ISSUES OF FAITH: One Creative Force
Published 1:30 am Friday, March 6, 2026
THE WATCHWORD OF Judaism, Shema Israel Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad, means “Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” Rabbi Lawrence Kushner elaborates on this when he says: “And the last secret is that everything is One …. At night when you lie down, In the morning when you get up, when you go for a walk, when you stay home, the whisper is always the same — “The Lord is One,” (Honey From the Rock).
Virtually all religions in the world, from major world traditions to indigenous practices, acknowledge a belief in a Creative Power which western religions call God.
Each faith has its own way of defining God, establishing a belief system which helps its followers find meaning in their lives, and bringing structure and comfort to its adherents.
Different faiths have their own names for the same essence: the Great Spirit, Allah, Adonai, Jesus, Lord, Atman, God, the Universal Soul, the Goddess, Shechinah, Jehovah, the Eternal, the Creator, the Mystery. All these names are human constructs referring to the same entity which, in Judaism, is often referred to as The One, or Ayn Sof, The Infinite.
If there is one Infinite Creative Force called by different names, why is there such hostility between people of varying faiths? There are two major factors that lead to difficulties between followers of differing belief systems. One is when the tenets of a religion get in the way of what all people of faith are seeking … a close and personal connection with God. When the focus becomes strict adherence to the rules and rituals, God disappears, forgotten in the details of a specific dogma. Following the rules becomes the most important part of a faith rather than the underlying principles.
Another source of tension between faiths occurs when one religion insists its path is the only correct way and those who follow a different religion are not only wrong, but they will be punished for not following the true path. People of other faiths are understandably insulted that their deeply held beliefs, sometimes thousands of years old, are challenged as wrong.
This viewpoint has exploded in the last few years. Governments have begun insisting that only white Christians have the “correct” religion and, in the United States, some government officials have actually claimed that non-Christians should not have the rights accorded to everyone in the Constitution. Rev. Raphael Warnock (and Senator) recently stated that “The teachings of Jesus have been hijacked by political groups who fear the true teachings of the Gospel.”
These views have not only spread throughout government organizations but in schools and other public arenas. To begin government meetings with prayers specific to a particular religion violates the basic tenet of the establishment clause of the first amendment, which prohibits the government from creating an official state religion or favoring one over another, and the free exercise clause, which protects individuals’ rights to practice their faith without government interference.
These practices continue to keep us from understanding our common belief in a loving, compassionate Creator who teaches us to love and care for one another.
There are numerous interfaith examples of people joining together in prayer and working on projects to better our world. When we spend time with people of other faiths, we see them not as opponents but as human beings who have within them the Divine Spark, just expressing their love of The One in a different way. If we compare the basic precepts of other faiths, such as the Five Pillars of Islam, the Buddhist Eightfold Path and the Ten Commandments followed by Jews, Christians and Muslims, plus the core values of other faiths, we find they all have the same goals. God does not belong to any particular religion. There is only Ayn Sof.
May we learn to see that all spiritual paths exhort us to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah: 6:8), and may we remember there is nowhere without The Presence.
Kein yehi ratzon … may it be God’s will. Shalom.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Suzanne DeBey is a lay leader of the Port Angeles Jewish community. Her email is debeyfam@olympus.net.
