We have gotten so caught up in who is right and whose religion more closely represents, signifies, and clarifies what God wants from us and how He wants us to recognize His spiritual presence in our lives. But why does it matter what we call Him or how we practice our faith and belief in Him. As long as our practices are not hurtful or harmful to others, our respect for the choice of others should be paramount.
Every historical religious book written guides us to appropriate behaviors and disciplines, and encourages peace, while professing the painful journey of its participants who opposed these doctrines. Each book ultimately teaches the same thing. Be good and do good! Those who do will be rewarded. These books have transcended time and have been an instrumental part in the lives of those who follow their teachings. They are to be our guides for the disciplines of our future generations. It should not matter which book we learn from, as long as its positive message is demonstrated through our behavior.
What is so deplorable is our lack of respect for those who practice differently than we do, as if they have no right to their own spiritual connection and experience. We are here to connect and share our journey; to practice the teachings of these books; to pass these messages and teachings on to our children.
But, many of us have been remiss! We have completely ignored the importance of providing a spiritual guide for our young people. A guide that will adequately ground our young people to the teachings of acceptance, love, and compassion. And, our physical connection with a religious edifice has diminished, so that our children don’t enter one at all. And, without either foundation they have evolved to display what we see in our society today. So now, we wonder why we have so many young people in the world who do not value human life!
