People of the Book Should Get Along: But We Do Not

    We make up the majority of the planet's 8 billion souls, us people of the Book, as the Quran refers to us. Jewish, Christian, Muslim. If the two plus billion Christians and the going on two billion Muslims and the rest of the Jewish community could get along, we would have an amazing place to live in.

    But we do not. We do not get along, enough. Here in the United States, by and large we do pretty well. I would wager that in the whole Western Hemisphere we are doing all right when it comes to peace and cooperation. The violence is not between the religious denominations; there is more political and criminal violence, which is more secularized, not including rivalries and disparities among the religious affiliations. Most of the competition in the Western Hemisphere in regards to faith traditions is among the Christian sects and denominations.

    Europe has its problems of religious strife in the 21st century, but the Middle East shared by Africa and Southwest Asia have the worst issues. Right now: Israel/Palestine.

    Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed: none of them wanted us to hurt each other. Some can interpret the Old Testament and the Quran that advocate violence and combative upheaval achieve their goals.

    Most of us are not militant, however. We do not fight and kill for God, as Christians, Jews, Muslims.

    Some people blame organized religions for the current conflict, and most of the worst wars and conflicts in human history. I think that people exploit religious beliefs to achieve some pretty awful aims. But in my opinion it is not the religious belief itself that leads to the violence.

    Some have claims about the Muslim jihadis who lash out because of their beliefs and proclamations. It does seem that religious ideologies lead many of them to violence and war, true.

    But again, the Peoples of the Book, Jewish and Christians, and other brother and sister Muslims do not ascribe to these policies and agendas.

    We just do not know how to follow our respective faiths very well.

    So, am I blaming the religious followers more than those who exploit and neglect their respective faiths? No: I am blaming a lot of people who are hypocritical and abusive of the religious traditions that they fall under, be they Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.

    People of the Book. 

    We are not so good at living our ideals and sharing our lands and possessions in peace.