I was flipping channels for background noise and heard part of a talk by Karen Armstrong about her new book, THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE: MY CLIMB OUT OF DARKNESS.
She had some interesting quotes:

"I like to considered myself a freelance mono theist"

"I hate the term 'teach tolerance'. It as if you have to put up with them. We should try 'teach compassion and understanding'."

Here's a link to the talk:
http://www.booktv.org/PublicLives/index.asp?schedid=259&segid=4425

From Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Karen Armstrong discusses her new memoir, "The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness." Karen Armstrong became a nun at the age of 17, but left the convent seven years later, in 1969. She went on to write several books on religious subjects, including "A History of God," "The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism," "Islam: A Short History," and "Buddha." "The Spiral Staircase" tells the story of her personal search for God and for her place in the world in the years after she left the convent.

For a review check out
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0330/p16s01-bogn.html