingaftergv society here on
this plane. Don't do God's work for HIM. Look after yourself first. Save
your Own Soul. All these zealots running around as if they are God's
ambassadors and personal emissaries, wearing the badges of their faith
and imposing their so-called WILL on others - Shameless.
We were supposed to KNOW this first hand ! We WERE Malaysians FIRST, and
then our religion, maybe our race, SECOND and THIRD. Now we have to have a
bloody foreigner TELL us about the VALUE of PLURALISM. Mahathir, you
attended the lecture. Dont you know how much you did to send the races
apart, fortified by religion ?
Uriah Ang
http://www.malaysia kini.com/ news/68712
Politics, not religion, the cause of conflicts
Joyce Tagal Jun 16, 07 6:26pm
Karen Armstrong is convinced that religious conflict is caused by
political
tensions, and not by inherent flaws in the religion itself.
"Religious tensions are exacerbated by political warfare, and not the
converse," said the well-known author, faith activist and self-described
freelance monotheist in a public lecture in Kuala Lumpur today.
Armstrong spoke eloquently on the bare fundamentals of faith, insisting
that
all major world religions came down to the same thing: compassion.
"If we dig down to the core of all religions, we uncover the same message.
It is a message of peace and justice...It is the core of all human
religion," she said.
This close companionship - Armstrong refers to it as a "family
resemblance" - is nullified by tense political climates all over the
world,
resulting in the severe breakdown between religions that has often led to
warfare and grief.
Love and compassion
Armstrong hopes instead to revive discussion on the main similarity
between
religions, the message "love your neighbour as yourself". The author drew
from a wide range of religions, quoting various sages, teachers, prophets
and gurus to show that each faith has its roots in a vast love for
humanity
and deep compassion for the suffering of others.
"Confucius was the first person to say that religion cannot be separated
from altruism," she said, adding that the teachings of Muhammad, Jesus,
Rabbi Hillel, Buddha and other major religious teachers could also be
boiled
down to a message of love.
Armstrong believes that the answer to the world's suffering exists within
religion; the active practice of this universal compassion without regard
for one's own self.
"It is not enough to enjoy religion as a nice peaceful glow." Armstrong
insists. "Religion requires that we push aside our ego, overcome our
revulsion for strangers, and reach out in compassion and love."
"Only then will we glimpse God." she said, adding that suffering and
injustice in the world called for believers of all faiths to unite
together
under a banner of active compassion.
Armstrong also added that inter-faith dialogue should be action-based and
not just "talking shops".
"There are often impasses due to doctrinal differences, " she said, "which
should not prevent believers from taking action on beliefs that they do
have
in common."
Value of pluralism
Responding to a question from the audience, she said she hoped that
Malaysia's political climate would open up enough to allow freedom of
thought and discussion among people of all faiths. Armstrong, whose book
The
History of God has been banned in Malaysia, urged Malaysians to consider
the
value of pluralism.
"Pluralism allows us to learn from other cultures as never before," she
said. "Each religion has its particular genius, and each religion also has
its particular flaws and failings."
Armstrong convinces us to take a better look at other religions, putting
all
misunderstandings and bias aside to see each faith for what it truly is:
compassion for the other.
"We will never be able to be religious in the same way again." she said.
Armstrong is in Malaysia to speak at a conference, organised by the
Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, on understanding between Islam and the western world.
Among the audience were Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and former
premier
Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
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