To show how the world religions come together, we’ll start with a fable:

Growing Sunflowers

Once there was a planet called Earth. Many people lived there. Their purpose for living there was to learn to grow sunflowers.

At the beginning of time, no one knew how to grow sunflowers yet. They didn’t even know that they could. They were simply born surrounded by everything they would need: soil, seeds, sunlight, water, fertilizer, shovels and shears.

So, first, along came a teacher to give them an orientation. The teacher claimed to speak for God and said, “It is your divine birthright to grow sunflowers.” Then the teacher explained the materials and how they’d be used.

“This is water,” the teacher said. “Drink some. Pour it on your hands…

“Now, over here, this is soil. Run your fingers through it…

“This is called a shovel. Hold it like this…” The people were so intrigued that they started a religion called Orientology. The words of the teacher were considered holy and were passed down.

Centuries went by while devoted Orientologists applied the teachings and tested out the goods. They handled the seeds, learned how to shovel, snipped the shears through the air. They prayed to their God and gave thanks to their Messiah, the founder of Orientology, every day.

Centuries later, another teacher came to Earth who claimed to speak for God and said, “It is your divine birthright to grow sunflowers.” This time, the teacher said, “The way to grow sunflowers is to prepare the soil.” This teacher added fertilizer and water to the soil and turned it until the soil was loose, rich and moist. These teachings were so intriguing that a group of followers broke away from Orientology and formed a new religion, Preparology. The second teacher’s words were considered holy and passed down.

More centuries went by. Another teacher came to earth, also speaking for God and saying that the reason for existence was to learn to grow sunflowers. Only this teacher said, “The way to grow sunflowers is to make rows for planting.” The teacher created long, straight rows, just the right width apart and moistened them with just the right amount of water. These teachings attracted new followers who broke off from Orientology and Preparology and started a new religion: Rowism. Rowists set to work devotedly digging row after row after row. Their Prophet’s words, too, were considered holy and passed down.

And so it went, on through the centuries. Teacher after teacher came to earth, each extremely powerful and influential. Each founded a new, enduring religion. Each said, “It is your divine birthright to grow sunflowers.” But their practical messages continued to differ:

 

Over time, the people on earth got confused. All the messages claimed to be “divinely inspired” and all affirmed that the main point was to grow sunflowers. But other than that, the messages were really different. Who to follow? What to do?

In their concern about what was right and wrong, they started squabbling:

“Hey! Be careful where you walk! I’ve got stalks growing here!”

“Yeah? Well, this is my land, too. The Prophet told us to prepare the soil, and I’m going to prepare the soil.”

“But if you dig the soil, you’ll dig up the seeds I just planted. Our Prophet told us to plant.”

“And if you go near that soil, you’ll disturb my delicate sprouts! Our Prophet told us to protect and nurture them!”

“So much for your delicate sprouts, sucker!” SNIP went the shears.

Many irate voices rang out: “DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?! YOU HAVE DEFILED OUR PROPHET’S WORD!”

Then everything started flying: shears, shovels, water, plants, fists, elbows, rocks. A fight to the death began.

Oops. The people in the garden need a gardening book. They need to understand that sunflowers grow in stages. The stages work together, and each stage plays an important role. They need to see that their Prophets’ messages haven’t been contradictory… Each message has articulated the next crucial step in the plan.

Analogy aside, what is the real spiritual purpose for being a human on Earth?

Next