"Humanity's potential is infinite and every being has a contribution to make toward a grander world. We are all in it together. We are one."

I ran across this quote while doing research for my paper on Natural Law that's due next monday. I can't help but think that if everyone believed in what that quote says, theis world would indeed be a much better place.

While this research is a pain in the ass, it's also fascinating. I've never done anything on comparative religion before, which is alot of what I've been reading...stuff by Ninian Smart, Huston Smith, Blavatsky (Theosophy), as well as Papal encyclicals and writings about ethical athiesm. What I'm going to be defending in my paper is the belief in a natural law that is the basis of all people, one that transcends religion. All religions seem to have certain things in common, and while irreconcilable differences may exist, I believe these common elements are what makes up natural law, and that they come from God, the creator, the Cosmos... whatever you want to call it.

I don't think that all religions can necessarily be boiled down to a few key ideas and lumped together, but I don't think that religious differences should be the cause of such division between people as they seem to be today. About Christianity and Buddhism, Ninian Smart said "In a sense, they are incompatible becuse there is no God in Buddhism...bu they are also allies becuase their values and practices are compatible and they can work together--indeed they would benefit greatly from doing so."

I just get so sick of people using religion as a basis for Hate. So many people see anyone who is outside of their religious sphere as someone who is mislead, doomed, unenlightened, or evil, and I just can't help but feel that all people have a religion (or spirituality) that is right for them. I'm a Catholic. Despite my current difficulties with the Church, I'm probably always going to be Catholic. However, I can understand why someone wouldn't find it as right for them. My sister, who was also raised up in Catholicism, has found her peace in Wicca. I've seen a huge difference in her attitute and her well-being since she converted that I can't help but feel that Wicca is right for her; who am I to condemn her for that?

I think one thing that scares me most about the US's current president is the fact that he is so quick to condemn those whose cultures and beliefs don't match up with the fast-paced, capitalist, democratic America. He says he is a religious man, and he certainly seems to wear his religion on his sleeve. But every time I hear him I can't help but feel that he lacks a real spiritual depth. The fact that he is president, and that he has the power to send our young men and women into war just makes the situation that much scarier. Some of the things he's said regarding the war in Iraq causes images of the Crusades and the events that took place in the US during the Red Scare, the McCarthyism. Yes, it's good to try and establish a peaceful world-order, which is hard to do when everyone is in fear of terrorists. But how far from the edge, really, is Bush from being a leader who allows his personal religious beliefs dictate what goes on in an entire nation full of people from every walk of life?

Wow...I really didn't intend for this to turn into a diatribe against Bush...it just kind of happened, lol. I should stop there and put some of this energy to use in my research. If anyone's still reading, I hope this has (at the very least) made you think.

~Tiffany