I believe, in absolutely no particular order that:
- The beliefs of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada form great religions.
- Moses was a great prophet and Judaism is a great religion.
- Jesus Christ was a great prophet and Christianity is a great religion.
- Muhammad was a great prophet and Islam is a great religion.
- Hinduism is a great religion.
- The Buddha was a great spiritual leader and teacher and Buddhism is a great religion.
I know I am sufficiently ignorant of the beliefs and traditions of other religions that I am unable to comment further on whether they are great.
What makes a religion great? I believe it is not dictated by the power of its leaders, prophets, and/or gods. The greatness of a religion is dictated by its attention to love. And through this attention a great religion attracts a large following. Great religions recognize the power of love and preach its importance. Moreover, I think, those religions, sects, and/or groups that do not focus on the importance of love will never be able to attract a large number of followers. From the hadith of Hanzalah in Islam (“None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself“), to the Karaniya Metta Sutta in Buddhism: (“Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.”), to the Gospel of John in Christianity: (“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 4:18“), love is a common theme.
But I believe something further. I believe my god, first and foremost, is love. Unlike John 4:18 love is not just another attribute my god possesses. It is Their defining characteristic. Their infinite virtue. In a later post we will see that I believe there are limits to Their knowledge and power. But never Their love for us.
I also believe my god is the same god that revealed Themselves to Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. What I believe is now new is the emphasis that They want placed on Their loving nature and not, for example, treatment of misdeeds, disobedience, and non-belief.
I believe in the One god. The god of Abraham who now wants us to first and foremost love. The One god I choose to call The Greatest Love.
