St. Andrews United Church

This is the title of Karen Armstrong's new book.  As a religious historian she is very familiar with all the major world faiths.  She draws examples from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Buddhism, the ancient Greeks to help us see how important it is to become compassionate people.  For Karen Armstrong, cultivating compassion in individuals is crucial for the well-being of the world.  She connects with the success of the 12 step movement in encouraging people to relinquish their addictions in order to help every one of us let go of our addiction to egotism which creates a buzz of self-righteousness for us.  She wants us to develop a new discipline which will encourage compassionate choices.  Her objective is to re-orient our minds and hearts - not an instant quick fix but a slow transformation.  If this interests you, let us know as we are about to start a group which will read  and discuss "Twelve Steps to Compassionate Living".  People from any faith stance and those who are spiritual not religious will be most welcome to be part of these groups.
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