Embracing All Religions: Love for God as the Core
All genuine spiritual paths converge on the love and presence of God within the heart, transcending external religious labels and fostering a universal spiritual family.
The question I would have really to any Christian is that if I say that I am a disciple of the Holy Spirit, you see, is it possible that I could not be a Christian? You see? Or I would ask any Hindu is that if I am a disciple of the Atma within, my life or I'm trying to be a disciple of the Atma within, my life is devoted to that, can any Hindu say that I'm not a Hindu? If I am trying to learn from Allah's presence in my heart, can any Muslim say that I'm not a Muslim? Or can any Sikh, if my life is dedicated to the Satguru, the Waheguru presence in my heart, then can any Sikh say that I'm not a Sikh? So I don't know what else it means to be a Hindu, a Muslim, a Sikh, a Christian, but if it means any of this, then I'm all of them. And they are all really the same at their core, at their center, you see. Now how will that get expressed through the various ones that we meet in our lives? That I don't know. That we'll have to be guided moment to moment by his light to put the right words in our mouths. But we must not—and not that you are, I don't feel like you are at all confused about this—but none of us should ever be confused about this. What are all the religions pointing to? Every true religion, every true culture, every true tradition which is spiritual is pointing to this. So don't confuse yourselves, don't label yourselves strongly, don't categorize yourself. Just know that the true teacher is God's presence and he is in your heart, and as long as you follow that one, he's leading you on the true path. So sometimes when this question is asked here, I say I follow all religions. I follow all religions. I may not know as much about some and I may know a little bit more about some, but I feel like I follow all religions. I have reverence for all religions in my heart. And sometimes I may say I don't know, I don't know what to answer for that. But I don't find it... like, I would find it much easier to say I am a Christian than to say I'm not a Christian. Or I would find it much easier to say I am a Hindu than say I'm not a Hindu. Or I am a Muslim than say I'm not a Muslim. I feel I am wherever there's love for God. I feel I'm happy to consider myself there, you see. I am a Sufi. I don't know anything about Sufi—my daughter keeps teaching me a little bit—but I feel I am a Sufi because there's love for God there. Wherever there is love for God, I feel is my family. And it may be the most religious gathering, but if it is not about God, then I don't feel like I belong. It is just like that. But how to explain these things in the world, I don't know. So if you feel that you can serve God, you can bring someone help, someone, or it may be helpful to you as well, an interaction, and you feel that your heart is guiding you to say that yes, I am a Christian, then we must not let any condition block us even from that.
Key Teachings
- All true religions, cultures, and spiritual traditions point to the same core truth: God's presence within.
- If one is a disciple of the Holy Spirit, Atma, Allah, or Waheguru, they are essentially following the same divine principle.
- Do not limit or categorize yourself by religious labels; the true teacher is God's presence in your heart.
- Wherever there is love for God, that is your spiritual family, regardless of external religious affiliation.
From: Our Intention to Be with God Is as Important as Being with Him - 12th June 2024