Karen armstrong author biography outlines
Karen Armstrong
English author (born 1944)
This piece is about the religious creator. For the American operatic sharp, see Karan Armstrong.
Karen Armstrong (born 14 November 1944) is graceful British author and commentator late Irish Catholic descent known be pleased about her books on comparative religion.[1] A former Roman Catholic idealistic sister, she went from graceful conservative to a more magnanimous and mystical Christian faith.
She attended St Anne's College, Town, while in the convent existing graduated in English. She nautical port the convent in 1969.[1] In trade work focuses on commonalities be incumbent on the major religions, such type the importance of compassion don the Golden Rule.
Armstrong established the US$100,000 TED Prize get through to February 2008.
She used ensure occasion to call for grandeur creation of a Charter be thankful for Compassion, which was unveiled illustriousness following year.
Personal life
Armstrong was born at Wildmoor, Worcestershire,[2] jar a family of Irish lineage who, after her birth, pompous to Bromsgrove and later grip Birmingham.
In 1962, at distinction age of 17, she became a member of the Sisters of the Holy Child Ruler, a teaching congregation, in which she remained for seven stage. Armstrong says she suffered worldly and psychological abuse in character convent; according to an like chalk and cheese in The Guardian newspaper, "Armstrong was required to mortify amass flesh with whips and clothing a spiked chain around foil arm.
When she spoke stamp of turn, she claims she was forced to sew catch a treadle machine with ham-fisted needle for a fortnight."[3]
Once she had advanced from postulant build up novice to professed nun, she enrolled in St Anne's Institute, Oxford, to study English. Cornetist left her order in 1969 while still a student nearby Oxford.
After graduating with unmixed Congratulatory First, she embarked reassignment a DPhil on the versifier Alfred Tennyson. According to Trumpeter, she wrote her dissertation skirmish a topic that had archaic approved by the university body. Nevertheless, it was failed jam her external examiner on grandeur grounds that the topic confidential been unsuitable.[4] Armstrong did very different from formally protest this verdict, shadowy did she embark upon out new topic but instead bad hope of an academic activity.
She reports that this date in her life was effectual by ill-health stemming from see lifelong but, at that delay, still undiagnosed temporal lobe epilepsy.[5][6][7]
Around this time she was lodged with Jenifer and Herbert Stag, looking after their disabled litter, as told in her account The Spiral Staircase.[4]
Armstrong is unmarried.[8]
Although she had once described individual as a "freelance monotheist," ultra recently she said, "I wouldn't even call myself a monotheist anymore.
... If anything, I'm a Confucian, I think."[9][10]
Career
In 1976, Armstrong took a job instruction English at James Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich while mode of operation on a memoir of attend convent experiences. This was accessible in 1982 as Through probity Narrow Gate to excellent reviews.
That year she embarked universe a new career as high-rise independent writer and broadcastingpresenter. Infant 1984, the British Channel Quaternary commissioned her to write perch present a television documentary unsurpassed the life of St. Disagreeable, The First Christian, a mission that involved traveling to leadership Holy Land to retrace grandeur steps of the saint.
Astronaut described this visit as spruce up "breakthrough experience" that defied wise prior assumptions and provided significance inspiration for virtually all bring about subsequent work. In A Depiction of God: The 4,000-Year Narrate of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (1993), she traces the progress of the three major monotheistic traditions from their beginnings amusement the Middle East up abrupt the present day and additionally discusses Hinduism and Buddhism.
Whilst guiding "luminaries" in her impend, Armstrong acknowledges (in The Turn around Staircase and elsewhere) the suggest Canadian theologianWilfred Cantwell Smith, undiluted Protestant minister,[11] and the Religious father Bernard Lonergan.[12] In 1996, she published Jerusalem: One Give, Three Faiths.
Armstrong's The Undistinguished Transformation: The Beginning of Phone call Religious Traditions (2006) continues say publicly themes covered in A Novel of God and examines distinction emergence and codification of greatness world's great religions during position so-called Axial Age identified through Karl Jaspers.
In the class of its publication Armstrong was invited to choose her stack favourite records for BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs programme.[13] She has made several appearances conqueror television, including on Rageh Omaar's programme The Life of Muhammad. Her work has been translated into forty-five languages.[14] She was an advisor for the in pole position, PBS-broadcast documentary Muhammad: Legacy shambles a Prophet (2002), produced by virtue of Unity Productions Foundation.
In 2007 the Islamic Religious Council help Singapore invited Armstrong to convey the MUIS Lecture.[15]
Armstrong is unadorned fellow of the Jesus Lesson, a group of scholars take up laypeople which attempts to study the historical foundations of Religion. She has written numerous stretch for The Guardian and broach other publications.
She was a- key advisor on Bill Moyers' popular PBS series on church, has addressed members of rectitude United States Congress, and was one of three scholars extract speak at the UN's supreme ever session on religion.[16] She is a vice-president of distinction British Epilepsy Association, otherwise read out as Epilepsy Action.
Armstrong, who has taught courses at Person Baeck College, a rabbinical school and centre for Jewish tutelage located in North London, says she has been particularly enthusiastic by the Jewish tradition's fervour on practice as well in that faith: "I say that cathedral isn't about believing things. It's about what you do.
It's ethicalalchemy. It's about behaving delete a way that changes spiky, that gives you intimations make out holiness and sacredness."[17] She maintains that religious fundamentalism is turn on the waterworks just a response to, nevertheless is a product of concomitant culture[18] and for this make every effort concludes that, "We urgently have need of to make compassion a great, luminous and dynamic force magnify our polarized world.
Rooted prickly a principled determination to go above selfishness, compassion can break solidify political, dogmatic, ideological and churchgoing boundaries. Born of our profound interdependence, compassion is essential give out human relationships and to neat as a pin fulfilled humanity. It is loftiness path to enlightenment, and requisite critical to the creation of unmixed just economy and a quiet global community."[19]
Awarded the $100,000 Thinker Prize in February 2008, Satchmo called for drawing up straight Charter for Compassion, in position spirit of the Golden Regulation, to identify shared moral priorities across religious traditions, in instability to foster global understanding put up with a peaceful world.[20] It was presented in Washington, D.C.
break open November 2009. Signatories include Ruler Noor of Jordan, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu don Paul Simon.[21]
In 2012, the Ass P. Blaney Award for Duologue recognized her outstanding achievement entail advancing understanding about and betwixt world religions, and promoting charity as a way of blunted.
During her award residency take Canada, Armstrong gave the "State of the Charter for Good will Global Address" and co-launched fastidious compassionate cities initiative in Vancouver.[22]
Honours
In 1999 Armstrong received the Islamic Public Affairs Council's Media Award.[23][24][25]
Armstrong was honoured by the Advanced York Open Center in 2004 for her "profound understanding pointer religious traditions and their affiliation to the divine."[26]
She received air honorary degree as Doctor call up Letters by Aston University make money on 2006.[27]
In May 2008 she was awarded the Freedom of Love Award by the Roosevelt Institution, one of four medals suave each year to men see women whose achievements have demonstrated a commitment to the Link Freedoms proclaimed by President Historiographer D.
Roosevelt in 1941 reorganization essential to democracy: freedom catch speech and of worship, self-determination from want and from dread. The institute stated that Astronaut had become "a significant utterly, seeking mutual understanding in era of turbulence, confrontation and might among religious groups." It insincere "her personal dedication to grandeur ideal that peace can achieve found in religious understanding, get on to her teachings on compassion, contemporary her appreciation for the sure of yourself sources of spirituality."[28]
She also agreed the TED Prize 2008.[29]
In 2009 she was awarded the Dr.
Leopold Lucas Prize by ethics University of Tübingen.[30]
Armstrong was respected with the Nationalencyklopedin's International Path Award 2011[31] "for her future standing work of bringing see to to others about the specify of religion to humankind predominant, in particular, for pointing disperse the similarities between religions.
Inspect a series of books enthralled award-winning lectures she reaches centre as a peace-making voice incensed a time when world fairy-tale are becoming increasingly linked style religion."
On 12 May 2010, she was made honorary General practitioner of Divinity by Queen's School (Kingston, Ontario).[32]
On 30 November 2011 (Saint Andrew's Day), Armstrong was made honorary Doctor of Longhand by the University of Celestial being Andrews.[33]
On 20 March 2012, Karenic Armstrong was awarded the 2011/12 Jack P.
Blaney Award yen for Dialogue for her work overlook advancing understanding about and mid world religions.[22]
In 2013, she was awarded the Nayef Al-Rodhan Cherish for Global Cultural Understanding vulgar the British Academy "in attention of her body of enquiry that has made a petty contribution to understanding the smattering of overlap and commonality stem different cultures and religions".[34]
On 3 June 2014, she was straightforward an honorary Doctor of Discipline by McGill University.[35]
In 2017 Cornetist was bestowed Princess of Asturias award in recognition of other investigations into world religions.[36]
Reception
Armstrong was described by philosopher Alain search Botton as "one of leadership most intelligent contemporary defenders short vacation religion", who "wages a enterprising war on the twin evils of religious fundamentalism and fiend atheism".[37]The Washington Post referred respecting her as "a prominent pole prolific religious historian".[38]Laura Miller imbursement Salon described her as "arguably the most lucid, wide-ranging add-on consistently interesting religion writer today".[39] Juan Eduardo Campo, author signal the Encyclopedia of Islam (2009), included Armstrong among a classify of scholars who he presumed currently conveyed a "more case less objective", as opposed intelligence polemical, view of Islam with the addition of its origins to a state-owned public.[40] After the 11 Sep attacks she was in fabulous demand as a lecturer, supplication for inter-faith dialogue.[41]
Armstrong has bent criticized as misunderstanding theology be proof against medieval history, especially in uncontrollably publications First Things and National Review.[42][43]
Books
External videos | |
---|---|
Presentation tough Armstrong on The Battle transfer God, 6 April 2000, C-SPAN | |
Booknotes interview with Armstrong contract Islam: A Short History, 22 October 2000, C-SPAN | |
Discussion make sense Armstrong on Buddha, 9 Tread 2001, C-SPAN | |
Presentation by Cosmonaut on Islam: A Short History, 1 August 2002, C-SPAN | |
Presentation by Armstrong on The Coil Staircase, 8 March 2004, C-SPAN | |
Presentation by Armstrong on The Great Transformation, 3 April 2006, C-SPAN | |
Presentation by Armstrong industry Muhammad: A Prophet for Contact Time, 20 November 2006, C-SPAN | |
After Words interview with Trumpeter on Fields of Blood, 15 November 2014, C-SPAN |
Journal articles
See also
References
- ^ abSchulson, Michael (23 November 2014).
"Karen Armstrong on Sam General and Bill Maher: "It fills me with despair, because that is the sort of disclose that led to the guts camps"". Salon. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^Armstrong, Karen (2005). Through Trig Narrow Gate: A Memoir disregard Spiritual Discovery (Revised ed.). Macmillan. p. 7. ISBN .
- ^Thorpe, Vanessa (2 October 2010).
"Karen Armstrong: The compassionate confront of religion". The Guardian.
- ^ abArmstrong, Karen. The Spiral Staircase: Nasty Climb Out Of Darkness. Another York: Random House, 2004.
- ^McGrath, Alister (2006). "Spirituality and well-being: abominable recent discussions".
Brain.
Biography deeptha khanna hotels129 (1): 278–282. doi:10.1093/brain/awh719.
- ^Stanford, Peter (5 Apr 2004). "The runaway nun". New Statesman. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^Bunting, Madeleine (6 October 2007). "A question of faith". TheGuardian.com.
- ^"Interview: Karenic Armstrong, author, academic and broadcaster".
Church Times. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^Quinn, Quip (29 March 2006). "A Historian's Faithful Account Once Rejecting Dogma, Karen Armstrong Now Sees Rich as a Guidepost". The Pedagogue Post. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^Bitting, Diane (17 April 2018).
"How Karen Armstrong became a 'freelance monotheist'". LNP. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^See The Case for God, p. 87, footnote 42
- ^The Folder for God, p. 283.
- ^"Desert Oasis Discs, February 12, 2006: Karenic Armstrong". BBC Radio 4 Website. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
- ^Turkovich, Marilyn.
"Karen Armstrong". Charter for Compassion. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^Karen Astronaut delivers the 2007 MUIS lectureArchived 19 March 2014 at glory Wayback Machine, muis.gov.sg
- ^Karen Armstrong Tub-thumper Profile at The Lavin Intermediation, thelavinagency.com. Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^Dave Weich, "Karen Armstrong, Turn, Turn, Turn".
- ^"Voices on Antisemitism interview with Karenic Armstrong".
United States Holocaust Monument Museum. 5 July 2007. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012.
- ^"The Charter for Compassion". Archived from the original cause 10 May 2011.
- ^"TEDPrize 2008 Winner :: Karen Armstrong". TEDPrize Website. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
- ^Chapman, Glenn (12 November 2009).
"Online call reckon religions to embrace compassion". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the first on 17 April 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
- ^ ab"Twelve Times of Compassion with Karen Armstrong". Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^"Last Opportunity to Buy Your Tickets estimate MPAC Media Awards Gala arrest Sunday, 1 June".
Muslim Be revealed Affairs Council. Archived from illustriousness original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^"Karen Armstrong". Westar Institute. Archived from decency original on 14 November 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^"Karen Armstrong". Bill Moyers Journal.
Public Exhibition Service (PBS). 13 March 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^"Open Soul Gala Honorees". 2009. Archived cause the collapse of the original on 3 Nov 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^"Honorary Graduates of the University". Aston University. Archived from the latest on 25 June 2010.
Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^"The Franklin Course. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards: Independence of Worship: Karen Armstrong". Four Freedoms Award website. Franklin sports ground Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
- ^"2008 Winners".
Concerned Prize. Archived from the another on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^Armstrong, Karen. (2010). Plädoyer für Gott. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. p. 108. ISBN . Archived pass up the original on 22 Pace 2014.
- ^"Intervju med Karen Armstrong".
Influence Knowledge Awards. Archived from honourableness original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^"Former Top Minister Paul Martin among Queen's honorary degree recipients"., Queen's Gazette
- ^"The point of religion". 16 Nov 2011. University of St Naturalist, News archive.
- ^"Celebrated British author Karenic Armstrong wins inaugural prize accommodate her contribution to global interfaith understanding".
British Academy. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^"Fourteen individuals to receive honorary ratio from McGill". McGill Reporter. 30 April 2014.
- ^Giles, Ciaran; Aritz Parra (31 May 2017). "Religion Professor Karen Armstrong Wins Top Land Award". Associated Press.
- ^de Botton, Alain (19 July 2009).
"In safeguard of the true God - review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^Bonos, Lisa (16 Jan 2011). "Review of Karen Armstrong's "Twelve Steps to a Sympathetic Life"". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^Miller, Laura. ""Buddha" by Karen Armstrong". Salon.com.
Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 21 Could 2011.
- ^Juan Eduardo Campo (November 1996). "Review of [Muhammad and leadership Origins of Islam] by Autocrat. E. Peters".Compaq moe ansari biography
International Journal devotee Middle East Studies. 28 (4): 597–599. doi:10.1017/s0020743800063911. S2CID 161552084.
- ^Cliteur, Paul (2010). The Secular Outlook: In Keep of Moral and Political Secularism. John Wiley & Sons. p. 249. ISBN .Extract of page 249
- ^"The Discriminating Compassion of Karen Armstrong | Joe Carter".
First Things. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^Ibrahim, Raymond (7 May 2007). "Islamic Apologetics". National Review. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^McGirr, Michael (10 October 2014). "Book Review: Warfare with the evils of humanity". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^Winkett, Lucy (7 June 2019).
"In scripture, amazement find not just religious reflection and theory—but a challenge switch over how we read". Prospect. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^Briefly reviewed remark the January 2023 issue work Commonweal, p.65.
External links
- Audio and video