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One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated - Jainism .... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - Christianity .... None of you truly believes until you want for others what you want for yourself - Islam .... Treat not others in ways you yourself would find hurtful - Buddhism .... What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbour - Judaism ....
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the Golden Rule
the Ethic of Reciprocity
Agape

Enough Religion

November 9, 2006

We have just enough religion to hate each other but not enough religion to love each other  --- Jonathan Swift (Irish writer)

Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels in 1726. The quote above is nigh on to 300 years old. Makes me think of the old cliché "the more things change the more they stay the same."

So if we didn't have it right in the 1600s, and we still don't have it right today, maybe it means that we're doing something wrong.

Maybe we need to take another look at the whole idea. Perhaps we could start by modifying Swift's comment. How about :

We have just enough religion to hate each other
 but not enough faith to love each other. 

Rather than define our faith by our religious preconceptions, we could let our religious practices grow out of our spiritual faith.

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