We all know that a great deal of friction and a great many wars on planet earth have been caused by differences in religion. Religions are the original source of all ethics and morality and substantially influence our culture and the way we live and are, therefore, of utmost importance in our lives. The content of this article is discussed briefly in my new book titled “Past Present and Future of Planet Earth” which is available at Barnes and Noble and will be on Amazon in paperback and e-book.
More than likely in one way or another, practically everyone on Planet Earth believes that some dominant power or God is responsible for the existence of the universe, our planet and all humanity. The universe in which we live is so vast as to be not only beyond our knowledge, but perhaps beyond our imagination as well. Maybe our entire solar system is merely one cell of some huge entity. Then the earth is less than a pebble. Surely, some magnificence is responsible for all of this.
The earliest history of intelligent life on our planet came from the history books and stories contained in our religious beliefs. These are all also the origin of all ethics and morality. It is perhaps unfortunate that so many different cultures developed on our planet of which religious beliefs were such an important part that friction and wars became our way of life. Wars between Christians and Muslims are legendary and dominate our history books. Differences in beliefs among Roman Catholics were the cause of the formation of many Protestant sects in Christianity and persecution in Europe and wars in Ireland resulted. Practically all wars in the Middle East are the result of Radical Islamic sects which invade and conquer territories for the purpose of gaining control of the government in the regions they conquer. Islam has been spread militarily into many regions of Africa, Asia and southern Europe also. History tells us that, even in this day and age, there are people who will fight and kill others to spread their culture and religious beliefs. Perhaps, there are also many who will fight to preserve their own culture.
The most important thing about Judaism, Christianity and Islam is that they all believe in and honor the same God Who, presumably, created the earth and all of humanity. All of these religions seem to stem from the original Old Testament of the Bible, although only Christians seem to accept the New Testament. Jews and Islamists seem to have created their own additional texts which appear to enumerate their differences in beliefs. How is it possible that minor differences in understanding the intent of their common God about the things we should believe, the way we should live and the rules we should follow and live by could be the cause of so much friction, war and killing. Should not all the members of these religions be attending the same churches while the elders of all of them might be having discussions about the many beliefs they have about which they differ. In fact, many of the things in which we believe can never be proven one way or the other and must be accepted on faith. For example, is Jesus Christ the Son of God? Based on technology that exists today, He certainly could have been, but it will never be known for sure. There are many other tenets of various religions that may also never be proven. But the real question is should any of these differences be considered important enough to fight wars or kill each other over. In my opinion, they are not. These are minor differences that we can talk about all day long while we all attend the same church. Religious fervor needs to be modified to a much lower level. Oriental religions appear, in my opinion, to have similar inconsequential differences.
There is, in fact, a much more important point to make. A study of all of the religions on our planet gives the impression that they all seem to be referring to a god or gods which created and therefore have the right to rule the earth and all of humanity. This is, of course, due to the fact that at the time all religions developed, the earth was all that was known of the universe. Today, we know that the earth is merely a very tiny part of what is likely an incredibly vast universe. I believe there is a God, but He is the Creator of the entire universe and everything in it. Humanity may not be the only living creatures in it. If that is the case, are we not all a part of the same religion? Everyone on Planet Earth. Perhaps we should all be attending the same churches and be free to discuss the unimportant differences we have, many of which we may never fully agree upon.
There is another important consideration. Religious beliefs continue to be spread militarily around the world. How can this possibly be right? No one on Planet Earth has the right to go into another man’s home territory and tell him what he should believe, how he should live or what his culture should be. If we are to live together in peace on our planet, it appears essential that we all live separately in a place where our religion and culture are accepted and generally practiced. Increased knowledge and understanding of the way things really are will someday, perhaps after we are long gone, bring us all to a more commonly accepted way of life. Until that day comes, globalization is not possible. All people will naturally rebel against forced change in their culture.