Question 210: How can the Gospel of Oneness bring peace to the world?
Question 210: How can the Gospel of Oneness bring peace to the world?
When we think of all the conflicts in the world, how many are based on religious conflicts? Quite a few, we would have to say. The main one at this time (2024) is the conflict between Islam and the Jews. It has riled up the world with protests in many places. There are also conflicts between Islam and Christianity, Islam and Hinduism and Buddhism. There are lesser conflicts within the same religion, such as Sunni against Shia Muslims, Catholics against Protestants, and mainstream Christians against various sects. These conflicts have manifested in death and destruction many times over.
The Gospel of Oneness is the original religion of knowing our oneness with our Creator, the Eternal, infinite Spirit. The Gospel of Oneness could supersede all the other religions. People don’t have to give up all their social and family contacts or even their religious rituals. All that people have to do is recognize that every individual person on the planet is an expression of our Creator, not a perfect expression but an expression that is ever evolving towards an infinite potential. To recognize the sacredness of human life and to respect everyone is the essence of the Gospel of Oneness. The golden rule is the main tenet. Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. All the doctrines of heaven and hell and the ways of salvation are overridden by the Gospel of Oneness
The scriptures of the world have valuable advice on how to live, but they are not the absolute truth or word of God that people have been endlessly arguing about. It will take a review of all the man-made doctrines to see that it all comes down to the belief or faith in one universal Creator who has given us free will and unconditional love. That task is easier to do now with the worldwide internet of information.
Our real and eternal identity is in Spirit. When we are born into physical bodies on Earth, we take on various earthly identities. We have gender, skin color, nationality, ethnic group, and a religion probably. All these outer identities can make us seem separate from one another. If we are born as a Muslim and taught to have enmity toward Jews, we may forget all about our identity as a universal soul. If we are born as a Christian, we may think we are in the only true religion. We need to see past our earthly identities and accept our soul identities.
Even atheists and agnostics can follow the Gospel of Oneness because they can see the scientific evidence that shows we are all connected in the web of life. One doesn’t have to believe in a personal or impersonal Creator, just believe in the sanctity of all life. Believe that you are a unique individual in the web of life.
If you want to help bring peace to the world, give up all religious conflict. When that is widely done, political and economic conflicts will be easier to solve.
*****************************************************
Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is everywhere – Black Elk
The boundary between ourselves and other people and between ourselves and Nature is an illusion – Charlene Spretnak
