“The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

“It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others - even our enemies - is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

“We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings, even those regarded as enemies.

“We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.”

Visit www.CharterForCompassion.org for more details

The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregation has launched a national campaign entitled Standing on the Side of Love. The purpose is three fold. First, every major religion has compassion and love at its center. Staying true to our religious values means standing on the side of love. Second, too much of our public discourse is driven not by love, but by fear, which often scapegoats particular people and deems them somehow less than human. This is a violation of all faiths, which are centered in love. Third, this campaign seeks to harness the power of love to stop oppression, exclusion, and violence. Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association, it is an invitation to all people to stand on the side of love.

The Charter for Compassion is the result of Karen Armstrong’s 2008 TED Prize wish for religions to publicly affirm the Golden Rule: a global ethic to teach that we should refuse, under any circumstance, to carry out actions which would cause another harm. As people of faith, we unite with Karen Armstrong, Desmond Tutu and other international dignitaries to publicly affirm the Golden Rule. This global ethic, affirmed in all of the major world religions, requires that we use empathy – the moral imagination – to put ourselves in others’ shoes. We should act toward others as we would want them to act toward us. The following passages represent but a few of the many world religions whose sacred text affirms the Golden Rule.

Words of welcome by Reverend Dr. Richard Speck, District Executive, Joseph Priestley District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Opening Reading by Kathy Bonanno, author of Slamming Open the Door, winner of the 2008 Beatrice Hawley Award. Opening Words by Reverend Catherine Harrington, People’s Church, The West Shore Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Ludington, MI. The Declaration of Life by Jean Rabenold, President of the Unitarian Universalists for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (www.uuadp.org). Reflections on Knoxville by the Reverend Dr. Chris Buice, Minister of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church of Knoxville, TN. Sermon entitled “A Letter to My Murderer” by Reverend Nate Walker, Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. Reporting back from Workshop Chaplains. Extinguishing Chalice by Rev. Nina Kalmoutis, recently called to serve the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale, CA. Benediction by Reverend Catherine Harrington, People’s Church, The West Shore Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Ludington, MI.

This recording includes an activity with the children related to the sermon that unpacks the controversy about the possibility of One Life Crew playing at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, as reported by Anti Racist Action and the One People’s Project.

On Thursday, February 12, 2009, we will honor the bicentennial birthdays of two men who shaped the course of human history. Why do their ideas still resonate with us today?

When thinking of Darwin we are reminded of the ways religion has suppressed scientific inquiry and put a false divide between faith and reason. In his time, Charles Darwin had to confront a culture of superstitious religiosity that closed the mind, feared science and rejected anything contrary to creation myths. Two hundred years later, we gather in the spirit of Evolution Sunday – where worship services are held throughout the country that affirm the coupling of faith and reason. We celebrate the fact that we are still evolving in body, in mind, in spirit. We celebrate our collective ability to take but one more step toward understanding our place in the world. We know we are not there yet, but in celebrating his birth we see how Darwin was but one voice in the many throughout history who has helped us evolve.

When thinking of Lincoln we are reminded of what many scholars call America’s greatest sin – the sin of slavery. In his time President Lincoln had to confront slavery and move the country into a trajectory toward emancipation. Two hundred years later, after having just elected the first African American to the highest office of the land, we gather in the spirit of Black history month and hold our heads back in wonder at the moral arch of our evolution. In terms of racial justice, we are but still evolving toward freedom; for each day we deliberately take one more step toward equality. We know we are not there yet, but in celebrating his birth we see how Lincoln was but one voice in the many who sought to liberate us from the discriminatory mind.

In what ways are we still bound by the discriminatory mind? Who in our society and in our world are physically, morally or spiritually enslaved? Darwin speaks of the survival of the fittest – are humans going to be the species that will survive or will we fall victim to the power of Mother Nature? We may not be the fittest. Maybe our planet needs to be emancipated from human domination. In terms of the environment, maybe humans need to evolve from species of consumption to species of sustainable creation. In terms of politics, maybe humans need to evolve from nuclear-nation states to peace-making citizens of the world. In doing so, we not only help one another evolve but we emancipate one another from destructive practices, aware that in order to survive humans must be not only physically, but also intellectually, morally and spiritually fit.

Martin Luther King Jr. first learned of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi when attending a lecture at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia about nonviolent resistance called Satyagraha. Gandhi described Satyagrah as follows: “Its root meaning is holding onto truth, hence truth-force. I have also called it love-force or soul-force. In the application of satyagraha, I discovered in the earliest stages that pursuit of truth did not admit of violence being inflicted on one’s opponent but that he must be weaned from error by patience and compassion.” This service will drawing upon the life of Martin Luther King Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy whose words and deeds challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love.