A coworker where I worked once told me "Why can't we just all get along?" I knew the answer but I felt compassion for his plea (considering he was from Nigeria) and his sincere desire for peace. My answer to him then was "we are all very different people with different beliefs. we can't!" If he were to ask me again now, the answer would still be the same. However, after much more pondering, I have the following to add to my explanation and I also have my own query into the matter.
There is a religious group, that from my perspective, seem to be in union with their beliefs. They don't seem to have a variety of doctrines or denominations that divide their people group. If you meet one of them on the east coast, then chances are, that they believe exactly as one of them on the west coast. They may live in a different house, drive a different car but not much else is different. They probably dress alike, attend a similar house of worship, follow the same religious book without much differing, if at all, in interpretation, raise their children the same, and women retain the same status in the family as is the custom among them. The followers of this so-called 'religion of peace,' as they are referred to, live very similarly no matter where they are. If not for the fact that they want to be THE sole world religion, I would be envious of their ability to hold fast to their beliefs and retain consistency from person to person.
In reality coexisting with this people group is an impossible reality. The C reminds me of a 'pac-man' character that simply wants to gobble up all the rest. Now let's forget about them for a moment.
It is so discouraging to discover that the one Bible has been interpreted in so many ways that it has lost its intent. No longer are we content in just following the Bible's word and message of hope and salvation, but we, "Christians," feel the need to interpret it to suit each of our needs. I could begin to list all the denominations, but that wouldn't even be enough to show the split within denominations of the different doctrines that exist within each one.
After all is said and done, what has happened is that this large Christian community as a whole has shrunk into tiny fragments scattered across the world. We were created by God to coexist and what has happened is that we've all gone our separate ways as a result of minor or major differences in beliefs to the point that we have great division now. If people (Christians) would just simply stick to the basic beliefs in the Bible and not over analyze it to suit their needs, then maybe we would be more united to stand up to the ideals of this 'other' religion which is hell bent on taking over this world by annihilating anyone that isn't part of their "united" belief system. Have you ever seen how many books are available that are meant to help us interpret the Bible? Doesn't the good book stand on it's own? From my perspective, this is what the coexist symbol should look like. Let's show a united front and face evil together! Let's just all get along!
