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Question: How under one God is it possible to have so many different religions that cannot tolerate each other?

Comment: Religion is a Latin word that means "to re-connect." The meaning of this word is the same as that of mysticism, i.e. "joining of human soul with God." Readers surely know that the very idea of possible union with God is in contradiction to many religious doctrines and not infrequently brings religious people to confusion and even fury. Modern religions are mostly a collection of traditions, social conventions (laws) and beliefs that are not at all connected with the above mentioned original meaning and purpose of religion. That is why the first misconception in your question is the notion that conventional religion is predominantly related to the search for God. No. Religion as a rule is essentially a secular phenomenon with spiritual aspirations.

Every religion in the name of faith in one God, in reality, encourages belief in its own deity. (Terrible sacrilege!) God is one, and although saints and sages call Him by different names, they mean and point to one and the same. Religionists, however, imagine that only the name that they chose points to God, and they fight over names. And thus there appear such fanatical sectarian notions as Truebelievers (Orthodoxy), Chosen People, Last Prophet and so on. These ideas at some time had an important, now essentially lost, spiritual meaning. That is why the second misconception in your question is the notion that religion believes in one God. No. Religions as a rule teach that only their world view is true, that only their method of worship is correct and that only their god is the sole God.

People cannot stand each other for many reasons. The most important one is fear – fear of the new, incomprehensible and strange for them – fear of God. Another reason is envy, i.e. dissatisfaction with their God-given destiny, inability to take pleasure in the success of others. The third is economic and emotional insecurity (derivative of fear), i.e. inability to believe that the omnipresent and omnipotent Lord knows your situation and already is helping you. People constantly demand something from God (prayer?), are angered if they do not receive what they ask for but do not sit down to do meditation to find out and remove the real reason for their troubles – spiritual ignorance. That is why the third possible assumption inherent in your question is that intolerance and hate come from God via religion. No. Intolerance comes from the human nature itself – from the human mind that searches for some sense of control in the face of the ever-more-powerful-than-human Universe and tries to alleviate ever-present insecurity by attacking one's neighbor in hope of survival in spite of inevitable death. Only a mature mind is capable of seeing the uselessness of intersectarian animosity and struggle. But the development of separate religions is a natural chapter in the spiritual development of human society.

The sole solution to the problem of animosity between religions is a total change in consciousness of every single human being. By the grace of God, this is precisely what is happening today and will lead to the disappearance of all secular religions in their present form. After all, people are growing to recognize one God in deeds, not in words!

-- Anatole
(Translated from Russian)