I presume that the concept of a transcendent unity of religions would be hard for the atheist to consider especially since they believe that religions are man made. Yet this idea is natural for me since I believe that the essence of religion entered the plane of the earth from a higher conscious source.

The book, "The Transcendent Unity of Religions" by Frithjof Schuon is a real opener. http://monasticdialog.com/a.php?id=151

The idea here is that religions reflect levels of being of humanity. There is an exoteric which is the outer secular level which includes most of mankind. Than there is the esoteric level which is where the path becomes part of the developing "inner Man." Finally a religion reflects the being and understanding of evolved man. At this level the paths are the same.

The ironic thing is that religious wars are fought over exoteric conceptions which are really meaningless.

The well meaning mistake of many is to try to unite religions at the exoteric or outer level which cannot lead to anything real since the exoteric conceptions are based largely on imagination to begin with.

I know this is not such an easy idea to understand when unfamiliar with it. Thomas McFarlane has a diagram on it which helps

http://www.integralscience.org/unity.html

If it weren't so horrendous it would be laughable to realize that religious wars are about one idiot calling another idiot an idiot for not believing as they do.

" Simone, you were too far ahead of your time. It will be years before we will ever collectively be able to admit such things.

I think you'll find many agreeing with all of that.

Very nicely said.
Welcome to the Forum, looking forward to many more such posts.

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Only Love Prevails,
Don

Thanks Don

Do you look at the transcendent religions in this way and believe they were initiaited by a conscious source for the benefit of sleeping humanity? Do you agree that the levels of understanding within a religion differ in quality and this quality reflects the relativity of human "being?"