A nation can assume that the addition of the words "under God" to its pledge of allegiance gives evidence that its citizens actually believe in God whereas all it really proves is that they believe in "believing" in God
Huston SmithRead
...conversation can be as mutually incomprehensible as foreign languages. We need the different and complementary perspectives of the various yogas - and ideally of all religions - not only to reach God but to reach each other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Communication between people can often feel as complex as speaking different languages, and understanding diverse perspectives is essential for connection.
Huston Smith highlights the intricacies of conversation, suggesting that communication can sometimes be ineffective, resembling the barriers faced when speaking foreign languages. He advocates for the importance of embracing different perspectives, particularly from various yogas and religions, as a means to not only find a connection with the divine but also to foster deeper understanding and connection among people.
Themes
CommunicationPerspectiveUnderstandingReligionYogaConnection
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a multicultural conference discussing the importance of understanding diverse viewpoints.
More from Huston Smith
All quotes →One reason education undoes belief is its teaching of evolution; Darwin's own drift from orthodoxy to agnosticism was symptomatic. Martin Lings is probably right in saying that more cases of loss of religious faith are to be traced to the theory of evolution ... than to anything else.
Huston SmithRead
So always, if we look back, concern for face-to-face morality, and its modern emphasis on justice as well, have historically evolved as religious issues.
Huston SmithRead
The crisis that the world finds itself in as it swings on the hinge of a new millennium is located in something deeper than particular ways of organizing political systems and economies.
Huston SmithRead
In the post-individualistic era, science and spirituality will become allies, and human beings will realize a vast potentiality now only dimly felt.
Huston SmithRead
In nature, the emphasis is in what is rather than what ought to be.
Huston SmithRead
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