Thursday, May 04, 2006
Dogma is an expression of ego
About a week ago, scholar and author, Karen Armstrong, was in town talking about her latest book, The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions, Knopf. She was asked, "You say in your book that religions are at their weakest when they become the most dogmatic. What do you think is the impulse behind the creation of dogma?"
"Egotism. When people propound their opinions, it's 'me, me, me' that they're talking about. When we think we're right and everybody else is wrong, it sounds like ego. And ego is the thing you have to transcend if you want to get in touch with God or nirvana or Brahman or the sacred. Compassion is the main keynote of Axial-Age religion. But people don't want to be compassionate; they want to be right."
"Egotism. When people propound their opinions, it's 'me, me, me' that they're talking about. When we think we're right and everybody else is wrong, it sounds like ego. And ego is the thing you have to transcend if you want to get in touch with God or nirvana or Brahman or the sacred. Compassion is the main keynote of Axial-Age religion. But people don't want to be compassionate; they want to be right."
