Sunday, August 10, 2008

Why not let people differ about their answers
to the great mysteries of the Universe?
Let each seek one's own way to the highest,
to one's own sense of supreme loyalty in life,
one's ideal of life. Let each philosophy,
each world-view bring forth its truth
and beauty to a larger perspective, that people
may grow in vision, stature and dedication.

The religions of humanity should be a unifying force,
for all the great religions reveal a basic unity in ethics.
Whether it be Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism,
Buddhism or Confucianism, all grow out of
a sense of the sacredness of human life.

This moral sensitivity to the sacredness of human personality ,
the Commandments not to kill, not to hurt, not to put
a stumbling block in the path of the blind, not to
neglect the widow or the fatherless,
not to exploit the servant or the worker,
all this can be found in the Bibles of humanity,
in all the sacred books. All teach in substance:
"Do unto others as you would that others should do unto you."

There is, then, a basic unity among the great religions
in the matter of ethics. True, there are religious
philosophies which turn people away from the world,
from the here and now, concentrating life-purposes
on salvation for one's self or a mystic union
with some supernatural reality. But most of the great
religions agree on mercy, justice, love -- here on earth.

And they agree that the great task is to move
people from apathy, from an acceptance of the evils in life,
to face the possibilities of the world, to make life sweet for
one another instead of bitter. This is the unifying ethical
task of all the religions -- yes, of all the philosophies of humankind.

There is no need to force our own theological points
of view upon one another or to insist
that the moral life grows out of final, absolute authority.

Algernon Black



17 comments:

Merle Sneed said...

Religion has much to teach us about the qualities that give us our humanity. Where I part company is when adherents think they have a lock on the truth.

tony said...

Wise Words.
Hey! I'm going to see 17 HIPPIES at the end of the month!!!!!!

tut-tut said...

Merle Sneed is right.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

good thought provoking quote by mr black...

thanks for the turn on to 17 hippies! I ADORE them....do you think it's too late to learn how to play the accordion? or maybe I should try for the bouzouki....course the only thing I'm really good at playing is the cd player...

but the big question is will the 17 hippies be touring near by! best to investigate... how have I missed this group??

merle is right on!!

mouse (aka kimy) said...

darn no where nearby.... but several gigs in north america.... so that's promising maybe in 2009!

Bobby D. said...

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said " God is too big to fit into one religion" ain't it the truth?

I love the spinning horn player--17 Hippies--Tony knows every frickin band that ever existed.

Coffee Messiah said...

merle: That's the main reason I decided early in life never to be a follower.

tony: Oh man, hope to read your review.

t & t: Nothing to argue there.

mouse: Another group or person leading a group I keep my eyes peeled for, but think he never comes to the usa, is Goran Bregovic. More and ore I feel as if I should have been born somewhere in Europe.....

ched: If you know "world type" music at all, the 17 Hippies have been around for awhile now.

Mark said...

Excellent words of wisdom!

Coffee Messiah said...

mark: Makes sense to me. ; )

bitchlet said...

I loved the music!

dennis said...

Dennis likes the Mr. Black quote.

Unknown said...

Excellent post! Thank you.

edward said...

merle is so smart

WeezieLou said...

that quote, unknown to me, was wonderful. inspiring. and 17 Hippies! who knew?

tony said...

Coffee ! I am taking loads of photos (i hope) to the 17 Hippies gig!Its a small friendly venue, shots shouldnt be a problem.

lettuce said...

well i had to google algernon black, and 17 hippies

good quote, i think i'd pretty much agree with that - tho religion isn't the only source of these ideas/values

17 hippies are great! i will search out more

Coffee Messiah said...

bitchlet: Glad you took a listen.

dennis: I enjoy his style too.

nick: Thanks for dropping by.

edward: He does have some common sense.

weezie: Hey, Thanks for stopping by.

tony: Look forward to seeing/hearing about it.

lettuce: On the religion aspect, you're right, but here in the usa, it seems if it isn't religious, you're doomed, go figure? Narrow views indeed.

Was glad to C you had such a nice time on your visit too.