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Bacharach had it right in his
song WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS
LOVE, SWEET LOVE.
We all knew romantic love was
included or emphasized there, but
we also sensed a more profound,
universal message: what the world
needs now is for all of us to
love each other - really to
PRACTICE and LIVE love in our
daily lives, reaching into
business, sports, international
relations, local politics, and,
all-importantly, the world's
religions.
Tom Harpur, in his book THE
PAGAN CHRIST, writes:
"All of the research done for
this book has helped me bring to
my faith a fully spiritual
comprehension of what was once
bogged down to utterly outmoded
credal and other accumulations. I
really believe that applying the
truths so clearly revealed by our
study means that the original,
more truly spiritual Christianity
of the first two centuries can be
recovered. For the first time,
something I have been searching
for all my adult life - namely, a
basis for a universal, cosmic
Christianity - has been rendered
a possibility. The view of faith
outlined here is one that knows
no boundaries of sect or creed
because it is based on the
universal truth of the 'light
that lighteth every person coming
into the world'; it belongs to
all, regardless of ethnicity,
colour, or clime. Significantly,
it applies to the millions of
humans who were born and died
long before Christianity as a
religion was ever thought of; it
belongs to the now, and to the
future as well. Whatever the
defenders of orthodoxy have to
say, and I am well aware it will
be plenty, they cannot deny that
the literalist, exclusivist
Christianism held by the majority
of Churches - 'Our Church and our
view of Jesus remains the only
way'--- is extremely divisive and
will never lead to the solidarity
of all humanity. It remains a
serious source of global
disharmony and, at times, a
vicious open conflict. The
theologian Hans Kung has said
repeatedly that there will never
be global peace until there is
harmony between the world's great
religions, especially Islam and
Christianity. But this will never
happen while Christians claim to
hold a monopoly on divine truth.
I am not pleading here for one
totally homogeneous faith to
replace the current religious
pluralism. Not at all. Rather,
I'm urging the adoption of a
profoundly unifying basis to
transcend the divisive outlook
that so often accompanies our
traditional differences. As the
poet W.H. Auden has warned us, we
must either learn to love or die.
Using the words 'the Christ" is
important for would-be
Christians. But if other
religions use other terms -
atman, spirit, soul, the higher
self - we must realize they're
still speaking of the same inner
reality.
"As Kuhn says in his most
recent book, A REBIRTH FOR
CHRISTIANITY, 'If Christianity
will now recognize that the time
has come to join with the other
great living religious
traditions, and direct it's
vision to the reawakening of the
divine spirit, the Christos in
man, it may vindicate its right
to call its message the true
religion of humanity.' If you
recognize the divine presence in
another person, you cannot harm
him or suffer your brother to
endure injustice. "
Certainly you and I embrace
the spirit of this writing, and
Unity Church of Victoria most
definitely does! Our Mission
Statement reads:
WE INVITE AND WELCOME ALL
PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS. WE EXPRESS
UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES OF LOVE,
TRUTH, AND ONE-NESS WITH GOD AS A
WAY OF LIFE.
Our Vision Statement
reads:
AS A SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY, WE
SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER TO FULFILL
OUR DIVINE PURPOSE.
Very often these days I am
remembering the words A JOURNEY
OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH A
SINGLE STEP. Each single step you
and I or anyone is courageous
enough to take in initiating the
ideas contained in this essay
could have an enormous impact on
humankind's progress. For sure we
know that if a thousand of us
really begin today to practice
this universal, unconditional
love and spirituality, this could
have such an enormous impact.
Let us take the initiative to
get to know Muslims and people of
all religions and ethnic groups
right in our own community. Let
us do our part in helping to
organize get-togethers with these
people - go beyond living in the
smaller world one church,
religion, ethnic group tends to
be!
Eckhart Tolle, whose book THE
POWER OF NOW has been the subject
of intensive study by our
Victoria Unity people, says
several times in his new book A
NEW EARTH that the human race is
beginning to break free, free of
ego, free to rise above
divisiveness and conflict!
You and I can help!
Don
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