There is quite a bit of focus these days on the differences between the world’s current major religions — how they contradict one another in dogma and how they differ in practice; how each of them is “wrong” … or “right” … or “true” … or false”. And of course such a focus leads inevitably to intensified feelings of distance & enmity between the believers who practice those different faiths … In essence, debating or even discussing how the various religions contradict one another only serves to entrench old hatreds and inflame new ones.

We have more than enough violence in the world today, my Friends, and we have more than enough distance & callousness & judgment as well. As such, we certainly don’t need to be engaging discussions or enlivening practices or harboring beliefs that bring even more arrogance and more aggression and more callousness and more condemnation into the fold.

After all, even if our own personal religious beliefs prove to be correct, as moral beings we must all ask ourselves — If our religion is true, what good is it to worship a God who is true but who is also cruel? If our religion is real, what good is to to honor a god who is real but who is also unjust? If our religion is valid, what good is it to champion a god who is valid but who also lacks the virtues of gentleness & compassion & forgiveness & acceptance?

Indeed, if such a divisive & damning & cruel & callous god does in fact exist — whether he be called Adonai or Allah or Buddha or Brahma — then it is our calling, indeed our duty, not to support his unjust tyranny, but rather to stand boldly & courageously for real righteousness and morality by opposing it.

And yet, most fortunately, that need not necessarily be the case …

You see, as it turns out, there is more than enough evidence in the sacred texts of the world’s religions to find a common ground, if not to find a common God — a God of Peace; a God of Justice; a God of Compassion; a God of Love.

Indeed, in all the world’s religions, there are many fundamental pillars of morality that they have in common; ethical beliefs & pronouncements shared by them all.

*Some of these teachings have to do with us openly expressing humility …
… like choosing to focus on giving more than receiving,
… or deciding to appreciate others by not judging them,
… or having Faith in life to provide clarity (a la “Seek and ye shall find”),
… or professing a desire to serve the greater Good (a la “Thy will be done”).

*Others call for us to behave kindly & ethically towards one another …
… encouraging us to speak the truth,
… and respect the possessions of others,
… and honor children & parents & elders,
… and forgive those who trespass against us.

*And still others remind us that fairness is innate & that justice is inevitable; with every major religion shining forth some version of the Truth, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap”.

These tenants are all fine moral standards to follow, and we don’t need to belong to any particular religion to follow them. Indeed, we don’t need to follow any religion at all to d so. For their presence in every religion tends to show more that they are innate in humankind — more that we humans inserted them into our religions, than the other way around.

That having been said, there are three Primary Pillars that merit special distinction & attention; three Great Truths that form the platform from which we humans — if we are to ultimately survive — must very soon begin to rebuild our world.

As such, for your humble consideration, I offer the first thereof …

Pillar #01: We are ALL one Family … We are all ONE.

This a Great Truth when put into practice.
Let us choose to go forth today and act accordingly …

Amen … Let it be so.

“God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean … I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who honors Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.” ~ Christianity (Acts 10:28-35)

“The usual way of the world is to be planned about name and clan, but such accumulated things meet only coincidentally … The not knowing tell us, that by birth a brahmin is born.” ~ Buddhism (The Vāseṭṭha Sutta: Majjhima Nikāya 98)

“All are the sons and daughters of God, good people all, Brothers and Sisters, since created by One Father. No rooted difference is there between them.” ~ Hinduism (Bhavishya Purana LLL, IV, Ch.23)

“Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us all? Why do we then deal treacherously, every man against his brother?” ~ Judaism (Malachi 2:10)

“All creatures are the family of God; and he is the most beloved of God who does most good to His family.” ~ Islam (the Hadith)

“Do not forget that the world is one great family … Regard Heaven as your father, Earth as your mother, and all things as your brothers and sisters.” ~ Shintoism (Oracle of Deity of Atsuta)

“God is our Father, and Earth our Mother. With all things and in all things, we are relatives.” ~ Sioux Native American prayer

Amen … Let it be so.

Pillar #02: Serve ALL others

No matter what name God happens to go by, and no matter what religion He seems to support, there is another primary pillar upon which His will & His wishes always stand — and that solid foundation is a humble, a willing, a joyful, and an active serving of the needs of others; encouraging us all to do whatever deeds we can to lessen others’ suffering and elevate their Joy … Consider:

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” ~ Christianity (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” ~ Judaism (Leviticus 19:18)

“A new commandment I give to you: That you love one another exactly as I have loved you … By this all will know that you are my disciples: that you show Love for one another.” ~ The Way of Jesus (John 13:34-35)

“A man obtains a proper rule of action by looking on his neighbor as himself.” ~ Hinduism (Mahabharata)

“Full of love for all things in the world, practicing virtue in order to benefit others, this man alone is truly Happy.” ~ Buddhism (Dhammapada)

“Seek to be in harmony with all your neighbors; live in amity with your brethren.” ~ Confucianism (Shu King 5.17.2)

“No one is a true believer until he Loves for his neighbor, and provides for his brother, what he loves for himself.” ~ Islam (the Hadith)

Amen … Let it be so.

Pillar #03: Be Kind to ALL Enemies

Jesus clearly told his disciples a number of different times (and in a number of different ways) that salvation depended on keeping HIS commandments (see Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:17-27, John 14:15, John 15:10 et al) … Later, he quite clearly noted that HIS commandments were twofold: First, to Love God the Father with everything we’ve got — and 2nd, to do so by Loving our neighbor as ourselves (see Matthew 22:36-40 & Mark 12:30-31) … Most Christians are well aware of these particular spiritual edicts, and yet what most folks do NOT know is that Jesus — in only one place in the entire Bible; in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37) — defined “our neighbor” for us quite clearly … and he defined it as “our enemy”.

As such, for Christians at least, the only way to satisfy the requirements for entry in JESUS’ “Kingdom of Heaven” (admittedly a very different destination from the “paradise” later proclaimed by St. Paul) is to actively extend Kindness to the people in our lives who deserve our Love the least, &/or to those to whom we wish to not give our Love at all.

To summarize, in order for us to “max out life” — in order for us to know the greatest experience of Bliss known to sentient-kind — or, as some religious folks would put it: in order for us to “be saved” (and this, regardless of our particular faith, or even our particular “unfaith”), we must simply go forth each day and extend acts of Kindness to those people we least like, or to those people who are treating us with the most contempt or disregard … Essentially, we must simply go forth each day and actively “Love our enemies” (see Matthew 5:44-48).

And yet, as I have hinted at above, this is not only a Christian concept. Indeed (in-deed!), it is found at the heart of every major religion today … Consider the following passages:

“Conquer anger with Love. Conquer evil with good … In this world, hate has never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate. This is the law; ancient and inexhaustible.” ~ Buddhism (The Dhammapada)

“I treat those who are good with goodness, and I also treat those who are not good with goodness … Thus goodness is attained.” ~ Taosim (Tao Te Ching 49)

“Do not return evil to your adversary; Requite with kindness the one who does evil to you … Be friendly towards your enemy.” ~ ancient Babylonian religion (the Akkadian Councils of Wisdom)

“It may be that God will ordain love between you and those whom you hold as enemies. For God has power over all things; and God is … most merciful.” ~ Islam (Qur’an 60.7)

“To subdue hatred, aid an enemy before you aid a friend.” ~ Judaism (Tosefta, Baba Metzia 2.26)

“One should never harm the wicked … A noble soul will ever exercise compassion even towards those who enjoy injuring others or those of cruel deeds when they are actually committing them” ~ Hinduism (Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda 115)

“[Lead your life] with all humility and gentleness, with patience; bearing with one another in Love; making every effort to maintain a unity of Spirit in a bond of peace … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” ~ Christianity (Ephesians 4:2-3 & Romans 12:21)

In conclusion, as we all know, a stool with three legs is far more stable than a chair with only two. Similarly, it is the 3rd Pillar of God that makes our lives Meaning-full and that makes our LOVE real … And as we all know, each of the three legs of a stool is equally important in relation to keeping that seat upright; indeed, that those three legs actually work as one to do so. And similarly, our three Pillars of God all actually work together as one in our lives — with our humble comprehension of our shared sentience leading smoothly to active extensions of selfless service to all those we encounter, which in turn inspires us to reach out courageously — with an even higher intensity of Love & Compassion — towards all those who are annoying us, insulting us or harming us in any way.

And it is THIS combination of Goodness — it is THESE three Pillars working together through our brave acts of Caring — that bring God’s all-Loving Will to fruition … It is the embodiment of all three of these principles that bring others to the doorstep of their own redemption (and this, without the utterance of any religious dogma — without a single “witnessed” word whatsoever) … and it is the actualization of all three of three principles that allow us to accept the greatest Gift of Grace granted us by God — the state of raw Bliss that Jesus called “The Kingdom of Heave”; a pure & perfect salvation that awaits us in every moment of our lives; an experi3ence of pure Contentment that comes to all who exhibit the courage to unconditionally Care.

Amen … Let it be so.

P.S.  Please NOTE that the word “God” in this post represents any number of the almost infinite names or representations of “the co-creative Life Force” — including God, Adonai, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Brahmin, Chi, Prana, the collective human conscience, “cosmic consciousness”, the Source, the Prime-Mover &/or any other name given to “the Divine”.

 

Filed under: Reconciling the Religions by Scaughdt