Sarah Spain

Of Unity in Religion

“…Nothing, doth so much keep men out of the church, and drive men out of the church, as breach of unity.”-Sir Francis Bacon

Religion is both a unifying and dividing subject in that religion will bring together its members, but divide them from all others. There is a vast multitude of religions pervading today’s society, with many denominations per religion, and still more sects per denomination. It can also be generally assumed that each individual of a sect will hold at least slightly differing views from another member of the same sect. However, even with such diversity, there must be unity in religion. We may consider a religion like a country, in that a country filled with divisions and quarreling is concerned entirely with keeping itself afloat and not with its purpose, the betterment of the people it governs. There are many benefits to unity, to non-members of the religion and especially to those within. We shall begin with the former. Those whom a religion may consider ‘unsaved’ or ‘unenlightened’, as a situation calls for, benefit from the religion’s unity in that they will be more open to exploring it. Let us consider the case of Christianity and the True God. A non-Christian who observes discord in the Christian community, will see a lack of peace. If joining a belief means not having peace, one would be a great fool to follow it. Ergo, one is closed to the idea of being a Christian, perhaps forever. One may argue that every religion has its faults and that it is the observer’s responsibility to pursue the truth. Yet, let us follow a logical train of thought. The point of religion is, in essence, to find the core of reality and grow in a beneficial way according to said reality. Therefore, a follower of a religion must believe that their way is certain. Some have the opinion that all religions are pathways to the same fact. Consider, then, these words of Sir Winston Churchill, "The truth is incontrovert ible. Malice may attack it, and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is." The major differences in even the most similar religions must call into question either the reliability of our religious sources or the absolutism of truth. One may be tempted to take the easy way and say that all things are relative. Yet all the most authentic and beautiful things are not relative, but difficult and a promise of dedication. For example, the birth of a child, marriage, and love. Under this assumption, let us continue with our thought process. If the follower of a religion believes their way is the only way to truth, as a genuine believer must, then they must accordingly believe that they are enlightened or on the path of becoming so. An enlightened one, by definition, has been freed of ignorance and misinformation ; a wise and knowledgeable person is peaceful; one who quarrels is not enlightened. For that reason, their beliefs must not lead to enlightenment and must there fore be false. One will likely not give such a religion its due, ply because of discord.Now let us consider the benefits of unity in religion according to those who are believers. Touching again on the non-believers, unity will encourage others to explore the benefits of the religion, gathering members to it and spreading truth. In an ideal world, this spreading of truth would cause a new period of Enlightenment, giving the world a new Diderot, Newton, Voltaire, and Benjamin Franklin. The eventuality of the entire world believing one truth is the unity and peace of all nations, an admirable aspiration, albeit unlikely.Unity also inspires camaraderie and fellowship in its members which blossoms under the harmony of the church. Instead of the politics where an enemy’s friend is also an enemy, one is allowed the freedom to choose friendship based on personality and chemistry. Yet, the most important facet of unity is that, instead of quarreling and disputes monopolizing the time of the constituents, there is time for religion’s purpose- the pursuit of higher truth and enlightenment. This, if no other, should be a just enough cause to quiet the voices of dissension. Our God is a jealous God, desiring the full attention of his people. If one devotes one’s time to settling those disputes which arise, only to have another take its place, one will never have an opportunity to seek the Infinite God. Let those in a church be as a chorus, where there can be no discernment of individual voices, but rather the whole act as one; let concerns and worries be voiced in private, with a leader of the church; let us still remember that the director has seniority and advancement over us; let us remember to follow his teachings in awareness of both his greater understanding and human imperfection. This peace allows those not involved in discordant mumblings to follo w after God and His Divine Truth, which covers all else. Still, do not let this peace be formed under false pretenses, as then one is, in essence, falsifying their living testimony, which is perjury. In Courts of Justice, as in religion, perjury is a crime. Like division, perjury is cause enough to refuse a religion as truth.It is important to have unity in the church, sect, denomination, and religion. Additionally, it is important to be tolerant of other religions. Yet do not mistake tolerance for acceptance. It is the obligation of an enlightened person to spread the truth to others. One must always lead the willing to the truth. Note that the willing are not exclusively those asking, but also those asked. One must live life as if setting the bar for all others, as it is likely that someone is watching. For nothing keeps people out of the church as much as hypocrisy and discord.