[lbo-talk] USA, dumb and dumber

[N P Childs]

I've read many of Karen Armstrong's books and would highly recommend her to 
anyone with even a passing interest in the history of religion. She turns 
up as a columnist in The Guardian every so often and her comments on the 
church and politics in the US are quite incisive.

These questions and the brevity of the answers here don't do her intellect 
justice, IMHO. I've heard her talk about being a failed nun a couple of 
times, it's always in a sardonic tone, not regretful.

I was in Toronto about a month ago and went to a reading she was 
giving.  The reading was the night before 'Passion' came out and someone 
asked the inevitable question. In a very refined English accent all she 
said was that she thought of the message of Jesus was love, tolerance and 
forgiveness and from what she could see there wasn't much of that in Mel's 
movie, so she probably wouldn't be going to see it.

Jibes with what she says here.

PC


>There are some wise thoughts on religion in this NY Times interview today
>with Karen Armstrong, whom I always find a very interesting writer even when
>I don't understand what she's talking about:
><http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/04/magazine/04QUESTIONS.html>
>
>Carl

N Paul Childs
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