On Being

Objective Standards for Faith (May 19, 2008)
Ms. Armstrong represented a postmodern approach to theology where all view flow together under the rubric of "compassion". It is important to distinguish objective truth (creed) from living it out (doing), but never to eliminate one over the other and to make all relgions just flow together in a common stream. That is what Ms .Armstrong seems to want to do. Truth by its very nature, cannot be contradictory and is by its very nature exclusive. I am very leery of theologians who wish to minimize the objective standards for the Faith. Christianity always emphasized both elements; right belief with right living.

Ray Richards
Ridley Park, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

Incorrect Statement (May 15, 2008)
In her talk, Karen Armstrong said that there were contradictions in Christianity, for example, the commandment not to kill and "Jesus in the Book of Revelations mowing down all kinds of people." In the Book of Revelations, Jesus does not mow down anyone. There appear to St. John angels who are given power to cause disasters on the earth: in order to bring mankind to repentance. Please, accuracy.

Edward Helmrich
Larchmont, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Reconciling (May 11, 2008)
The interview I heard today with Karen Armstrong said so much to me about how I feel about faith and religion that I felt I had to contact you. As the daughter of an excommunicated Catholic father, and a Lutheran mother, I married a Jewish man. For years, I groped with reconciling how I felt about how I was raised — how I believe while I'm alive affects my afterlife — with the Jewish way of life — how you live your life is what's important. Hearing Ms Armstrong's thoughts made me feel that I wasn't the only person to come to the conclusion that it is all the same thing … Rabbi Hillel standing on one foot and delivering the golden rule. Thank you for a compelling hour, and it hasn't been the only one that has moved me.

Ruth DiPasquale
Brooklyn, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Laughter and Warts (May 11, 2008)
Karen Armstrong said that we know more of Mohommed than the founder of almost any other religion, warts and all. I would like to suggest that Jesus had no warts.

She also wondered if Jesus laughed. In the New Testament the word 'Laugh' appears not more than twice, once in the Beatitude: 'Blessed are those who sorrow, for they shall laugh'. Yet, there is lots of humor in his parables and what he said. This does not mean he was less human: true God, and true man.

I hope Karen Armstrong's words inspire us to participate in our individual religious traditions more faithfully, not less.

Edward Helmrich
Larchmont, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Laughter and Warts (May 11, 2008)
Karen Armstrong said that we know more of Mohommed than the founder of almost any other religion, warts and all. I would like to suggest that Jesus had no warts.

She also wondered if Jesus laughed. In the New Testament the word 'Laugh' appears not more than twice, once in the Beatitude: 'Blessed are those who sorrow, for they shall laugh'. Yet, there is lots of humor in his parables and what he said. This does not mean he was less human: true God, and true man.

I hope Karen Armstrong's words inspire us to participate in our individual religious traditions more faithfully, not less.

Edward Helmrich
Larchmont, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Motivating Experience (October 23, 2006)
I'm 69 years old and my fiance of 10 years died in June 2005 after two years of infections and illness from complications following surgery. I had and continue to have the ongoing ups and downs of emotional swings dealing with the grief.

At the time I listened to the interview with Ms. Armstrong I was just finishing The Great Transformation. I had previously read A History Of God and In The Beginning, and was greatly impressed with her presentation of ideas, and thought it would be invigorating and exciting to have her as a friend or someone with whom to have free-form conversation from time to time.

At the time of the program I had been going through a period of very low motivation and desire for anything, feeling somewhat blase about everything. My group therapist said it sounded like a case of loneliness. I also had started reading her The Spiral Staircase and suddenly I no longer felt lonely and listless. He memoir was so vivid, enchanting, and alive that I had the reaction: "I know her, I feel like I'm accompanying her through the experiences." I began feeling motivated at work, doing errands and chores around the house, and just feeling good in general due to the "companionship of my new friend".

I also thought about the comments in the memoir that she was considered unattractive, and I had the same ideas that I try to express to female friends at work who believe they are deficient in appearance or when they might criticize another lady. It is the personality, intelligence, energy, expressiveness, attitudes, and endearing quirks that create attractiveness. Those things supercede mere physical features. Her books have helped re-energize my thinking.

I have also wondered if any scholars have looked at Gilgamesh/Enkidu, Cain/Abel, Jacob/Esau, and possibly others as a theme of ego/alter-ego in part of the psychology of the region, to define conditions present in all people, but described in the stories by putting the traits in separate people to better explain the nature of the drives and emotions they are working with. St. Paul talked about the things I shouldn't do, which are the ones I do and vice-versa; the Star Wars stories had the good and the dark sides of The Force. Thank you for your programs and for having Ms. Armstrong as your guest.

George Skokan
Miami, FL (WLRN, 91.3 FM)

Outrageous Interview (August 21, 2006) 
This is a negative response to the Interview with Karen Armstrong. This interview was outrageous. The interviewer asks no hard questions about anything. For example, just think of all of these religions Armstrong is an expert in — what about these religions' views on gay people to be executed (Islam), the others at least to be jailed. Armstrong would put Dr. Pangloss to shame. The interviewer just keeps on with puff questions.

Dick Gaffney
Keene Valley, NY (WVPR, 89.5 FM)

Critical Questions (August 21, 2006)
Sometimes it is very important to ask critical questions, even if there is a chance that the person may get offended. I think this interview was good, but we have lost a great opportunity to touch on some very critical questions about religion like:

1) purpose of religion for believers and nonbelievers
2) looking at religion and religious practices and separating those from the GOD you believe in
3) religion in day to day life: just how to be a good person
4) searching for the purpose of life for believers and for nonbelievers, and how religion addresses this

and last but not the least…she did not mentioned Hinduism.

Some issues are difficult to explain and understand. If you plan to interview, please do not loose an opportunity to open the doors of wisdom for all of us including the person you are interviewing.

Andy Andurkar
Ashburn, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM)

A Voice That Makes Sense to Me (August 21, 2006)
I'm not a 'religious' person. I have always felt some kind of spirituality or connectedness that I disguise as faith and which brings me to church approximately three times a year, mostly with my parents. More duty than conviction, I'd say.

I have never listened to your show, but I was touched by the interview with Karen Armstrong. For the first time someone stated what I have always felt — that at the core of all religious belief are a few simple concepts: compassion and knowledge. When traveling in Nepal, I saw a beautiful, almost sensual, painting of the Buddha entwined with a woman. It was explained to me as the marriage of knowledge and compassion, and I think this was a revelation to me at the time, simple and beautiful, in the place where compassion is necessary. Religious traditions we were raised with combined with the horror of religion-based conflict so present in the world hardly prepare us for the 'togetherness' that technology has forced on the world. We see much more of other cultures, and it is difficult to understand that fear, hatred, and ego that drives people to horrifying desperation.

How do we raise our children to respect various traditions when they are all so clearly disrespectful of each other? What is the mission that we can embark on to unite us on common ground? Compassion. It's so simple yet so difficult to fight our wild hearts. I want to understand more and to be at peace with belief at some level. Thank you for airing a voice that makes sense to me. I look forward to more.

Winifred Foster
Boulder, CO (KUNC, 91.5 FM)

God in Human Experience (August 20, 2006)
In my years of searching for meaning and hoping to live a life of satisfaction I have traveled through and lived with the commitment to a religious and spiritual lifestyle. My conclusion is that after all I can not and do not know God. I am an amateur of theology, but my non-professional opinions are just as valid and at least more fresh.

All that we (humans) have available to us to understand ourselves and the nature of God is that which has been passed along to us by other human beings. In as much as I appreciate the messages found within these documents, it is always the human experience that is the conduit for these messages. As unreliable and untrustworthy as I know I am, it has always been impossible for me to divest myself of the suspicion of what I consider to be "the special interests" of those who were writing about the experience they witnessed.

Ultimately what is required is faith. Faith in the description of the nature of God transmitted to me through other humans. My understanding of what faith is is reflected by how I feel. Some will tell me that it is a knowing beyond feeling or reason, a kind of arrival of knowing without having to know why or how, but believing. Unfortunately, I have never been able to disconnect my intellect from my feelings. I have always been suspicious of my feelings. They are not a reliable gauge of perception or truth.

As I was listening to Ms. Armstrong's comments, I recognized many of the same experiences within myself. The one thought I had is how wonderful it would be if she turned her considerable intellect to how the unbeliever can find meaning and satisfaction. The description of Jesus commanding Thomas to place his hand in his wound is for me the recognition that faith should not be separated from reason and observation. My observation of much of the current teaching of faith is that it is a kind magic bullet that changes a person within, without struggle. But in fact, those who espouse this kind of faith are in profound error of the reality of life and perhaps delusional.

Struggle is the indicator of living with sincerity. The arrival of enlightenment can only come from having been at war with the the conflict of personal desires and altruistic aspirations. Ultimately the cessation of choosing is where enlightenment resides. It is within the choosing between desire and altruism that struggle and conflict exist. "No God. No heaven. No hell. No desires. No rejections. No self. Only conscious being within the constant flow of now." If you recognize the buddha-dharma it is because for me it only has the elements of how to even approximate living with hope, meaning and satisfaction.

Alan Barker
Boise, ID (KBSX, 91.5 FM)

Compassion (August 20, 2006)
Karen's thoughts about suffering and compassion affected me the most. I gave up on religion years ago because I didn't see any sign of compassion — feeling with, as Karen defined it — in the conservative Judaism of 1950s Brooklyn. It seemed that religion, even then was about separating out rather than bringing together. As a Jew, I killed Christ, as the Catholic kids told me. As a Jew, I had to watch out for the whole world because they were all anti-semitic and they were out to get me. Of course fear of anti-semitism was a reaction to the Holocaust. And "Jews killing Christ" was just ignorance.

So as long as the basis of religion is separation from the other, religion will be used to justify hate and killing. The times we live in are exciting because there's been a rise of authentic spiritual experience, much like Karen described. Once one has experienced the Divine, one knows that he or she is an extension of that presence. That presence is inclusive of everyone and everything and so compassion becomes a way of living. The times we're living in are screaming for an opening of the collective heart chakra: how much pain and suffering can people witness before they feel compassion? When people ask me my religion, I say that my religion is love. I'm grateful to people like Karen whose writings and commentary support the vision of a loving and compassionate world.

Sorah Dubitsky
Pembroke Pines, FL (WLRN, 91.3 FM)

A Similar Experience and Some Additional Thoughts (August 20, 2006)
I had an experience very similar to Karen Armstrong's experience. I stopped going to synagogue because I was not sure if I believed in G-d. At least, I didn't believe in the G-d that was in the Jewish prayer book. I developed a new appreciation of Judaism through my study of Buddhism and my introduction to real Kabbalah.

I still don't believe everything that is in the prayer book when I pray, but it doesn't seem to matter so much now. My rabbi once said that you shouldn't let your theology get in the way of your praying. I connect with the prayers on a different level. Anyone who prays or meditates will find that it is hard to do. Everyday thoughts inevitably creep in. You let them go and go back to your praying and meditating.

On a completely different topic. I think that Muhammad and Martin Luther have a lot in common. Muhammad and Luther were complementary to Jews and Judaism at the beginning, but they both turned vicious when it became clear that Jews were going to remain Jewish and not follow Muhammad or Luther's version of Christianity. Armstrong seems to ignore this entirely. She also ignores the persecution that Jews suffered under Islam. It was Islamic law that first forced Jews to wear yellow badges so that Muslims would not be contaminated by physical contact with a Jew. She also ignores the anti-semitism in the Eastern Orthodox churches, especially Russian Orthodox churches.

Susan Stein
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

An Amateur Theologian Myself (August 20, 2006)
I am one of Karen Armstrong's amateur theologians. I have what I think is a rather unusual calling, if that is what it is. I am both an environmentalist and a believer. And I am furious with both sides for their misunderstandings. Most environmentalists ignore churches (Carl Pope of the Sierra Club issued an apology about this) and churches ignore the environmental destruction that is current, as if their "citizens" didn't breathe dirty air, drink poisoned water, die from unnatural substances inflicted on their bodies (Jane Goodall in her new book The Ten Trusts says that "We in the industrialized nations have some fifty chemicals in our bodies that were not there half a century ago."). I find your program one of the few reasons to turn on the radio at 8 pm. Otherwise I would be in bed.

Abby Chapple
Great Cacapon, WV (WVPN, 88.5 FM)

A Misstatement about Jewish Practice (August 19, 2006)
In the course of this interview, in response to very legitimate statements by Ms. Armstrong regarding the relative unimportance of "belief" in Judaism, you made the statement that "Jews value practice over ideas." This formulation is wrong — let me very briefly tell you why:

1. Jews tend to view practice as the best manifestation of religious ideas. Christians tend to view declarations of belief as the best manifestation of these ideas. Jews define practice as adherence to laws concerning worship, education, maintaining a Jewish home and lifestyle. Christians emphasize worship (including declarations of faith) over other aspects of observance.
2. Jews view active engagement of religious ideas as superior to blind adherence or hollow endorsement. This active engagement includes questioning, even doubting, authority. Admittedly, this questioning spirit is grounded by adherence to the Torah and respect for the Sages, but adherence should not be considered to mean blind faith. The majority of Orthodox Jews, the most conservative of the main branches, are considered (as we say in the U.S.) "modern Orthodox", as distinct from "ultra-Orthodox." The respect for ideas among the modern Orthodox can be gauged by their success in fields requiring free inquiry.
3. In the 13th century, Maimonides gave the Jews a tremendous advantage over every other religion of that era when he said that, where our interpretation of the Torah conflicts with science, then our interpretation of Torah must be called into question. The philosophical basis for this is a belief (yes!) that God is the author of all that is. Since science studies the universe objectively, and since our interpretations of Torah are subject to bias and human error, then science holds the upper hand in any argument. Not that science nullifies religion, as the fundamentalist Christians fear. But that the two must be reconciled without resort to nullification. This innovation was the great step forward that provided the Jews, when free to do so, with the opportunity to innovate in the sciences, and in all fields involving intellectual inquiry.

Adam Holland
Brooklyn, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)

How I See God (December 3, 2004)
I really enjoyed your interview with Ms Armstrong. I've read a few of her books and find her take on world religions very refreshing. She is a great historian. I was raised as a Methodist, but for the last 20 years I've been a practicing Buddhist. An interesting thing is that my personal concept of God didn't change when I changed faiths. I always saw God as a creative force of nature rather than a father figure dressed in white robes with a flowing white beard and surrounded by light.

To the gentleman who quoted C.S. Lewis about there being only one right way, 2+2=4. I adhere more to what Shakespeare said, "There are more things in heaven and earth than can be dreamt of in your philosophy."

Mark Haviland
Ann Arbor, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)

Thrown a Lifeline (December 2, 2004)
As someone who questions and dislikes absolutes, I was intrigued and comforted by Karen Armstrong's exploration, theories, and beliefs. Having figured out this is a one-way journey and in many ways questioning traditional religious "practices" and the nature of God, and desiring a better understanding of the basis of my Christian faith as it relates to other faiths, I am thrilled to find challenging and thought-provoking literature on the subject. I feel as if I have been stalled and floundering in my faith and have been thrown a lifeline. Thank you!

Joseph Martin Jr.
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)

Articulating My Thoughts (November 30, 2004)
A couple of years ago I read Karen Armstrong's A History of God and found it incredibly thorough and inspiring. I was amazed at the information contained in the book and even more amazed at the mind that created the document. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Karen's program. She was able to articulate many of my own thoughts and feelings about religion that I am so rarely able to do myself. I often feel like I'm on a strange planet — I am occasionally reminded that there are others with me. Thanks for the recent reminder!

Neal Rich
Berne, IN (WBOI, 91.3 FM)

Showing Compassion vs. Feeling Compassion (December 5, 2004)
I appreciate that "to feel compassion" is common to the three monotheisms according to Ms. Armstrong. My concern, which I would like to have addressed, is how "to show compassion." How do we know that our ways of showing compassion might be dysfunctional or counterproductive? For example, giving money to a street beggar/homeless person? Another example, giving our surplus food to needy nations, but undercutting or reducing the price for the domestic farmer and forcing him/her out of business.

Robert Kirk
Indianapolis, IN (WFYI, 90.1 FM)

I Had No Idea! (March 24, 2004)
I just wanted to express my delight in hearing some about Karen Armstrong's approach to spirituality and different faiths. I had no idea there were other people, much less someone as extensively studied as she is, that have come to conclusions about God similar to my own. I was raised Catholic, although my father is sort of agnostic and remember from early on wondering how anyone could be so certain that they had all the "right" answers about such a complex being as God. It struck me as down right arrogant.

Then in high school I had a mid/far east history course in which the teacher was, herself… um, "alternately spiritual". She spent a great deal of time (for a history class) covering the religions of the regions we were studying. Couple these two things with the fact that I was at that time of life when you question deeply the foundation of the 'institutions' around you and I ended up coming to the conclusion that most of the major religions had one or, at most, two things in common and that was probably the only real TRUTH to be had out of any man-made theology.

I also figured that the 'real god' was likely so complex and incomprehensible to mere human minds that we were lucky if each major religion had only one accurate belief about the nature of God. And even if they were all different, they could all be accurate. I don't ponder my spirituality much these days, its just too frustrating with all the horrible things that are done in the name of religions that probably have most of their "facts" wrong. But I will be investigating Ms. Armstrong's book The History of God to satisfy my curiosity about some of those details. Thank you again for airing the story about Karen Armstrong.

Eden Hunt
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)

View Each Other as Fellow Seekers (March 21, 2004)
The closing anecdote about the ranting fundamentalist led me to wonder why the ranter had never read the 15th Chapter of Luke. The prodigal son denied his father — yet was forgiven. If Muslims and Jews are also guilty of denial — why is the Heavenly Father not as capable of forgiveness as the father in the parable?

My problem with fundamentalists is their belief of possession of the only true theology. We are all blind, groping in the dark (seeing through a glass darkly). My theology undoubtedly has as many holes in it as theirs, and vice versa. In my humble opinion, if all religions could see each other as fellow seekers, looking for answers that we will never really know during our mortal existence, much (but not all, sadly) conflict could be avoided.

William Preston
La Grange Park, IL (WBEZ, 91.5 FM)

Interview with Karen Armstrong (March 20, 2004)
I wanted to share my feelings about the interview with Karen Armstrong. I was deeply touched by Ms. Armstrong's words and have sent the link to her archived interview to my minister. I am a Unitarian-Universalist and Ms. Armstrong's feelings resonated with me on a very deep level. I've heard her on NPR in the past and intend to read more of her works. Thank you for an outstanding show. We must keep programs like this on the air.

Kim Tyndall
Valley Cottage, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)

Support for the Climb (April 20, 2004)
Speaking of Faith is so often like a refreshing drink of water. Thank you! As I think of other reactions to Karen Armstrong, whom I also was pleased to hear recently on C-SPAN and PBS, I wish those who think that she is speaking of emotionality as spirituality or refer to milquetoast thinking would read some more of her work! Spiral Staircase is very personal and has resonance for many of us; but taken in whole with her other more scholarly work, it can indeed lead to a new level of insight into one another as well as our own relationship to the spirit. She brings hope to what could easily be experienced as a hopeless time. I am looking forward with excitement to the work she is doing in studying Buddhism.

Moira Heffron
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)

Questions Unanswered (March 24, 2004)
Karen Armstrong gave a thought-provoking glimpse of God and views held by different religions that were surprisingly similar, but this does not startle me. C.S. Lewis pointed this out some time ago.

In the preface to Mere Christianity and in the book itself, he essentially says that God and his characteristics are visible to all mankind. The thing he says though that separates him from Armstrong is that he believes there is an ultimate reality apart from our perceptions and that one person must be right and another wrong. He says that 2+2=4, and it will always equal 4; however, 5 is a lot closer than 9. I do not recall the exact quote, but that is the summation of the idea.

But i think that, eventually, the subject cannot be viewed through a compassionate eye, but must be viewed through an objective eye and a truth must be found. For while there are many similarities between the different religions, there are violent differences and they cannot all be true.

Josh Nelson
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)

Three Ideas Illuminated by Krista (March 22, 2004)
I had the great pleasure of listening to WHYY as I drove through Philadelphia and then hearing the show a second time in DC that evening. The way that Ms. Armstrong brought together the similarities between Judaism, Christianity and Islam were important to me.

I was especially interested in three ideas brought out by Krista's interview: the humanity and love expressed by Paul and the teachings of Christ as being consistent with Judaic thought and teachings; the confluence and belief of Islamic and Judaic precepts of action being more important than individual beliefs; and the ideas of religion as poetry. If more people would take the time to listen to the show and to read the learnings and experience of Ms. Armstrong, perhaps we could find the common ground to find what I think we all strive for — peace, loving kindness, humanity and love for our brothers of all faiths.

It struck me again that we all believe basically the same things and all pray to the same God. I think that Krista would do us all a favor by sending a free tape to Mel Gibson, Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, although I wonder whether it would make an impression.

Robert Wein
Reston, VA (WHYY, 91.0 FM & WETA, 90.9 FM)

Devout Skeptic Who Thinks (March 23, 2004)
I am a devout skeptic but I love listening to and reading Karen Armstrong because she makes me think. Thanks to both of you for this program.

Charlie Green
Asheville, NC (WCQS, 88.1 FM)

Karen Armstrong's Wisdom (March 22, 2004)
Thank you for hosting an excellent interview with Karen Armstrong. I was particularly awed by her synthesis of the general problems of the world today when she noted that all of them had secular roots that were not addressed, later taken over by religious zealots who "portray God as an extension of themselves, writ large." That just exploded in my mind. It put all kinds of things in a new perspective and deepened my understanding of a lot of the problems we face today.

George Wells
Dover, NJ (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

Somebody's Trying to Tell Me Something (March 20, 2004)
Without meaning to I've listened to Karen Armstrong three times over the last three days. I heard her interview on Fresh Air Weekend today and with Leonard Lopate over WNYC and just an hour ago over C-SPAN's book channel. I didn't try to find her, she's been chasing me. At least it seems more than coincidence.

It seems more than coincidence because I also thought I had a calling to religious life, and I also wound up leaving, at the request of the community. Actually at the request of two different communities. (If at first you don't succeed . . .) My problem was not epilepsy. I had been abused when I was a boy by a classmate. I hated myself and feared him. I wanted to give myself to God with the understanding that God would magically change me into someone else — someone who had never been betrayed, never terrified.

But that's not what happens in religious life. My mistake was in believing that healing meant what the World thinks it means. That is, forget about it, it didn't happen. It couldn't have happened because God wouldn't allow that to happen to his minister. No one who suffered that way could ever be healed. They would always carry the wound and no one would ever treat them like a whole human being. Jesus wasn't spared the anxiety of day-to-day living, let alone the Cross. I do not live in the Church of Superman, an invincible hero who is never wounded and never dies. I live in the Church of Jesus Christ "and Him crucified."

As Karen Armstrong would probably remind me, St. Paul said, "nothing can separate us from the Love of God." Not sin, and not anything that is done to us, especially not abuse at the hands of a boy who was living with an abuser. But like Karen Armstrong said at her talk at Union Theological Seminary earlier this month, which was carried on C-SPAN, when we confront our suffering we resolve never, never to do it to anyone else. We are broken open so that we can accept our suffering and other people's as well.

Where society has it wrong is in its denial of the possibility that you can reach outside yourself from your wounded self out to someone else. I cannot ask the world to turn around me because of what was done to me. Instead, I can reach out to other people.

Steven J. Bosch
Floral Park, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)

Reason versus Emotionality (March 21, 2004)
Heard your program with Karen Armstrong, and there are two points I disagree with: 1. By divorcing rationality from scripture and belief and emphasizing the "art or poetry," or the emotionality of a tradition, encourages fundamentalism in my opinion, rather than compassion. It is the close emotional affinity of "believers" to their particular religions that makes them dogmatic and at times completely blind to reason. 2. It is not accurate, in my opinion, to explain the actions of groups like Al-Qaeda and other "fundamentalists" to the threat they feel towards their particular tradition or brand of religion (or the lack of their ability to talk — Pat Robertson gets premium time on Fox News), by divorcing the political and the socioeconomic contexts of their group biography which better explains their motivations.

Muhammed Asadi
Detroit, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)

All-Encompassing Sacred (March 20, 2004)
Many of your programs give way to extended thought regarding one's personal spiritual quest. I too, was enslaved by the narrow path of Christianity, having spent forty years being indoctrinated and twenty being deprogrammed by a broadening of my search for 'god' and having found that force embedded within.

Like Karen, I have moved from the position of the 'debunker' to the 'lover' of mankind and our joint and individual need for being part of the 'sacred'. It is knowing that my unity with the creator has its beginnings from even before my physical birth, that I now can revel in the peace that comes with knowing I am 'not guilty'… nor in fact have I ever been 'accused'.

In a nutshell, that is the space from which I currently navigate. Without writing a treatise I will simply say, "I sincerely appreciate your inspiring programming of this Speaking of Faith offering."

Gary Luckow
Grand Forks, ND (KNTN, 102.7 FM)

Born in Hinduism But Not Practicing It (March 21, 2004)
I am an electronic engineer. I relate to Karen Armstrong in her early days, being a rebel of all religions for it divided the human race and created horror in the history of human race. Without religions the world would have been unified today by the science that exploded in this century. The nature is almost revealed to the fullest and there is no God any where in that space.

So obviously a true scientist does not believe in God. But I feel the humility, serenity, peace that the piousness brings to the human mind via Religion is true as I experienced it. I am able to feel this without believing in creativity and miracles. Why does Christian faith integrate both and miserably fail in total? Eventually one day this religion may turn out to be mere ornamental ritual. Does Karen Armstrong believe in Creation?

Thilaka Ramaswamy
Detroit, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)

Work for the Good of Others (March 25, 2004)
I was highly impressed with Karen's notion of removing the self from the center of one's own universe and placing others there instead. What a powerful notion this is. The question I raised with myself is "Does this mean I do not get up tomorrow morning and drive to the office to work for 8 hours?"

The obvious answer is Yes. I must go to the office and I must work 8 hours or more. However, now I do not do this in order to earn a paycheck. Rather, I must go to the office with primary thoughts of how I might use the next 8 hours not to benefit myself or to achieve my goals, but rather to benefit others and to help others to achieve their goals. Oh, to wish for the "other" the greatest possible good, each and every day of my life. What a joy that would be.

I confess, I have not read any of Karen's books. Your program has introduced her to me. Now, I plan to read several of her books. THANK YOU!

Marvin L. Morgan
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)

Soul Found Peace (March 22, 2004)
Thank you for having Karen Armstrong on your program. I am in agreement with her conclusions regarding organized religion, although, for me, I converted at 21 from Christianity to (Conservative) Judaism, where my soul found peace (I am now 55). I am a regular listener of your program. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Jan Book
Los Angeles, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)

Deep Thoughts (March 21, 2004)
I have listened to Speaking of Faith regularly — only because it's on my public radio station and I'm up early. Sum total is — all of this is absolute nonsense. It's like going into the attic of grandmother's house and putting on costumes from the trunk and trotting them out on the staircase for the approval of all. Anyone who believes that religion is anything but make-believe of the most rabid sort can swear on Marinetti's Futurist manifesto that war is "the world's only hygiene." Karen Armstrong's milquetoast religiosity has to be the bottom of the barrel. People are being killed wholesale all over the planet and religion is the excuse given by all the perpetrators.

Charles Fortner
Ann Arbor, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)