Our Fundamental Unity

Our Fundamental Unity:
The Meaning of Universal Sacred Music

Imagine a world in which we can travel from one country to another and encounter acceptance on the most fundamental level. Imagine a world in which no other person claims to have a superior way of being. Imagine a world in which belonging to a religious group means belonging to a community that accepts all other human beings as equal and eternal children of God. And imagine a world in which conversions are a practice of the distant past – conversions from one religion to another having become one of the ultimate absurdities; for how can one convert from being a child of God to a child of God? In that world let us imagine one universal faith – in which the spiritual knowledge of God’s universal and unconditional love – that we all carry deep within our hearts – is our guiding light.

When a man and a woman wish to marry on Earth, and they were born into families of different religious traditions, conflict often ensues – conflict that either forces the wedding plans to be cancelled or creates almost unbearable friction within the families in question. The root of this, and similar problems on Earth, arises from the arrogance embedded in the very fabric of many human societies that condones the judging of one group of people as superior to another. I bring up this example of spiritual arrogance because it is a common one and sheds light on the question of how divided we have become. Such divisiveness has arisen over centuries because of too many leaders having been seduced by the prospect of excessive power over others – power based on fear, and the power to sustain that fear in order for their power to survive. Nowhere is the guilt for such behavior greater than in the religious arena – and nowhere is that guilt greater than with those religious leaders who, over time, have used passages in our scriptures to misrepresent God as the greatest source of vengeance and damnation – thereby achieving the twin goals of consolidating their power and reinforcing the belief among followers that their religion is superior to all others by implying or threatening divine retribution for those who do not follow their faith. This, in turn, reinforces the divisive mentality that perpetuates the power structures in the major religions – often leading to wars, devastation, and damage to the confidence of the human spirit. None of this behavior has anything at all to do with the true nature of God, and the true nature of our innermost selves – of the Light we carry in our spirits whether we are presently incarnated or not.

Much progress in healing these rifts has occurred over the past fifty years or so through interfaith work. Tolerance has been brought to the forefront in many organized dialogues among adherents of different religions; conferences and interfaith services have helped to show that we can work together toward a more tolerant – and therefore unified – world. The Temple of Understanding, for example – founded in 1960 – has held many wonderful events in furtherance of this goal, as has the Interfaith Center Of New York – founded more recently – and other groups around the world. The United Nations, through a multitude of programs geared toward ever-greater global understanding and cooperation, has made great strides in fostering dialogue among representatives of its member nations and has saved many lives in the process. But this is not enough to heal the most fundamental illness pervading mankind: that of organized spiritual exclusivity, institutionalized religious superiority (and the resultant attitudes of prejudice and arrogance) created and sanctioned in the name of God! How can we, in good conscience, keep the status quo while it only aids and abets the crime of considering those who are different from ourselves to be inferior or of lesser value simply because of their difference? Does a flower garden not contain flowers of many colors – and do they not all grow together under the same sun? Who are we, as children of God, to think that one group deserves more room in the garden than another – and is it not the same sun that gives us all the same light?

The musical repertoire in the world’s major religions has, understandably, reflected the tenets and convictions of each respective faith. What is needed now is a repertoire of sacred music that reflects the universal nature of God and of the eternal spiritual family to which we all belong, regardless of which traditions we may have inherited from our parents and their forebears. Most importantly, we need a repertoire of music that is not only inclusive in spirit but expresses the fundamental unity we all share, the unconditional love and compassion of God – which make possible all the blessings we have been given – and the reverence we can behold in wonders visible and invisible. Peace – true, lasting peace – will be a result of all humanity having recognized our fundamental unity and thereby laying down our arms and forever living as the brothers and sisters we have always been.

May we all move forward together in our common journey toward ever-greater Light, and may God bless us every step of the way!

Roger Davidson
President,
Society for Universal Sacred Music