Quaker Oats (sowing and reaping principles)

"...the Quakers, for example, have succeeded in instilling feelings of love, compassion and forgiveness among their followers not because theirs is fundamentally different from other faiths but rather because of the way religious teachings have been inculcated in its followers. If the Quakers have succeeded in humanising behaviour, why can't other faiths do the same?"
~ The Jordan Times, September 28th 2008

i was reading the newspaper online (The Jordan Times) and stumbled across this article about how religion does exactly opposite of what it proposes to do, that is, to create unity amongst its followers. the writer, an arab jordanian, pointed out first that historically christians resorted to violence against one another when their fundamental views were different. he then pointed out that the same thing is happening and has been happening amongst muslims...killing each other in the name of God. he wrote about how the beliefs of these religions are so similar, and the result could be a better world, with people acting more humanly towards one another (like, "love your neighbor as you love yourself" maybe?).

but religion fails. miserably. all the time, everywhere. instead of instilling love it instills hatred, bigotry, violence, and evil. it truly does. whenever you say, "at least i'm not like _____ (fill in whatever denomination or religion you like: the baptists, the nazarenes, the pentecostals, the sunnis, the shias, the church of christ, the krishnas, the sabeans, the jews, the athiests, the agnostics, etc.)", you are the one for whom these words were said:

"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire."

but, amazingly, the truth still gets through. and in print. because the truth of the matter is that the quakers have lived out the kingdom message in such a way that it has a global impact, so much so that they make the opinion column of an arab national newspaper...in a positive light. oh, that we could all learn something from the peaceful, loving, brotherly/sisterly, hungry feeding, thirsty quenching, lonely visiting, religion that the quakers (and dare i say j-s-s) live out daily.