Compassion
architecture is built on the theological fact that true security can only come
from God’s own compassion towards humanity and the compassion of humans towards
humans. Compassion is the condition of possibility of true security.
A Common Word,
which was launched in October 2007, is an important contribution to an
alternative compassion architecture. Its signatories, whose number has since
grown to 301, include Muslim scholars and thinkers of all theological schools, both
genders, all ages and occupations.
The response from
Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians has been very positive and
several constructive conferences have already been held with them to explore
our common ground. Some Jewish scholars have also made positive and encouraging
comments and they will be addressed in a similar document.
For example, Muslim scholars met evangelical Christian leaders
last summer at a conference at Yale University, for many the first time either
had sat down to discuss faith with the other. It was a transformative
event. The dark and twisted images Muslims and evangelicals often had of
each other came tumbling down. A door for compassionate cooperation opened.
Last November, a
Common Word delegation of two dozen Muslim scholars, led by Grand Mufti of
Bosnia Mustafa Ceric, met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican and held three days
of talks with leading Catholic scholars there. The encounter was soothing
and healing after the wounds of the pope’s speech in Regensburg in 2006.
Last month, one of
Islam’s top Muslim television preachers, Amr Khaled, toured several Muslim
countries including Sudan to rally tens of thousands of young people around the
theme of A Common Word. The response proved overwhelmingly positive.
Initiatives such as
A Common Word are giving rise to a “network of networks of compassion” with
multiple nodes and growing complexity and inter-connectivity. Much like the
internet, this network of networks does not depend on any one node. It is
robust and resilient precisely because it is so widespread and
interconnected. Compassion architecture will rise from a wide variety of
initiatives such as A Common Word coming together.
In a ‘stuck’ or
‘jammed’ world situation, A Common World hits the reset button with fresh and
purified presuppositions. Now, we watch the lights come on in a fresh way, a
way that may very well get our world going again. What better presuppositions
to start with than Love of God and Love of Neighbor?
Reorienting and
purifying intentions is the most important change to make if the Obama “change
platform” is to work. Change requires a shift from self-righteous arrogance to
attitudes of humility, concern for others, brokenness-before-God, compassion
and understanding.
What humanity needs most today is a prophetic teaching of
compassion and love. Inherent in A Common Word is a lofty, scriptures-based
exhortation from which many lessons, sermons and much guidance can flow.
Today we are all
frightened, in one way or another, physically, politically, socially, and
economically. For too many years, fear ran our lives both as actors and
acted-upon. During those terrible Bush years, the generals and security
agencies thrived on offering their “Security Architectures”. It is time for
true change: change from fear to hope, from hate to love, from madness to sanity
and from cruelty to compassion. The new day is indeed luminescent with rays of
hope!
God knows best!
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2009/02/19/from-security-to-compassion-a-needed-shift-for-obama-govt/
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