The 10 Teachings Shared By All
Religions (from The
Harmony Institute)
1. One God
“The Lord is our God, The Lord
is One” - Shema, Hebrew Prayer
“Allah is One” - Koran, 112:1
“The One is
Lord of all the moves” - Rig Veda III.54.8 (Hinduism)
“There is only One
God.” -Chief Seattle
2. God is Everywhere
“I fill the Heaven and
the Earth.” - the Bible, Jer 23:24
“The whole world is Brahman.” - the
Upanishads (Hinduism)
“How majestic is your presence in all the earth!” the
Bible, Psalm 8
“We think of Tirawa (God) as in everything” Lenape Indian
interview
3. God is Light
“God is Light, and in Him is no darkness
at all.” - the Bible 1John 1:5
“All things appear, illumined by Brahman’s
Light.” - the Upanishads
“Allah’s light illumines all Heaven and Earth.” -
Koran 24:35
4. The Existence of the Soul
“Fear not them which are
able to kill the body but not able to kill the soul”
- Bible, Matthew
10:20
“A soul will not die” Koran 3:145
“For the soul there is never birth
nor death. It is not slain when the body is slain”
- Bhagavad Gita
(Hinduism)
“And it came to pass, as her soul was departing, (for she died)”-
Bible, Genesis 35:18
5. God is Inside of Us
“We know that He dwell
in us because he has given us of his Spirit.” - Bible 1John 13
“God dwelleth
in all hearts” - Bhagavad Gita
“The One God is hidden in all living things” -
the Upanishads (Hinduism)
“All animals have power because the Great Spirit
dwells in all of them”
- Lame Deer, Sioux Chief
“The Kingdom of God is
within you.” - Jesus
“He to whom you pray is nearer than the neck of your
camel.” - Mohammed
6. Spiritual Knowledge is Obtainable
“Take
heed of the Living One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see Him,
and be unable to do so.” - Jesus, Gospel of Thomas
“All who dwell on earth
may find you” - Jewish Prayer Book
“True knowledge can only be attained by a
human being.” - Krishna
“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave” -
Mohammed
“The sage who is intent on yoga comes to Brahman without long delay”
-Bhagavad-gita
“Search with sincerity and in the end you will find the
truth.” Buddha
“If thou seekest hidden treasures, thou shall find the
knowledge of God” -Bible, Proverbs
7. God’s Name: “I AM”
Although
all religions have different native languages, most contain similar teachings
about God’s name. Many of them tell us that God’s name can’t actually be
pronounced, or that giving God a name is like putting a limit on something that
is limitless. As well, many of the religions have several names for God. One
name that the religions share is the phrase “I AM.” This is shown in Exodus 3:14
and John 8:58 of the Bible, and in the Shatapatha Brahmana of the Hindu faith.
The sacred word soham for Hindus is translated as “I am that I am,” the exact
same phrase as in Exodus 3:14.
8. Compassion and Respect for
Everyone
“All beings long for happiness. Therefore extend thy compassion
to all. He who wishes his own happiness, let him cultivate goodwill towards all
the world” - Buddha
“Love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. For if you
love only those that love you, what reward have ye? -Jesus
“Judge everybody
favorably” - the Talmud (Jewish sacred book)
9. Morals: Don’t Lie, Steal,
Commit Adultery, Covet
The Ten Commandments, the Ten Precepts of the
Buddha, and verse 16:1 of the Bhagavad-gita all clearly state these moralistic
teachings.
10. All of Humanity is United
“God hath made of one blood all nations that dwell upon
the face of the Earth” -Bible, Acts 17:16
“All creatures are members of the
one family of God” - Mohammed
“Human beings, all, are as head, arms, trunk,
and legs unto one another” - The Vedas
“One thing we know. All men are
brothers” - Chief Seattle
“All people are your children, whatever their
belief, whatever their shade of skin” - Jewish prayer book