The third source of the Unitarian Universalist “living tradition,” is described in that influential 1985 document called the “Principles and Purposes” of Unitarian Universalism, a document which is being Canadianized as we become an independent religious body this year. The third source is “wisdom from the World’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.”

These words were carefully crafted, and whereas they could have read, “wisdom from the worlds religions which inspire us,” the verb is actually singular, “wisdom . . . which inspires us.” It's the wisdom we find in those great religions of the world which feed into our faith, not necessarily everything about them. How truly Unitarian that is! And what a challenge it is for us to discover what seems wise to us about any particular religion and how it can be part of our own, very personal faith.

You may have noticed that, in contrast to this precision, the phrase “world religions” is very vague. No attempt is made to distinguish between (major( and (minor( religions, or to define what constitutes a religion, and there's no suggestion that wisdom is restricted to what are usually called the “great” religions of the world. Nevertheless, I think it's useful for all of us to have at least some acquaintance with the religions which, by virtue of numbers and history alone, constitute major forces in the world.

This morning, I'm going to attempt an almost laughable task in one short talk, a capsule profile of the classic five religions with the greatest number of adherents. In order of their numbers, these are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism. (There's some question about whether Sikhs now outnumber Jews, by the way, so this is an arbitrary and inexact selection.)

Christianity started out as a breakaway sect of Judaism around 2000 years ago. Jesus, the son of Mary, believed by Christians to have been conceived through the Holy Spirit, was apparently unhappy with many of the laws and practices of his native Jewish faith and began preaching a different message of God and religion. During his travels he was joined by twelve disciples who followed him in his journeys and learned from him. He is said to have performed many miracles during this time, and related many of his teachings in the form of parables or stories. Among the most characteristic sayings attributed to him is “love your enemy.” Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God sent to Earth to save humanity from sin. This he did by the supreme sacrifice of being crucified on the cross for his teachings and then rising from the dead. He appeared to his disciples and told them to go forth and spread his message.

Christianity in North America is a seriously divided faith, consisting of over a thousand denominations, which are often categorized into conservative, mainline and liberal wings. The many forms of Christianity which have developed either because of disagreements on dogma, adaptation to different cultures, or simply personal taste, may seem like different religions to some people. About 33 per cent (around two billion) of the world's population regard themselves as Christian. This percentage has been stable for decades, rather as Unitarians in Canada have remained around 5,000 active adherents. Win some, lose some!

In my own case, as for many of us here, Christianity is my religion-of-origin, rejected now as a belief system but still a huge influence on my life. As I try to sort out the most significant wisdom I find in it, I find myself focusing on the teaching attributed to Jesus that a loving and generous spirit is more important than the letter of the law. And surprisingly to me, I find the clearest articulation of that teaching, the wisdom of Christianity, not in words which Jesus is supposed to have said but in the writing called Pilaus first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13:

“And now I will show you the best way of all.
I may speak in tongues of men or of angels, but if I am without love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy, and know every hidden truth; I may have faith strong enough to move mountains; but if I have no love, I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess, or even give my body to be burnt, but if I have no love, I am none the better.

Love is patient; love is kind and envies no-one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over other's sins, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance.

Love will never come to an end. ..... In a word, there are three things that last for ever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love.”

The second most popular religion in the world is Islam at about 20 per cent. It's growing rapidly and is expected to become the dominant religion of the world during this century. Islam was founded in 622 CE by Mohammed the Prophet, in Medina, in whatís now Saudi Arabia. Though it's the youngest of the world's great religions many Muslims don't view it as a “new religion.” They believe it's the same ancient and venerable faith taught by the prophets, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus. The role of Mohammed as the last prophet was to formalize and clarify the faith and purify it by removing ideas which were added in error.

The two sacred texts of Islam are the Qu'ran, which are the words of Allah “the One True God” as given to Mohammed, and the Hadith, which is a collection of Mohammed's sayings. The duties of all Muslims are known as the Five Pillars of Islam and have to do with statements of faith, daily prayers, giving to charity, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims embrace a strict monotheism with one Creator who is just, omnipotent and merciful. They also believe in Satan who drives people to sin, and that all unbelievers and sinners will spend eternity in Hell. Muslims who sincerely repent and submit to God will return to a state of sinlessness and go to Paradise after death. Alcohol, drugs, and gambling are forbidden. Muslims respect the earlier prophets, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, but regard the concept of the divinity of Jesus as blasphemous, because “the Lord our God is One.”

There is much wisdom which I find in Islam, including the deep concern for charitable giving; the wisdom is summed up in this reading from the teacher Saadi:

“To worship God is nothing other than to serve the people.
It does not need rosaries, prayer carpets or robes.
All peoples are members of the same body, created from one essence.
If fate brings suffering to one member
The others cannot stay at rest.”

And from Mohammed Iqbal:
“The journey of love is a very long journey, but sometimes with a sigh you can cross that vast desert.”

The origins of Hinduism, the third largest of the world's religions, can be traced to the Indus Valley civilization sometime between 4000 and 2500 BCE, so itís the oldest we've looked at so far. It consists of many, many, even thousands of different religious groups that have evolved over millennia. Though it is often thought to be a polytheistic religion, the basis of Hinduism is the belief in the unity of everything, called Brahman. The purpose of life is to realize that we are part of God and by doing so we can leave this plane of existence and be united with God. This enlightenment can only be achieved by going through cycles of birth, life and death known as samsara. One's progress towards enlightenment is measured by karma. This is the accumulation of all one's good and bad deeds and this determines the person's next reincarnation. Unselfish acts and thoughts as well as devotion to God help one to be reborn at a higher level. Bad acts and thoughts will cause one to be born at a lower level, as a person or even an animal.

Hinduism differs from Christianity and other Western religions in that it does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or a central religious organization. Hindus follow a strict caste system which determines the standing of each person, even though the observance of caste in public affairs is outlawed by the Indian state. Caste is completely consistent with religious belief, in that the caste one is born into is the result of the karma from a previous life. Only members of the highest caste, the Brahmins, may perform the Hindu religious rituals and hold positions of authority within the temples.

Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam. It claims about 762 million followers, or 13 per cent of the world's population. It is the dominant religion in India, Nepal, and among the Tamils in Sri Lanka. There are about 1.1 million Hindus in the U.S., and about 157,000 in Canada.

In the sacred writing called the Bhagavad-Gita is this wisdom:

I am the Self that dwells in the heart of every mortal creature;
I am the beginning, the life span, and the end of all.
I am the radiant sun among the light-givers:
I am the mind:
I am consciousness in the living.
I am death that snatches all;
I also am the source of all that shall be born.
I am time without end:
I am the sustainer: my face is everywhere.
I am the beginning, the middle and the end in creation:
I am the knowledge of things spiritual.
I am glory, prosperity, beautiful speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and forgiveness.
I am the divine seed of all lives.
In this world, nothing animate or inanimate exists without me.
I am the strength of the strong;
I am the purity of the good.
I am the knowledge of the knower.
There is no limit to my divine manifestations.
Whatever in this world is powerful, beautiful, or glorious, that you may know to have come forth from a fraction of my power and glory.

Buddhism is another religion that's Indian in origin. It was founded in Northern India by Siddhartha Gautama, now known as the Buddha. He was born around 563 BCE in Lumbini which is in modern-day Nepal. At the age of 29, he left his wife, children and political involvements in order to seek truth -- although we may think it rather irresponsible, it was an accepted practice at the time for some men to leave their family and lead the life of an ascetic. Siddhartha studied Brahmanism, but ultimately rejected it. In 535 BCE, he reached enlightenment and assumed the title Buddha (one who has awakened). He promoted The Middle Way, rejecting both extremes of the mortification of the flesh and of hedonism as paths toward the state of Nirvana. He had many disciples and accumulated a large public following by the time of his death in his early 80's in 483 BCE. Two and a half centuries later, a council of Buddhist monks collected his teachings and the oral traditions of the faith into written form, which included a very large collection of commentaries and traditions, called Sutras (discourses).

Buddhism, like most of the great religions of the world, is divided into a number of different traditions, most of which do not believe in a transcendent or immanent or any other type of God or Gods, the need for a personal saviour, the power of prayer, eternal life in a heaven or hell after death, etc. (Not surprising that Buddhism appeals to so many Unitiarians, is it?) They mostly do believe, like Hindus, in reincarnation: the concept that one must go through many cycles of birth, living, and death. After many cycles of this kind, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana.

The Buddha's Four Noble Truths may be described (somewhat simplistically) as the universality of suffering; that it is the desire to have and control things which causes suffering; final liberation from suffering is to be found in nirvana; and nirvana can be reached by the eightfold path. The Eightfold Path, in turn, consists of: right understanding, right thinking, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Buddhism, the fourth largest religion in the world, claims perhaps 150 million followers worldwide. Here's a pearl of wisdom that I find in it, from the writing known as the Dhammapada:

“Never does hatred cease by hating in return; only through love can hatred come to an end. Let us overcome violence by gentleness; let us overcome evil by good.”

And finally, Judaism. Around 2000 BCE, the God of the ancient Israelites is believed by Jews to have established a divine covenant with Abraham, making him the patriarch of many nations. The book of Genesis describes the events surrounding the lives of the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses was the next leader of the ancient Israelites. He led his people out of captivity in Egypt, and received the Law from God. After decades of wandering through wilderness, Joshua led the tribes into the promised land, driving out the Canaanites through a series of military battles.

The original tribal organization was converted into a kingdom by Samuel, and its first king was Saul. The second king, David, established Jerusalem as the religious and political center. The third king, Solomon built the first temple there. Division into the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah occurred shortly after the death of Solomon in 922 BCE. Later, Israel fell to Assyria, Judah fell to the Babylonians, and the temple was destroyed. Some Jews returned from captivity under the Babylonians and started to restore the temple. Alexander the Great invaded the area, Greek became the language of commerce, and Greek culture had a major influence on Judaism, but in 63 BCE, the Roman Empire took control of Palestine.

During the Roman occupation, many Jews anticipated the arrival of the Messiah who would drive the invaders out and restore independence. A number of uprisings led to another destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 CE. Jews were scattered throughout the known world. Their religion was no longer centered in Jerusalem -- in fact, Jews were prohibited from setting foot there. Judaism became decentralized; the local synagogue became the new center of Jewish life, and authority shifted from the centralized priesthood to local scholars and teachers, giving rise to Rabbinic Judaism. There are now about 18 million Jews throughout the world. They are mainly concentrated in North America, where there are about 7 million, and Israel, with about 4.5 million.

And here, in the spirit of prophetic wisdom, is a reading from Judaism:

“A new heart will I give you, a new spirit put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart that feels. For thus says the Eternal God: I, Myself, will seek for My sheep and seek them out. For I desire love and not sacrifices, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

There are, of course, many other religions of the world. There's Sikhism and Baha'i, Confucianism and Jainism, Shinto and Paganism, Wicca and Taoism and Native religions of numerous kinds. May we be open to the wisdom of them all. May we acknowledge the contributions they all have made to our living tradition and our personal faith. And may we find in them all the assurance that of everything that is passing, or even of things that last for ever, the greatest of all is love. So may it be.