Women of Other Faiths
Using common values contained in their respective teachings, women of all religious traditions can work together and collaborate in many areas especially peace building and women’s empowerment. Collectively women of all faiths can learn from each other’s struggles and histories, while showing support for women’s religious leadership roles worldwide. Please contribute to this archive by suggesting women of all faiths to be featured through our recommendation form.
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Karen Armstrong
"We need to create a new narrative, get out of the rat-run of hatred, chauvinism and defensiveness; and make the authentic voice of religion a power in the world that is conducive to peace." - Karen Armstrong "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." - Karen Armstrong
Known For: Author, Speaker, Comparative Religion Authority
Dates: Common Era 1944 – Present (CE)
Faith: Monotheism
Country: United States
About
Formerly a Catholic nun and a graduate of Oxford University, Karen Armstrong, has become famed and respected around the world for her understanding of world religions and as a sought-after speaker. After leaving the convent and visiting Jerusalem in 1982, Armstrong was inspired to dig deeper into religious thought.
She has penned a number of bestselling books, including Muhammad, a biography of the prophet and A History of God which examines the similarities between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. She has also written The Battle for God, The Spiral Staircase, The Great Transformation, and The Bible: A Biography, just a small sampling oh her numerous titles. Armstrong has devoted a great deal of her writing to exploring the commonalities between the world’s three traditional monotheistic faiths.
Awarded the 2008 TED (Technology Entertainment Design) Prize, which is granted annually to three people who receive $100,000 each, Armstrong established the Charter for Compassion. The Charter for Compassion seeks to collaborate and build a harmonious global community. This Charter for Compassion will be written by a Council of Conscience, comprised of religious leaders and thinkers.
In May 2008, Armstrong was awarded the Freedom of Worship by the Roosevelt Institute “for her personal dedication to the ideal that peace can be found in religious understanding, for her teachings on compassion, and her appreciation for the positive sources of spirituality” (Four Freedoms).
Armstrong is internationally esteemed for her efforts in creating mutual understanding between Muslims, Christians, and Jews despite the violence, turbulence, and unrest which marks much of the relationship between the three faiths.
