I thank my fellow-blogger from Evangelista's Diary for alerting me to the following information. This post is the latest addition to a series I began in December 2007. Click HERE to read THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PARTS 1-3.
Karen Armstrong was one of the winners of the 2008 TED Prize for her dream to build a "Charter for Compassion" based on the Golden Rule. She is the author of "A History of God", a book I borrowed from our local library last fall. I recall getting the impression that she believes that all religions worship the same god, or at least are one of many pathways to the same god. She has strong ties to the Roman Catholic church, and was a nun for a time.
The TED Community appears to be a clearinghouse for all ideas global in nature, and much of its focus emphasizes New Age ideology and methodology.
From the TED website:
YouTube posts this description of the speech which won Karen Armstrong the 2008 TED prize:
Once again the Golden Rule is being used to attempt to create global peace and harmony amongst the world's religions. However, the fact remains that they have irreconcilable differences which cannot be ignored. The differences between the world's religions and Christianity will not be tolerated by the world; or rather Christians who are faithful to God and His Word will not be tolerated in a world which preaches tolerance. Many verses would have to be cut out of the Bible or their meanings altered for the those intent on "religious tolerance" and the hoped-for peace that they believe should be the result of that.
The Christian faith stands out above all in that it is the only one which worships the true and living God, the God who has existed for all eternity without beginning or end, the God who has a Son named Jesus who is the (one and only) Christ who gave His life to reconcile man to God following man's failure to live up to God's standard of holiness. There is no peace apart from acceptance of this gift. No other "god" can claim to be a son of the living God. The histories of the world's religions have no record of any of their leaders claiming to be God's one and only Son. Christianity is the only faith in the world that bases its salvation solely on the grace of God. All of the world's religions (and here I do not classify Christianity as a religion) are man's attempts to reach God by their own efforts. None of man's efforts are sufficient to save. The Bible, the Christian Scriptures, teach that there is no other name (Jesus Christ) under heaven by which men may be saved. Jesus Himself said that "no man comes to the Father but by me", and that "it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not of works lest any man should boast".
The concept of world peace before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is but an illusion. One element of commonality does not harmony make. If there is any type of world-wide unity to take place (and there will be a wholesale attempt to do so) it will be because mankind has rejected the true and living God in favor of a god of their own making, a false god and a false christ. This will not create peace but destruction. One cannot turn their back on the Creator of all things and expect Him to be pleased. Those who reject God's Son as the atoning sacrifice which reconciles them to God have rejected His gift of salvation. Why should He in turn accept those who turn away from Him in rebellion? God is loving and merciful to provide the way to enter into His presence, and He is also fair and just to deny it to those who reject the greatest gift He has ever given to mankind. True peace and unity are not found in the Golden Rule. They are only found in Christ.
There are some who name the name of Christ (claim to be Christians) who misrepresent God's purpose and plan for the world. They misrepresent His Son by denying His plan and purpose for coming to earth. They misrepresent God's revelation to mankind by being unfaithful to it, by twisting it to say something other than it says, by altering its focus, or by ignoring the truths which they find inconvenient or incompatible with their religious beliefs. They are psuedo-Christians; in fact according to God's Word, they do not belong to Him at all.
I will restate what I have said in the previous related posts: The Golden Rule is a moral law or standard that has no power to save. In a court of law, the laws themselves can only condemn those who break the law. If you are guilty of one crime only, you will be judged for it regardless of other good deeds you may have done in your life. Helping granny across the street will not exonerate you in a court of law if you have just stolen her wallet out of her handbag. There is no man on earth who has ever kept God's moral standard perfectly at all times in their life except for Jesus Christ. We are all guilty of breaking His law at some point in time and are therefore guilty in spite of our best efforts to balance that with good works. God in His mercy provides a pardon to all who will accept the offer of His Son who paid the price, who satisfied the requirements and paid the penalty on our behalf through His death. WON'T YOU COME TO HIM TODAY? THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!
1. http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/5
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJMm4RAwVLo
Karen Armstrong was one of the winners of the 2008 TED Prize for her dream to build a "Charter for Compassion" based on the Golden Rule. She is the author of "A History of God", a book I borrowed from our local library last fall. I recall getting the impression that she believes that all religions worship the same god, or at least are one of many pathways to the same god. She has strong ties to the Roman Catholic church, and was a nun for a time.
The TED Community appears to be a clearinghouse for all ideas global in nature, and much of its focus emphasizes New Age ideology and methodology.
From the TED website:
"The TED Prize is designed to leverage the TED Community's exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to three exceptional individuals who each receive $100,000 and, much more important, the granting of "One Wish to Change the World." After several months of preparation, they unveil their wish at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. These wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.
Today, TED is ... best thought of as a global community. It's a community welcoming people from every discipline and culture who have just two things in common: they seek a deeper understanding of the world, and they hope to turn that understanding into a better future for us all."1
YouTube posts this description of the speech which won Karen Armstrong the 2008 TED prize:
"As she accepts her 2008 TED Prize, author and scholar Karen Armstrong talks about how the Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Judaism, Christianity -- have been diverted from the moral purpose they share to foster compassion. But Armstrong has seen a yearning to change this fact. People want to be religious, she says; we should act to help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help her build a Charter for Compassion -- to help restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine." 2.
Once again the Golden Rule is being used to attempt to create global peace and harmony amongst the world's religions. However, the fact remains that they have irreconcilable differences which cannot be ignored. The differences between the world's religions and Christianity will not be tolerated by the world; or rather Christians who are faithful to God and His Word will not be tolerated in a world which preaches tolerance. Many verses would have to be cut out of the Bible or their meanings altered for the those intent on "religious tolerance" and the hoped-for peace that they believe should be the result of that.
The Christian faith stands out above all in that it is the only one which worships the true and living God, the God who has existed for all eternity without beginning or end, the God who has a Son named Jesus who is the (one and only) Christ who gave His life to reconcile man to God following man's failure to live up to God's standard of holiness. There is no peace apart from acceptance of this gift. No other "god" can claim to be a son of the living God. The histories of the world's religions have no record of any of their leaders claiming to be God's one and only Son. Christianity is the only faith in the world that bases its salvation solely on the grace of God. All of the world's religions (and here I do not classify Christianity as a religion) are man's attempts to reach God by their own efforts. None of man's efforts are sufficient to save. The Bible, the Christian Scriptures, teach that there is no other name (Jesus Christ) under heaven by which men may be saved. Jesus Himself said that "no man comes to the Father but by me", and that "it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not of works lest any man should boast".
The concept of world peace before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is but an illusion. One element of commonality does not harmony make. If there is any type of world-wide unity to take place (and there will be a wholesale attempt to do so) it will be because mankind has rejected the true and living God in favor of a god of their own making, a false god and a false christ. This will not create peace but destruction. One cannot turn their back on the Creator of all things and expect Him to be pleased. Those who reject God's Son as the atoning sacrifice which reconciles them to God have rejected His gift of salvation. Why should He in turn accept those who turn away from Him in rebellion? God is loving and merciful to provide the way to enter into His presence, and He is also fair and just to deny it to those who reject the greatest gift He has ever given to mankind. True peace and unity are not found in the Golden Rule. They are only found in Christ.
There are some who name the name of Christ (claim to be Christians) who misrepresent God's purpose and plan for the world. They misrepresent His Son by denying His plan and purpose for coming to earth. They misrepresent God's revelation to mankind by being unfaithful to it, by twisting it to say something other than it says, by altering its focus, or by ignoring the truths which they find inconvenient or incompatible with their religious beliefs. They are psuedo-Christians; in fact according to God's Word, they do not belong to Him at all.
I will restate what I have said in the previous related posts: The Golden Rule is a moral law or standard that has no power to save. In a court of law, the laws themselves can only condemn those who break the law. If you are guilty of one crime only, you will be judged for it regardless of other good deeds you may have done in your life. Helping granny across the street will not exonerate you in a court of law if you have just stolen her wallet out of her handbag. There is no man on earth who has ever kept God's moral standard perfectly at all times in their life except for Jesus Christ. We are all guilty of breaking His law at some point in time and are therefore guilty in spite of our best efforts to balance that with good works. God in His mercy provides a pardon to all who will accept the offer of His Son who paid the price, who satisfied the requirements and paid the penalty on our behalf through His death. WON'T YOU COME TO HIM TODAY? THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!
1. http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/5
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJMm4RAwVLo
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