Perspective

It occurs to me that religion is so often a force for division, hostility and even violence in our world chiefly because it becomes an end in itself rather than a means toward a better understand of oneself, one's world and its Maker.  An old colleague I came across last week - the first time I'd seen him for maybe twenty years or more - expressed the perspective by which he lives in what I thought was a succinct and relevant way :-

"Under God, and by his grace, I shall put Church before self, and Kingdom before Church."

It is that last section (and its equivalent, which there surely must be, in other faiths) which gets ignored. The faithful allegiance given to church is praiseworthy of course, but it can be the cause of great harm unless it is informed and moderated by an awareness of a higher aim and a greater purpose under God, which is that his love for all he has made should be proclaimed and lived.