Comparing the World’s Religions

Click image for Radio Podcast

Comparing the World’s Religions
Today’s programme features a commentary on the world’s religions extracted from an interview with Karen Armstrong by Andrea Bistrich in the September 2007 edition of Share International magazine.

Karen Armstrong, the British theologian and author of numerous books on the great religions, has advanced the theory that fundamentalist religion is a response to and product of modern culture. A Catholic nun for seven years, she left her order while studying at Oxford University.

She is one of the 18 leading group members of the Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative of the former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan, with the purpose of fighting extremism and furthering dialogue between the Western and Islamic worlds.

Karen begins by saying that: The divisions in our world are not the result of religion or culture but are politically based. There is an imbalance of power in the world, and the powerless are beginning to challenge the hegemony of the “Great Powers”, declaring their independence of them and often using religious language to do so.

A lot of what we call “fundamentalism” can often be seen as a religious form of nationalism, an assertion of identity. The old 19th century European nationalist ideal has become tarnished and has always been foreign to the Middle East. In the Muslim world, people are redefining themselves according to their religion in an attempt to return to their roots after the great colonialist disruption.

The idea that Islam imposed itself by the sword is a Western fiction, fabricated during the time of the Crusades when, in fact, it was Western Christians who were fighting brutal holy wars against Islam. The Qur’an forbids aggressive warfare and permits war only in self-defence.

2022 Podcasts:
The World Teacher
The Master Jesus (Part 3)
The Master Jesus (Part 2)
The Master Jesus (Part 1)
Comparing the World’s Religions
The Law of Cause & Effect
The Sword of Cleavage
Transmission Meditation
Benjamin Creme
Ancient Prophecies for Modern Times
The Esoteric Wisdom of The Bible
Our Free Will
Victory Is Assured