What they all have in common is that they stand in-between you and God.

The closer you get to god the more you notice what it is that is standing in the way.

There are many things that religions seem to have in common:

1. A higher power or deity
2. A way to connect or merge with that higher power
3. A moral or ethical framework
4. A set of guiding principles for living one's life in a purposeful, meaningful and satisfying way
5. A social structure (the church, group activities)
6. An oral or written history
7. A divine leader

Of those that I have listed, the only ones that qualify as Universal Truths are probably #1 and #2. The remaining ones account for all of the differences we observe between religions.

All religions will tell you what God said. All religions will then decide what He meant. All religions will then create some system whereby the retain a hold on you. All religions are valuable because they fulfill a need until that need disappears. The one truth that I can see that crosses all barriers with organised religions is that they preach love, patience, kindness, understanding ... and ??

Jesus never started his own religion, man did. Religions are man made and therefore liable to error and decay. Spirituality on the other hand comes from within, an indefinable something which, if listened to, will guide you right. Universal Truths arise from within.

Just adding to the concrete answer of @Vesuvius, I think this is one of the most important questions to ask. We should even extend it to all belief systems (new age, sects, even atheism...).

Then it becomes an important tool to find real wisdom, because we are starting to get a much clearer picture that enables us to separate the wheat from the chaff. We see the common core of light and truth, and can then detect where it starts frazzling into error, traps, power structure building and outright manipulation.

I like your question, Jai and specifically your answer, Vesuvius. I was just out on my balcony, contemplating the immense amount of knowledge available on the net and how certain things resonated with me and others didn't. Being brought up a Catholic, and now an athiest, it occured to me that I had grown out of my "Catholocism" due to it's propensity to stress Vesuvius' points 3-7 in such a way that has not only distanced me from such teachings but broadened my views.

The very thought of any religion for me, now conjures up a corrupt and individualistic doctrine that doesn't apply to my concept of truth. From my understanding (and I admit it's very limited), of sacred scripts that form the basis of every religion, I can't help but feel the same message (Vesuvius 1 & 2) is trying to be communicated from all of them. Yet it has been distorted by those in the "hierarchy" (Vesuvius 3-7) for their own purposes. Christianity alone is a conglomeration of pagan religions that the Romans, in their wisdom, rolled into one to appease and unite the masses. It now has some 30,000 sub-religions/cultures/splinter groups.

I don't think the message was meant to be distorted by the originators but as with all communications (including this one), the real thought to be considered is how the receiver of such will interpret the original communication.

Working in media myself, it is the starting point for everything I produce. I have to identify the receivers (ie: my audience) then deliver in a way I hope they're able to receive the intent of my communication (or on behalf of others as the the case may be). Can that be considered manipulation? There's a can of worms.........

Why are there so many religions? I think it's an effort to communicate the same message to a hugely diverse population. The distortion/corruption of the original message is, dare I say, human nature, or perhaps personal interpretation. It has been received in a different way from the original intent and either accepted due to lack of education/wisdom or critical thought or just plain fear (which for me is a nurtured trait).

The thing I wonder is how can the truth ever be communicated to all, to progress humanity when there are so many conflicting ideals within the various religions, let alone society?

I'm in agreement with Vesuvius' assessment of what truths are considered "universal". I think these two "truths" could've been the foundation for how every religion was formed. As for religions, I think they are more destructive than the dictatorships we call governments that we of a "democracy" vote for. They are another form of separation of humankind and maintain outdated and irrelevant practices and rituals that do little to unite humankind outside of increasing mass and power for their own stagnant systems.

I don't think that it's all bad (my mother is a devout Catholic though she'd be praying for my soul if she read this) as long as Vesuvius' points 1 & 2 are the major points that are the focus. Sadly, ego has much to do with communicating these effectivley as I'm sure Jesus, Krishna, Mohammed, Bhudda, Ghandi and any other seers that have tried in the past, encountered as a major obstruction.

I don't know I've answered your question, however, I think an answer to how these religions could be united is only through our ability, or developing our ability, to communicate effectively.

Effective Communication, for me, is the answer beyond the truths. It's only when we've been able to communicate our thoughts effectively that we can gain feedback, objectivity and ultimately awareness.

Boy - I've never used so many big words before...;) Also think herzmeister der welten probably said the same thing in a much less verbose way (though I'm not sure how you'd apply it to my atheism which I don't consider a religion - just an expression to say I'm not of a religion).

Peace.

Indubitably, both answers above spell out most of the similarities in all the major religions. If we lay aside a lot of the doctrines that religious institutions added later and go back to the core teachings of a lot of the major religions, the Truth at the core of each is Love. If we do nothing else in our lifetime but practice love to ourselves and every other sentient being on the planet, our life will be well lived.

They all seem to agree on these basic ideas.

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

God is Love.

Heaven is within us.

God is in our heart.

Praying with their hands pressed together.

Charity, the idea that we share.

We are one with God.