Editorial: Thousands of Titles, Millions of Followers, one Faith

DIVERSITY+and+PEACE+-+Pictured+%28L+to+R%29-+Alanna+Moore%2C+Juliet+Israel%2C+Sue+Park%2C+Amelia+Eshraghi%2C+Catalina+Barroso%2C+Naima+Akhunda.+These+6+North+Penn+High+School+students%2C+and+friends%2C+represent+5+different+religions.+Public+high+schools+in+America+are+often+places+where+many+religions+of+the+world+can+be+found+working+together+in+peaceful+coexistence.+The+same+is+often+not+able+to+be+said+around+the+world+when+people+of+different+religions+live+side+by+side.

Mikaela Mosley

DIVERSITY and PEACE – Pictured (L to R)- Alanna Moore, Juliet Israel, Sue Park, Amelia Eshraghi, Catalina Barroso, Naima Akhunda. These 6 North Penn High School students, and friends, represent 5 different religions. Public high schools in America are often places where many religions of the world can be found working together in peaceful coexistence. The same is often not able to be said around the world when people of different religions live side by side.

Mikaela Mosley, Staff Writer

“I came to the conclusion long ago that … all religions were true and also that all had some error in them, and whilst I hold by my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray if we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become a Hindu … But our innermost prayer should be: a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian.” –Mahatma Gandhi

It has been said that Sunday, the holiest day of the week for most religions, is the most segregated day of the week. Sunday is the day when nearly all religions travel to their sacred places of worship to praise and give thanks to “different Gods.” Are their Gods really so different or ultimately one and the same? Every day quotes about religion are captions to peoples’ “authentic” Instagram pictures, but do they really believe what they’re quoting? While these individuals are quick to say that everyone is free to practice whatever religion they wish, they’re even quicker to judge people for their beliefs or customs.

Gandhi once said, “The most heinous and the most cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives.”

Hostilities between countries and people have deepened throughout history simply because they don’t religiously see eye to eye. In countries like Syria thousands of innocent lives have been taken and have been “justified” by violent religious beliefs. Terrorist groups have used religion as a reason and have persecuted thousands who disagreed with their views.

Why are countries fighting each other if they ultimately have the same religion?

As Gandhi suggested, all religions have some truth. They are all meant to help an individual gain a stronger faith in the unknown. If all religions believe in some higher being shouldn’t that be enough to encourage positive dialogue? These factions are fighting each other over different morals that aren’t that different. There is no point in brutally killing each other just to claim that your way of seeing the world is right. No religion is completely right. None are completely wrong, either. Stories have been removed from sacred books and rewritten numerous times. So who is to say that everything in these books are correct?

“Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good … Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place.”
-Pope Francis

Countries with extreme devotion to their religion claim that they are killing for God. However, most people don’t think of malicious behavior when they practice faith. Isn’t the ultimate goal believing in a religion to follow the stepping stones to living a good and productive life?

Yet again, the world is in the grips of many “holy wars”- wars that can produce no clear victor. The world is in wars in which one cannot trust his brother. The world is wars in which we kill each other with noxious armaments. The world is wars that it doesn’t belong in and that do not resemble religion at all.

Thousands of titles, millions of followers, one faith.