Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, host

Cathedral Dean Sam Lloyd and renowned religion scholar Karen Armstrong explore the evolution of religion and look at what belief really means in today’s post-modern world. Armstrong wrote her most recent book, The Case for God, because “I was very concerned about the nature of the debate on both sides,” she explains—the two sides being people of faith and atheists.

“To quarrel about religion is counterproductive,” Armstrong says flatly. Ego impedes any chance of enlightenment. The attacks of September 11, 2001, brought about more strident arguments. While some claim that any religion is dangerous, others want to expunge particular religions. Many, of course, assume that their own beliefs (or lack of beliefs) represent the complete and only truth.

Armstrong notes that opponents of religion undercut their own arguments when they paint all religious people as fundamentalists. Fundamentalism, she contends, is not a long-established and broadly shared approach to religion, but a modern innovation that erupted in many different religions in the twentieth century. “Fundamentalists actually distort the tradition. It’s a fearful theology,” Armstrong comments.

Science and religion have only recently seen each other as rivals, Armstrong believes. With notable historical exceptions, faith and science—and their proponents—have typically coexisted in harmony. One recent change illustrates recent problems between faith and science. Only in the past century or so have people considered the creation story in Genesis to be scientifically accurate. Before that, Genesis was mythos, allegory: God’s knowledge imparted to humankind, but not scientific fact as science is defined today. The Bible is not talking about science; the Bible has a different job to do.

But for the Bible to achieve what it is meant to achieve, Christians cannot limit their religious practice to reading its words. People must act on the words in the Bible. “Religion is like dancing,” Armstrong says. “You can’t just learn to dance by reading a book. You have to do hours and years of dedicated practice. Religion is hard work.”

About Karen Armstrong

Karen Armstrong is a world renowned scholar of comparative religions, a bestselling author, and winner of a 2008 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) award for her interfaith “Charter of Compassion,” which encourages religious traditions to apply shared moral values in support of global understanding. Among her bestselling books are The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions; The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.