Religious Differences

THE NEWS TODAY SADDENED ME. Apparently a minister in Florida burned a Koran last month. Today people in a town in northern in Afghanistan retaliated by attacking a United Nations post. When I heard the news I recalled a conversation I had earlier today with a Somali co-worker regarding our beliefs. We often have similar conversations and usually are in agreement as we find references in our perspective religious writings that support the same principles such as "Thou shalt not kill", "love thy neighbor as thyself", "judge not, lest you be judged", etc.

Maybe it is because I am the child of missionaries and grew up surrounded by Confucian traditions and Buddhist beliefs that I am comfortable with differences. But, honestly, I have found more similarities than differences. My wish for the world is that we could all get to know people who are different from ourselves on an every-day basis, learn to love them as our brothers and sisters, and see the world through their eyes. If we could do that, we could do away with the need for wars. There would be no more refugees other than those caused by the whims of nature...Maybe then the "Imagine" world of John Lennon could become a reality. Let's try.