Now's your chance to lend your voice to a "Charter for Compassion," an online project for people of all faiths around the world. The brainchild of religion scholar Karen Armstrong (who wished for the charter when she won a TED Prize back in March), the project is built upon the universal ideals of justice, respect, and the golden rule.
Collaborative decision-making software lets users contribute language and ideas, and then rate each other's contributions based on a set of criteria. The final version of the charter, based on the best ideas, will then be drafted by a "Council of Sages" made up of religious thinkers and leaders. The plan is to complete it next year.
"The Charter will show that the voice of negativity and violence so often associated with religion is the minority and that the voice of compassion is the majority," according to the project's Web site. "Through the participation of the grassroots, people around the world will expect more out of religious leaders and one another. In doing so, the Charter will shift conceptions of religion for all people." —Heather Wax