I’m not a religious person. I have faith, but not in any spiritual or superior being. And that faith is based on my firm belief that we as individuals make our own destiny, our own choices.  Sometimes events or people have made choices that impact us, and despite what we do, we can not change the influence those people or events have over us.  We then have to work within the bounds of those influences, still taking action and making choices.  My belief structure is very loosely based on Taoism.

To put it in a spiritual context, does the rock fight the river eventually being forced into the sea, or does it change into a pebble and continue on with it’s existence, the water washing over it.

Now, back to the subject at hand. Despite not being religious, I do find religion fascinating.  In particular, I find Islam, Christianity and Judaism most fascinating. The similarities are astonishing, but probably more intriguing is that all three say the other two are wrong, more or less. Yet let’s take an example of how close they can be.

Abram, who changed to Abraham at some point is a fine example.

Bruce Feiler described Abraham as “the shared father of Jews, Christians and Muslims, the patriarch of the Hebrew Bible, the spiritual forefather of the New Testament and the architect of the Koran.”

How can this possibly be if only one religion is the true religion? Surely one must be right, and two must be wrong? Or have the powers that drive these religions simply lost their way?  Could it be the “God” in his various guises is playing some cruel joke at the expense of the many millions who have died over the centuries of religious wars stretching through our history.

Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, Isaac, is still a large part of two of the religions. Yet they hate each other. Why is it that these religions can not see that the most likely cause of their differences is the term “lost in translation”. Over the years, they have split and segregated into three separate religious engines yet their fundamental bases are just too similar to discount.  Most of the differences are subtle to say the least.

It is time for the non-religious of the world to stand up and say enough.  These three religions have caused so much death and destruction. It is time for them to come together and celebrate their similarities and share their differences.

If there is a God, it would probably please them greatly to see their children come together and embrace one another with love and understanding.

I truely hope common senses prevails in my life time, but the hatred between the three has been there a long time. It will likely take a common enemy for them to come together as one.  Perhaps that is the ultimate test of faith?