Selected quotes on religious and spiritual unity.

“If we live in our oneness-heart, we will feel the essence of all religions which is the love of God. Forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, brotherhood and the feeling of oneness are the signs of a true religion.”

– Sri Chinmoy

“What is needed is a fellow feeling between the different types of religion, seeing that they all stand or fall together, a fellow feeling which springs from mutual esteem and mutual respect, and not the condescending, patronizing, niggardly expression of goodwill, unfortunately in vogue at the present time with many.”

– Swami Vivekananda, The necessity of religion

“As different streams, having their sources in different places, all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.”

– Swami Vivekananda

“We try to realise the essential unity of the world with the conscious soul of man; we learn to perceive the unity held together by the one Eternal Spirit, whose power creates the earth, the sky, and the stars, and at the same time irradiates our minds with the light of a consciousness that moves and exits in unbroken continuity with the outer world.”

– Rabindranath Tagore

“Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged”

— Rumi

“Many are the names of God and infinite the forms through which He may be approached.”

– Sri Ramakrishna

“To see the unity in diversity is Yoga – to see the same consciousness in everyone.Whoever realizes that Yoga or union will always love the whole universe as part of his or her own self.”

Swami Satchidananda

“I believe in the essential unity of all that lives. Therefore, I believe that if one person gains spiritually, the whole world gains, and that if one person falls, the whole world falls to that extent.”

Mohandas Gandhi

“I came to the conclusion long ago that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them. Whilst I hold by my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray, if we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become Hindu. But our innermost prayer should be a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian.”

Mohandas Gandhi

“The temple and the mosque are the same, there is no difference between a Hindu worship and Muslim prayer;
all the human beings are the same, although they may appear to be different.”

Guru Gobind Singh (Sridasam p51)

“In a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek to suppress religious freedom, or try to reduce it to a subculture without right to a voice in the public square, or to use religion as a pretext for hatred and brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the various religions join their voices in calling for peace, tolerance, and respect for the dignity and rights of others.”

Pope Francis

“Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth, give birth to spirituality, and bring life and light to each heart. If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to cure; but if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it had better be left alone. Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.”

Abdu’l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh

“There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways.”

Rig-Veda

The wise embrace unity
luminous without ostentation
distinguished without justifying
recognized without boasting
persevering without complaining

– Lao Tzu

“The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and
compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, forgiveness.”

— Dalai Lama

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”

– Bahá’u’lláh

Related

• The ideal of a universal religion – Swami Vivekananda