{"id":1098,"date":"2008-11-17T13:49:14","date_gmt":"2008-11-17T17:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stonescryout.org\/?p=1098"},"modified":"2008-11-17T13:49:14","modified_gmt":"2008-11-17T17:49:14","slug":"new-age-religion-tech-icons-hollywood-glitz-bad-copy-of-ancient-truths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stonescryout.org\/?p=1098","title":{"rendered":"New Age Religion + Tech Icons + Hollywood Glitz = Bad Copy of Ancient Truths"},"content":{"rendered":"

An interesting combination of cultural icons are coming together to make chowder out of the world’s religions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A website launched Friday with the backing of technology industry and Hollywood elite urges people worldwide to help craft a framework for harmony between all religions. <\/p>\n

The Charter for Compassion project on the Internet at www.charterforcompassion.org springs from a "wish" granted this year to religious scholar Karen Armstrong at a premier Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in California. <\/p>\n

"Tedizens" include Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin along with other Internet icons as well as celebrities such as Forest Whittaker and Cameron Diaz.<\/p>\n

Wishes granted at TED envision ways to better the world and come with a promise that Tedizens will lend their clout and capabilities to making them come true. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Indeed, this group of intellectual heavyweights wants to reconcile all world religions into one, bland, least common denominator.  And here’s where they’re starting from.<\/p>\n

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Armstrong’s wish is to combine universal principles of respect and compassion into a charter based on a "golden rule" she believes is at the core of every major religion. <\/p>\n

The Golden Rule essentially calls on people to do unto others as they would have done unto them. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Except that, if I may speak for Christianity, that’s not<\/em> "at the core" of my religion.  From the Old Testament, the 10 Commandments might be closer to the core.  And from the New Testament, you’d have this from Mark chapter 12<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" <\/p>\n

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  <\/sup>Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  <\/sup>The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ <\/sup>There is no commandment greater than these." <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

While that second commandment sounds like the Golden Rule, one must remember that it is predicated on the first commandment.  Thus, it’s not just a case of simple actions, but one of attitude.  It requires that how<\/em> to love your neighbor be a shared value between you and God, and that who God is is also a shared value.  <\/p>\n

Thus, simply doing unto others<\/em> is of no eternal consequence or value if the attitude<\/em> behind it is not there.  It’s pretty clear who Jesus was referring to by "God"; Israel’s God.  And when Jesus said later that the only way to God the Father was through Himself, He left no options open for this chowder-izing of major world religions.  <\/p>\n

Much like other new-age-type religions that seek to do the same thing, this effort is simply a way to water it all down.  Christianity is, at its core, a relationship<\/em>, not a religion.  As much as others may contend that it’s nothing but a bunch of rules, I’d note that this<\/em> effort is more deserving of that type of scorn; turning a relationship with a loving God into just a set of do’s and don’ts.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An interesting combination of cultural icons are coming together to make chowder out of the world’s religions. A website launched Friday with the backing of technology industry and Hollywood elite urges people worldwide to help craft a framework for harmony between all religions. The Charter for Compassion project on the Internet at www.charterforcompassion.org springs from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,9,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-doug","category-religion"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t