Universal Worship Activity
of the International Sufi Movement
On Religion
What is religion? Religion is a lesson which teaches the manner of living right and reaching the object for which we are born.
The real understanding of religion is not in disputing over the diversity of the forms, saying, "Your religion is worse and my religion is better." The true religion is in recognizing one life in all. In the Universal Worship ceremony there are different candles on the altar, each candle named for a different teacher and religion, but it is one and the same light. What then does this service teach us? This service teaches us one light and different lamps.
The Universal Worship is a school where we can learn the lesson of tolerance, learn to adhere to all teachers and to respect all scriptures. This lesson teaches us that we need not give up our religion, but we must embrace all religions in order to make the sacredness of religion perfect.
At this time when the world is divided into so many sections, one working against another, it is most necessary that humanity must at least unite in God. For whatever difference there may be among human beings, before God there is no difference. He is the father of all humanity, and we all go before Him as His children. This Universal Worship reminds us of this, and this Universal Worship prepares us to sympathize with one another and to be blessed by all forms of wisdom which have come to us by different great teachers of humanity. There is one God and there is one truth, so in reality there cannot be many religions; there is only one religion. By the realization of this truth we shall be truly benefitted by what is called religion.