Is religion a unifying force in the world today?

Answer 1

It depends how big " in the world today" is and why; whether you are looking it from:-

- a global point of view, nationally, state, city, community, family, personally;

- a particular event or occasion;

- something that affected/ happened to/ known of by you/ friends/ ex-friends;

- culturally eg holidays

- your religion

Only you can answer those specific questions. In a general sense, religion is a unifying force providedit keeps to its boundaries/ self-imposed limits and answers people's needs, questions, and dissatisfacation. Dissatisfied people:-

- want change, or

- are not satisfied for some reason, or

- feel they are being taken for granted, or

- not being told the whole truth, or

- can't ask questions,

etc

When people who have been taught to hate others (eg because "they are not the same as us" and "we are right and everybody else is wrong" ), and then actually meet them and get to know them, then often there is an awakening or awareness which they never had before. Unless they are hard-line and dyed-in-the-wool believers, they then realize they do not have two heads, or drink babies' blood, or chop peoples' heads off, but are relatively "normal" and are not disease-ridden carriers of some fatal contagious disease, then there can be a growing understanding between them. This growing understanding does not mean abandonment of your own religion and acceptance of some-one else's: it should make you look at your own religious beliefs and may actually make your own religious beliefs and convictions even stronger.

That being said, religion can be a unifying force, but only if it "a religion" (ie recognition of there actually being spiritual beliefs) and not "the religion" (ie possibly imposed on you, with no choices). Just as tolerance of another's wrong beliefs can be taken too far and pull you down, so lack of tolerance can be taken too far and end up in hatred of the actual person (not of the impersonal beliefs and teachings of that religion). As soon as it becomes "we are right and you are wrong" and "unbelievers go to hell" (both Islam and Christianity teach this) then there will be no unification but instead war, because things are black-and-white, right-or-wrong: there is no middle ground.

There can be dialogue, but it must not be by tolerating all compromise and watering down of doctrine regardless for the sake of unity, as the 'World Council of Churches' are doing. However, when two religions are diametrically-opposed, such as Christianity and Islam, there will never be compromise on basic doctrines among strong followers of either faith, because only one is right, and it is not Islam:-

Luk 9:49-50 KJV And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. [v. 50] And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

Act 4:10-12 KJV Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. [v. 11] This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. [v. 12] Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.