::::::::
Jesus told us to love our neighbors, to not judge, to be compassionate. I don't recall him saying anywhere in the bible anything about "Go forth and kill in my name." I'm pretty sure he never said "Hate those who don't believe in me." My Sunday-school teachers never told me we were supposed to fight, argue and insult those who think differently than we do.
The Prophet (I can never spell his name correctly, so I'll use his title instead) of Islam said to live in peace with all mankind. I've not read the Koran, but I've known a number of Islamic folk over the years, and they all seem very peaceful and peace-loving folk. Bright, intelligent, caring and compassionate people.
Buddha taught us compassion and peace.
In the middle ages, Christianity was spread at swordpoint.
Today, Muslim fanatics kill in the name of Allah. Christian fanatics kill in the name of Jesus.
To my knowledge, nobody's ever been killed for Buddha, but then, Buddha isn't a god. He was a human, just like everyone reading this, who saw a better way to live.
But this isn't a treatise on the virtues of Buddhism. Rather, it's an acknowledgement. All three great teachers -- Jesus, the Prophet and Buddha -- all say the same things.
Live the best that you can, and try not to hurt anyone.
Is that so hard a message to follow? How can those simple ideals be used to justify war and murder and conquest?
God isn't on America's side. God isn't on the side of the Islamic people. God is on humanity's side.
End the wars, end the fighting, end the hatred and judgment and bigotry, the lies in the name of a god who is supposed to be a loving and compassionate god.
Robertson, Falwell, Bin Laden, Bush , all the others, they've got it all wrong. The preachers and priests and politicianswho call for war and death and assassination, they aren't doing God's work. They're stroking their own egos. And if there is a hell, they will find that they are earning their places there.
But I personally don't believe in hell. I can't. I'm a human, imperfect father, and there's nothing my children can do to make me punish them for eternity. How can a loving perfect God be less of a father than I am?
I hope I'm right. Because if I am, then maybe those who've somehow gotten the message of the great teachers wrong will all have the chance to correct their mistakes.
I hope that's the case, for all of us.
