Ethics - The Avenue to Religious Peace
Ethics - The Avenue to Religious Peace

Summary/Abstract: Historically nations had little diversity in ethnic, religious and confessional areas. Usually the spiritual tone was set by majority religion. Religion created the culture, and the culture divided society. Two hundred years ago the United States of America broke the mold, welcoming all peoples, religions and giving equality to all. It was a dream come true. Laws, based on the ethics of love and respect, were enacted that would guarantee social peace, in spite of cultural and religious differences of immigrants. But such laws only works effectively when people are motivated by a selfless spirit. They honor the law because of their generous attitude, not because they fear its punishment. Religion, and the manner of discharging its duty that is owed to one's Creator, can only prosper under religious freedom, man's exemption from religious domination by others. Respect for the individual enables man to bypass the obvious differences, by tapping the basic spirit and teaching of all religion, which is to love one's neighbor as himself. One cannot love and force at the same time. They are incompatible. To mix force with religion is destructive to the one being forced and to the one using force. For religion to prosper it must be totally voluntary, even as a successful marriage is not based on force but on voluntary love and respect. The callenge before Yugoslavia, and the world, is which way do we go? Do we go back to communism, when there was little religion, and little religious conflict? Do we go back to the monarchy when there was much religion, but little freedom to be different? Or do we go forward to a new day, a new life, to just laws and an even better people, where there is diversity and freedom from religious strife, because man sees every other man as his brother, a human being made by God. Let us strive to see the dawn of a new day when we no lonfer tolerate people, but love and respect them, and take life a step above coercive law to become a caring society.

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