Invitation to Compassionate Action
St. Francis in the Foothills, a United Methodist Church in Tucson, AZ, is one of many faith communities around the world responding to the Charter for Compassion – a call to bring the world together, to bring the Golden Rule to the top of all priority lists, and to restore civility and respect in our global society. The Charter for Compassion is inspiring people in all walks of life to reflect and act on this call as it relates to relationships between individuals, organizations, faith communities, government entities, and even nations.
St. Francis in the Foothills is answering this call, locally, in Tucson.
The Charter for Compassion, which came into being in November 2009 and inspired by Karen Armstrong, was recently introduced in two educational sessions at St. Francis. It quickly became apparent that the Charter was causing the congregation to look at their faith commitments in new and fresh ways.
It was decided that there would be a Fall education series for all ages on compassion and that Compassion Circles would be offered as a follow-up. This will include a 6-session plan including Circle Process structure and topics and there will be training for Circle “keepers”.***
It is our plan to take this beyond just our local church. We are planning to expand our efforts to reach our entire United Methodist district and then to other faith communities in our city.
It is our hope that all congregations will join us by offering Compassion Circles that include a discussion of the Charter, what compassion really is, the Golden Rule, compassionate listening, compassionate communication and compassionate witnessing, and opportunities for participants to affirm the Charter as a moral principle for her/his life. (You can do this online at the charter’s website: www.charterforcompassion.org)
In addition, we want to go beyond faith communities. We are scheduling presentations to the Lion’s Club and other service clubs, Lifelong Learning Centers, the City Council, schools, youth groups, etc. It is our intent to offer Compassion Circles for everyone in our community. We have already developed information handouts and email templates to share with friends, and have a DVD about the history of the Charter for Compassion that we’re happy to share upon request.
Arizona is a Golden Rule State with a legislative resolution which says: “A Moral principle is to treat others as you would wish to be treated. “
It is our intent to partner with the State of Arizona in some way to enhance our opportunities to take this to government, businesses and media.
History of the birth of the Charter
The Charter for Compassion came into being in November 2009. It was/is a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time. It is truly a pathway to world peace.
It was/is a call to bring the world together…starting with us, by enlivening the golden rule. It is about a dialogue in the mind, moving to the heart and moving to the hands. It is about thoughts moving to action. It is about learning by doing.
Karen Armstrong, author and cultural historian, wished for this cultural change in our ethical core and then followed through to make it happen. She was a nun who, after 7 years, left the Convent and threw away the Church for 30 years! Armstrong eventually became a religious historian of note – teaching in a Jewish seminary and authoring more than 20 books. She wished for JustPeace (my words, not hers), a return to civility, which, (in her words), means that The Golden Rule will once again be society’s foundational principle.
Confucius said it in around 500 BCE: ”Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.” Buddha said: “Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” Jesus said: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And every religion in the world pays tribute to the fact that this is THE pathway to a compassionate culture.
So Karen Armstrong wished there could be a Charter for Compassion. And TED (TED.com), an organization dedicated to ideas worth spreading, granted her the money to enable this wish. “The Charter,” she said, “will proclaim a principle embraced by every faith, and by every moral code. It is often referred to as The Golden Rule…it requires that we use empathy — moral imagination — to put ourselves in others’ shoes. We should act toward them as we would want them to act toward us. We should refuse, under any circumstance, to carry out actions which would cause them harm.”
The prize money enabled a Council of Conscience to write and launch the Charter in November 2009: www.charterforcompassion.org . The framed Charter for Compassion is on the wall of the Conference Room of the Conference Board of Church & Society, UMC, and we are called to take it “off the wall” & into our lives and into the relationships of every person-to-person relationship, family, organization, business, faith community, government, and nation to nation relationship.
You can see this piece of history, this wish, come alive (videos) on these websites:
www.charterforcompassion.org Click on learn, then history, then click on the photo of Armstrong in the middle of the page www.TED.com Type Karen Armstrong into the Search box and see the list of videos telling of wishes come true. Karen Armstrong, who has been appointed to the UN Alliance of Civilizations, speaks around the world on the Charter for Compassion, and we hope, someday she’ll come to Tucson!
The Key to Compassion: Joan Chittister said it this way at the World Parliament of Religions, ”Since we are out of touch with compassion, we must practice it. When people practice compassion on a wide scale, compassion becomes a norm for society. The people will have to take the lead in this; the leaders will follow”
A call to bring the world together…CHARTER FOR COMPASSION
The Charter for Compassion
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.
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 indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
***If you are not familiar with the power of the circle, see The Little Book of Circle Processes by Kay Pranis, Calling The Circle and The Circle Way by Christina Baldwin, and Tom Porter’s work in JustPeace. Also these websites: All Things Circle at: Livngjusticepress.com and PeerSpirit.com
Del Jones, a member of St. Francis in the Foothills UMC, is involved in many efforts which support the Golden Rule: Culture of Peace Alliance Coordinating Council; International Peace Center BOD; coordinator, Elder Circles, The Wisdom Journey (www.oureldersvoice.com); Founder, Peace Circles, Peace Practices for Peacebuilders; instigator for Community Circles for Peacemaking (Our Family Services); cheerleader for Charter for Compassion! She was formerly a National Trainer for Children’s Work, American Baptist Convention; Asst. Director, Inner City Protestant Parish; Program Director, Greater Cleveland Council of Churches.
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The Charter for Compassion video is informative and inspiring. A powerful invitation to all people to live our highest ideal and deepest heart knowing.