1. Announcing a New Edition of Guided by the Faith of Christ: Seeking to Stop Violence and Scapegoating
Human communities, including most Christian communities, have been unified by the unjust and violent scapegoating process. This more concise and hopefully clearer book version describes what I think was the faith of Christ - a faith grounded in love and compassion rather than the scapegoating process. Will this faith save humanity from its self-destructive course? I don’t know, but I do think it’s humanity’s best chance.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
2. All-Creatures.org Ministry
Newsletter: This a recent editions of our all-creatures Newsletter, which we hope you like and share with others to help end the exploitation and killing of animals:
Recipe:
Sermons:
3. Thoughts on Moral Frames - Part 5: Sympathy and Empathy
Sympathy involves understanding another individual’s experience. Though
this can be an important first step toward ameliorating suffering, it is
generally not enough. Empathy, in which one experiences similar feelings as
those who are suffering, is more likely to inspire action.
In his book Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion, Paul Bloom
acknowledges that empathy can motivate people to make the world a better
place. However, because of its subjective nature, empathy does not
necessarily optimize effectiveness. For example, empathy might inspire great
efforts to assist a single, very visible individual while neglecting a much
larger number of individuals who suffer outside the public eye.
Next, I will consider compassion.
Stephen R. Kaufman, MD