What is the difference between a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or any other religion for that matter? The answer is their religious “belief.” Religion is not racial. Every major religion in the world has followers that comprise almost every different race on the planet. It’s all about belief. So I want to convey a couple of simple truths here, and I hope that EVERYONE walks away with at least something to consider.
Judaism comprises three different sects; liberal-leaning Reform, conservative Orthodox, and then Conservative. Judaism is also one of the oldest monotheistic religions on the planet and was founded over 3500 years ago in the Middle East, in Canaan. But each sect practices its faith a bit differently.
Islam has several different sects as well. There are Sunni Muslims, which are the vast majority. There are Shi’ite Muslims, which is the second largest group. Then there are the smaller branches of Sufis – sometimes called Islamic mystics – and the Baha’is and Ahmadiyyas. By 2070, Islam is projected to be the world’s largest religion because it is currently the fastest-growing religion in the world. But just like Judaism, the different sects practice their religion a bit differently from one another.
Christianity is substantially different than both of the previous. According to World Christian Encyclopedia by Barrett, Kurian & Johnson, there are over 33000 various “Christian” denominations worldwide. In general, about 35 major sects of Christianity divide that up, ranging from groups like Protestants and Catholics to Orthodox and Independents. Again, each denomination follows its religion a little differently.
What I find particularly interesting, though, is what these three religions have in common. All three share Jesus in some way, and they all claim “Father Abraham” as well. Moreover, Jerusalem is the holy city for all three, and when you dig deep, you find that their doctrines share common elements too. For instance, the Tanakh and the Talmud of Judaism are basically the same as the Old Testament in the Bible. Even the Quran teaches of the crucifixion of Jesus and recognizes him as a prophet.
But despite these similarities, these three religions have been at each other’s throats for thousands of years. Even though all three are Abrahamic religions, they continue to hate and kill one another and often take joy in doing so. Even more shocking is that there is a startling amount of in-fighting within each religion and between the different sects. Why? Because someone believes something a little different than the other?
Let me clarify that paragraph for effect. What I am saying is that historically, Christians killed a lot of Christians, Jews killed a lot of Jews, and Muslims killed a lot of Muslims. History shows that Christianity was once one of the most violent religions – against their own- and that after Christians, most Jews killed were murdered by their fellow Jews. And as a matter of fact, radical groups like Al Qaeda have killed more Muslims than non-Muslims. It’s really strange when you think about it.
I have only addressed three religions so far. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world, with at least 21 major different religions leading the way. This gets complicated rather quickly, but these include religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism to things like New Age or even Deism. So can you guess what the BEST religion is? It’s whatever is right for you! But it is also wise to explore so you can truly know it is right. We all believe differently, and that should be okay. This is not a bad thing; this is a good thing. If we all believed the same thing and in the same way, we would probably still be back in the stone age, beating the one person attempting to make the wheel to death.
Let me ask you a very serious question. And when I ask this question, I want you to remember that every organization has a purpose. Have you ever asked yourself what the purpose or point of religion is? Have you ever asked what the purpose or point of YOUR religion is? If you think of “getting to Heaven,” perhaps you are wrong.
Regardless of the religion’s name or doctrine, there appear to be a few simple goals (as taught by their collective texts and oral histories) that each religion seeks to achieve. And out of the thousands of different religions and the multiple thousands of different sects, they all seem to have similar end-games.
The first is to “get good” with God, the Creator, or “Higher Power.” This usually means understanding that you are not the center of the universe and are a small piece to a much bigger puzzle – so don’t pretend to be God because you’re not. The second is to be good and do good things for your fellow man. Don’t rape, kill, steal, and so on; be charitable when you can, and be a good father, son, daughter, mother, brother, sister, friend, husband, or wife. The third is basically to be good enough that you can find some inner peace and be able to die without regret or a bad legacy for your family to deal with – or perhaps even leave this life/planet a little better than when you got here. And some teach that if all that works out, you may or may not get a perk at some point.
The hang-up here is that most have been doing it wrong. Do you think a higher power needs you to kill on his behalf? Do you think God needs you to do his work at all? If you believe in your religious texts, then instead of trying to kill one another, perhaps you should do what it says and reach out and help one another, maybe converse with one another. You don’t need to believe what someone else does to be a good person, and you don’t have to convince someone else of something to be right. You don’t have to believe someone else’s actions to learn from them. Yes, it’s okay to discuss different beliefs with one another; just remember your place.
There are flaws and contradictions in every religion – including yours. If you don’t think so, then you are delusional – and this includes Atheists, by the way. But I understand that religion and beliefs are important. And if we are truly trying to be better people – for the Creator, each other, and ourselves- then we must make sure we can practice our religion on our own. If your faith is strong, you don’t need anyone but your Creator, and from what I have read, your Creator doesn’t need ignorant masses; your Creator needs you, and your Creator needs you to do what is right for the right reasons. Who cares what anyone else thinks or worships, especially if you are right?
You need to do good for others, not sell them or scare them into believing what you do. Do you really think God would want a follower who follows out of fear? Do you believe your Creator would wish for a follower who believes they can do his job better than him? Nobody wants that kind of follower. Real leaders want followers who are willing and wanting. Real leaders inspire and lead their people to better things, not worse. And when a leader gives you a gift, that leader usually expects you to appreciate it and use it. Ultimately, I sincerely doubt that if we are all God’s creation and serve any purpose whatsoever, ANY Creator would want you to kill someone else or oppress them in his name and then destroy that purpose or destroy yourself in the process.
And so, with all that being said, we must also all understand that we should never be expected someone to be forced to invite someone else into their home or community that aims to kill, rape, or steal. Every major religion views life as a gift or as something precious. This next message may be the most important one I will share today.
In Islam, Imam Ghazali states, “Every breath of life is a precious jewel which can buy eternal treasures. Wasting these breaths or using them for detrimental purposes is such a great loss which no intelligent person could justify.” In Christianity, all humans are made in God’s image and likeness, making humans the most special. Other than God Himself, Judaism values nothing greater than life; “I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, that you and your seed shall live….”
So if life is so precious, then that also means that precious lives should be guarded against the wicked. If someone aims to do harm, we have an obligation to eliminate that threat – so that you and your seed shall live. This is not murder; this is unintentional death because you would not have been in this position had another not attempted such harm in the first place. But this also does not mean that we should bring such defense to the door of another. As I often say in my religious teaching, let the wicket bring the fight to you, so that you have the energy to fight and defend harder than they can attack.
And we should never blanket the repercussion across a faith, race, or ethnic group. We should always address the threat and that threat alone. Again, there are just too many differences to deal with. If that threat presents itself as a group, then that group should be dealt with accordingly. If that threat presents itself among the innocent, then an effort to save the innocent should be made, but not at the expense of the “seed” or of ourselves.
Think of it like this: let’s pretend your spouse was being held hostage by someone aiming to harm. The stranger demands that you deliver your child to them or your spouse dies. But you know that if you deliver the child, something terrible will happen to the child. What do you do? Most rational people would suggest that you do your best to end the life of the stranger without hurting the spouse, but that if the spouse died in the transaction, at least you save the child – as the child (seed) theoretically has more to live for and you must ensure that your seed survives.
But never expect great things when someone arrives at your door with hate in their heart. Also, caution yourself from harboring such hatred; it blurs the mind. If your Creator is about peace and love, you should at least try to achieve peace and love yourself. Of course, sometimes peace and love are not enough to stop those who wish to harm. That is why we all have something special inside of us; this overwhelming feeling that we need to protect ourselves and our families from external threats (fight or flight). If someone aims to harm – contrary to religious beliefs – they should be prepared for the appropriate repercussions, and you should be prepared to provide them. So if that means standing to fight, that’s fine. If that means running away to fight them a little later, that’s fine too.
Let me close with one final thought. If you truly want to be a good person, believe in your God, and want to do good by your fellow man, then let me beg of you this one thing. When you see someone claiming to be a part of your religion, but acting in a way that is inconsistent with that religion, stand up and announce it. It doesn’t have to be aggressive or violent. It just needs to be said that you are not them. It could be done in a blog, a video, or anything else. Just let others know that you are not a part of this inconsistency. Differentiate yourself from the other. Reach out for fellowship and understanding.
In other words: Christians… if you see a group of people claiming to be Christians who act unchristianly, simply state, “that is not me.” Muslims… if a group claiming to do Allah’s work is not, then let others know, “that is not me.” Jews… if you are witnessing acts by those who use Judaism as a shield but disregard the purpose, then let others know, “that is not me.” This goes for every person in any religion. Remember, there are thousands of religions with numerous sects, so those outside your religion can become confused without such clarifications. Such confusion can lead to misunderstandings, hard feelings, and, unfortunately… horrific acts.
You don’t have to force anyone to change. That is not your place anyway. You don’t even have to go to battle – unless that battle is brought to you. And thankfully, none of us have to do God’s work, as none of us really could. Let others know that some are not like that. Very similar to how conservatives have no problem stating that they are not like Republicans, yet they all still can work and live next to one another.
There is a better way. We have to strive for it. It starts with us.