World Religion Day celebrates diversity, interfaith harmony

"…they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" Judaism

"I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth nor shall I be the last…" Buddhism

"Think not that I have come to destroy the law of the prophets: I have come not to destroy but to fulfill." Christianity

"There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source and are subjects of one God." Baha'i Faith

"The believers are but a single Brotherhood: so make peace and reconciliation between your two [contending] brothers; and fear God, that ye may receive mercy." Islam

"Truth is one; sages call it by various names." Hinduism

Since 1950, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States has designated the third Sunday of January as World Religion Day -- Jan. 18 this year.

Religious people throughout the world use this day to foster interfaith understanding and harmony by emphasizing the common denominators underlying all religions.

The message of World Religion Day is that, humanity, which has stemmed from one origin, must now strive towards the reconciliation of that which has been split up.

Human unity and true equality depend not on past origins, but on future goals, on what we are becoming and whither we are going. The prime cause of age-old conflict between peoples has been the absence of one ethical belief, a single spiritual standard -- one moral code.

The history of religion shows that all religions have this unifying power -- the power to instill in the hearts and minds of their adherents, the vital spiritual standards, and a unity of conscience that motivates people towards founding great cultures and civilizations.

World Religion Day, which encourages the leaders and followers of every religion to acknowledge the similarities in each of our sacred faiths, promotes a unified approach to the changes that confront humanity.

The oneness of humanity is a spiritual truth confirmed by science and restated in the scriptures of all the major religions of the world. So too are the teachings of tolerance, brotherhood, appreciation of cultures other than one's own, and respect for differences.

Given the circumstances of the world today, locally and globally, perhaps one of the greatest ways people can demonstrate their faith and honor their religion is to commit to integrating these teachings into their daily lives.

This article was submitted by Robert Thaggard and Ley Schleich, members of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bah‡''s of Matanuska Valley. It was adapted from the World Religion Day Web site www.worldreligionday.com. For more on World Religion Day, you can visit the Web site.