Interfaith

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.  John 10:16

In the Flow, all faith traditions are embraced. We are unique individuals. No two fingerprints are alike.  No two snowflakes are alike. No two rivers are alike. However, somehow, when it comes to religion, we feel everyone must believe alike, and the one who is different does not know God. An astonishing concept is that despite God being a God of variety, God commands that everyone believe the same. Different cultures, different locales, different historical experiences would warrant that the culmination of those differences would produce varied religious beliefs and perspectives. 

As such, God reveals Divine Love in the space and place of each of our respective places of culture and experience. God with us, and that includes right where "we" are, discloses Divine Love wherever that may be. God reveals Divine Love that embraces "other sheep", regardless of race, creed, or color. God is no respecter of persons, and that Truth stands forever. 

However, religious intolerance can be one of the most destructive energies on the face of the planet.  Even today, religious ethnocentrism across faith traditions is rife. The Crusades, The Salem Witch Hunts, and many other acts of religious aggression, intolerance, and hatred have been witnessed throughout the ages.

God is Love. How do we reconcile in our minds the evil manifest behaviors of religious ethnocentrism to be of no consequence, and that our violent and hateful actions towards other faith groups are somehow in accordance to the will of God? That includes verbal defamation as well, oftentimes regarding a faith tradition that one knows little to nothing about. 

If a stranger comes to town, comes to your house, announces that God has given them favor to possess your house, and that's what they plan to carry out, and hence proceed to possess your house, would you believe that directive came from God? Further, if they express they were told to kill you, your children, your dog, your cat, all of your livestock, and do it in the name of the Lord, would you believe them?

If a nation came and committed war crimes against your country in the name of their God, would you believe them? Should they be held accountable for war crimes, or does their religious utterance give them a pass? 

God is love, and God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If it is a war crime now, it was a war crime then. The basic tenets of humanitarianism never changes.

Neither reading books about our brothers and sisters of other faiths, nor having one or two casual acquaintances of those "other" faiths is enough for us to know and understand their belief systems. Unless we have experienced an open-minded immersion, and have walked in one another's shoes, or walked together in love, we cannot begin to speak against what we don't know.