There are numerous religions and religious sects on Earth. Each one deals with the nature of God and the world around us. Each one claims that they know the truth about God. But these same religions have been responsible for an enormous amount of death and destruction in God's name. The problem is that at some point in the evolution of a religious movement, it goes from being a vehicle for discovering God, to a vehicle for supporting itself. That does not mean you cannot find God within an established religion.It does mean that you need to be careful about judging other religions too harshly.

When I hear a group of Christians putting down a different Christian church, I think of this story from the New Testament:

"whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not; for he that is not against us is for us." ( King James Version, Luke Chapter 9.49-50 )

I think that this same idea applies to all religions and not just Christianity. Another quote about religion that I think is relevant is from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, "The freest song comes not through bars and wires. And he to whom worshipping is a window, to open but also to shut, has not yet visited the house of his soul whose windows are from dawn to dawn."

A spiritual person knows that God is in all of us, and like light through a prism, each religion is a reflection of God's nature. So if you war against people in the name of a religion, you are warring against God in the name of a man made institution.

- Thomas Paine 2

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