Charter for a More Compassionate World
Text of the Charter for Compassion
To sign the Charter for Compassion please click this image.
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion. TO SIGN THE CHARTER PLEASE CLICK THIS IMAGE:
We therefore call upon all men and women to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion. TO SIGN THE CHARTER PLEASE CLICK THIS IMAGE:
We therefore call upon all men and women to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
Charter Founder Karen Armstrong
Religious thinker Karen Armstrong has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions, studying what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and how our faiths shaped world history and drive current events.
A former nun, Armstrong has written two books about this experience: Through the Narrow Gate, about her seven years in the convent, and The Spiral Staircase, about her subsequent spiritual awakening, when she developed her iconoclastic take on the major monotheistic religions -- and on the strains of fundamentalism common to all. She is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding.
Armstrong's 2008 TED Prize wish asked us to help her assemble the Charter for Compassion, a document around which all of us can work together for peace. In late fall 2008, the first draft of the document was written by the world, via a sharing website, and 160,000 people contributed ideas and language.
In February 2009 the words of the world were collected and given to the Council of Conscience, a gathering of religious leaders and thinkers, who crafted the final document. The Charter was launched in November 2009.
"I say that religion isn't about believing things. It's ethical alchemy. It's about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness."
(from Charter for Compassion)
A former nun, Armstrong has written two books about this experience: Through the Narrow Gate, about her seven years in the convent, and The Spiral Staircase, about her subsequent spiritual awakening, when she developed her iconoclastic take on the major monotheistic religions -- and on the strains of fundamentalism common to all. She is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding.
Armstrong's 2008 TED Prize wish asked us to help her assemble the Charter for Compassion, a document around which all of us can work together for peace. In late fall 2008, the first draft of the document was written by the world, via a sharing website, and 160,000 people contributed ideas and language.
In February 2009 the words of the world were collected and given to the Council of Conscience, a gathering of religious leaders and thinkers, who crafted the final document. The Charter was launched in November 2009.
"I say that religion isn't about believing things. It's ethical alchemy. It's about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness."
(from Charter for Compassion)
Meet the Global Compassion Council
Charter for Compasion Creative Commons License from Flickr 4357667047_2446b8f805_o
The Global Compassion Council is the advisory body for the Charter for Compassion. Recruited from around the world, the Council is a confluence of leaders of the movement in the realms of government, business, education, philanthropy, religion & spirituality, health care, the environment, peace, and social justice. The chair of the Council is Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, a devoted activist for peace and social justice. Among many other "firsts," she was the first ordained woman to be General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; and the first woman Director of Religion at the historic Chautauqua Institution, a center for religion, education, the arts, and recreation. The governing Board of Trustees is drawn from the members of the Council.
Per 2013 Charter developer listing:
Per 2013 Charter developer listing:
- Karen Armstrong, 2008 TED Prize winner, creator of the Charter for Compassion, renowned author on religion, history, compassion.
- Joan Brown Campbell, president of the Council. Campbell is a noted religious leader and peace and social justice activist, former general secretary of the US, National Council of Churches
- Allan Boesak, minister of South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric, South African politician and politician and anti-apartheid activist.
- Amin Hashwani, Pakistani businessman and founder of the Compassionate Schools Network and Charter for Compassion Pakistan
- Amy Novogratz, former director of the TED Prize, television and web producer, co-founder of Social Policy Action Network
- Anil Sachdev, Indian business leader and founder of the School for Inspired Leadership in Gurgaon, India
- Anil Singh-Morales, religious scholar, business executive, and co-founder of Seattle’s Compassionate Action Network.
- Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, human rights advocate, writer, environmental activist and champion of civil society worldwide; leader in global, humanitarian, and interfaith organizations and initiatives.
- Chandra Muzaffar, internationally known Malaysian advocate for human rights, President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST)
- Cynthia Figge, business innovator and leader in movement for corporate social responsibility, co-founder of CSRHub.com.
- Darshita Gillies, born into the lowest social class (“untouchables”) of a poor non-English speaking conservative Hindu family, had a career as an international banker before founding a chapter of Conscious Capitalism in the UK.
- Diana Eck, award-winning religion author, professor at Harvard Divinity School, director of the Pluralism Project, chair of Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches.
- Elizabeth Rider, Director of Academic Programs at the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, Boston Children’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School
- Haidar Bagir, Indonesian publisher and educator, president director of Indonesian publisher Mizan Group, professor at Islamic College for Advanced Studies (ICAS) London in Jakarta.
- Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks International, author of It’s Not about the Coffee.
- Dr. James Doty, Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University, founder of Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Empathy Research and Education.
- Janja Bec, Serbian peace and humanitarian activist and socialogist focused on war crimes and genocide.
- Jean Zaru, Palestinian Quaker, founding member of Sabeel, an ecumenical Palestinian Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem; helped establish Friends International Center in Ramallah.
- Jeff Vander Clute, evolutionary leader consultant to technology startups, nonprofits at the leading edge of social transformation, and global communities of practice.
- Karoline Klerk, founder of Compassionate Sweden, a non-profit network organization that promotes compassionate strategies in Sweden.
- Lynne Twist, global citizen, teacher, author of The Soul of Money, co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance, empowering indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest to preserve lands and culture.
- Magdalena Whoolery, citizen activist and organizer, founder of the Botho Compassion Movement in Bostwana.
- Michael Wolfe, Muslim American poet, author, Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation; author of The Hadj, and One Thousand Roads to Mecca.
- Imam Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Imam of All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center in Sterling, Virginia
- Monica Neomagus, co-founder of the Dutch Charter for Compassion Foundation, trainer, organizer, social worker.
- Mussie Hailu, peace ambassador and teacher from Addis Adaba; international advocate and activist for creating a culture of peace, interfaith harmony & cooperation.
- Professor Nasser David Khalili, founder & chairman of the Maimonides Interfaith Foundation and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador; world-renowned scholar, collector and philanthropist.
- Rev. Dr Ofelia Ortega Suárez, minister of Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, elected member of the Cuban National Assembly, leader in World Council of Churches.
- Owsley Brown, philanthropist, filmmaker, and activist on behalf of interfaith partnerships and the compassion movement.
- Peter Storey, former president of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, past president of the South African Council of Churches, and Methodist Bishop of Johannesburg/Soweto.
- Chief Phil Lane, Jr., enrolled member of the Yankton Dakota and Chickasaw First Nations, leader in human and community development, Chair of the Four Worlds International Institute (FWII).
- Robi Damelin, leader and spokesperson for the Parent’s Circle in Palestine/Israel, a peace-making organization composed of parents who have lost their children in the conflict.
- Robin Youngson, physician and anaesthetic specialist in New Zealand, internationally renowned for his leadership promoting compassion in healthcare.
- Roshi Joan Halifax, Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care; Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe.
- Shainoor Khoja, CEO of Better Business Enterprise, international consultant and director of projects in many countries focused on economic development, sustainable practices, and social justice, including Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Zambia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria and the Middle East.
- Tom Williams, co-host of the Partnership for a Compassionate Louisville; founder and chair of Restorative Justice Louisville, Inc.; past President of the Louisville Bar Association.
- Tori McClure, president of Spalding University in Louisville, the first university to sign the Charter for Compassion; first woman to row a boat, alone, and without assistance, across the Atlantic.
- Vinciane Rycroft, Director and Co-Founder at Mind with Heart in London, United Kingdom; main organizer behind the international conference Empathy and Compassion in Society Conference,
- Will Poole, Social Technologist and angel investor, co-founder and Managing Partner of Unitus Seed Fund, former corporate vice president of the Unlimited Potential Group at Microsoft Corp.
- Yaffa Maritz, co-founder of Listening Mothers, using reflective and mindful techniques to increase enhance parenting; founder and director of the Community of Mindful Parents
- Zeid Abdul-Hadi, Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of an investment and development company in Amman – Jordan; founder of Charter for Compassion Jordan.