The purpose of religion is to teach people the Truth of God, to redeem their souls, to move the evil so they repent, and to correct the wicked into good. All five great religions are derived from the Truth. Although each great religion segregates itself from others and each advocates its own doctrine, the essence of these great religions is identical. Each of the five great religions was established for a particular time, place and cultural background. This is why each flourished at a certain time within a certain culture.

The doctrine of Taoism is based on tranquillity and "Wu-wei"(the state of having no desires or thoughts). It focuses on maintaining and nurturing of the soul as a way to return to the Void. The doctrine of Buddhism is based on quiescence, and the elimination of thoughts, emotions and desires. The doctrine of Confucianism is based on shining one's original bright virtues. It emphasizes on the complete elimination of selfishness to restore one's True Self. The doctrine of Christianity is based on the rebirth of the soul. It stresses the importance of praying and to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to return to God's Kingdom. The doctrine of Islam is to perform good deeds and avoid committing sins. It emphasizes on the repentance of the soul in order to attain purity and return to God's garden. Appellations such as God's kingdom, God's garden, and the Truth all mean the utmost benevolence. The utmost benevolence, quiescence, and the Void are different terms used to refer to the Truth. Therefore, all five great religions come from the same Truth in Heaven.

Taoism states "Embrace the Origin and maintain One. Cultivate the heart to refine the True Self." Buddhism states "All Dharma returns to One. Brighten the heart to see the True Self." Confucianism states "Hold fast to the center and pervade One. Hold the heart to cultivate the True Self." Christianity states "Pray quietly and be close to One. Purify the heart to align to the True Self." Islam states "Be purified and sincere to return to One. Strengthen the heart to stabilize the True Self." So the goals of all five great religions are the same, i.e; to return to One, God, or the Truth. They all reconize the heart and the True Self as the starting point, even though the emphasis of their doctrines are not identical. Thus, the Truth of One develops into five great religions.

Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are analogous to the vitality, spirit, and soul of a person, while Christianity and Islam are analogous to the True Self and life. Now all five great religions are coming together under One as can be seen in many interfaith events; it symbolizes the coming of the Pure Land on Earth. This signifies the returning of the world to the Origin and the restoring of the True Selves to full radiance. Finally, all will merge with God as One.

Tao of Heaven is not a religion, but it promotes the unification of the five great religions. This is what my Heavenly Teacher, JiGong said:

"The aim of cultivating Truth is to achieve Inner Divinity. The terminal point of Inner Divinity is to attend the 'Dragon Flower Assembly'(Long Hua Assembly in Chinese) and to witness the Lotus Honors or Degree one has achieved and to become Saints and Buddhas. The aim of spreading Truth is to achieve Outer Merits. The terminal point of the Outer Merits is to complete the mission of carrying living beings across the bitter sea of life and to turn the world into Great Likeness or Heaven on Earth."

Author: T.A Chew
Website: http://www.white-sun.com