ThirstyFish

"Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God" was selected as the motto for the first Great Seal of the United States. The motto, was coined in 1776 by Benjamin Franklin and it appeared on the back face of the seal presented to the congress by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Their proposal and few other proposals for the seal were denied by the Congress until the final one was approved in 1789.

Interfaith dialogue and cooperation between religions is as ancient as religions themselves. With globalization, advances in communication, and in the recent years, the Internet, secular ethics and universal principles are gaining increasing acceptance among all populations. Irrespective of individual traditional beliefs, everyone will agree that concepts like justice, love, compassion and tolerance are good, while injustice, hatred, greed, malice and tyranny are evil. No one religion or ethical system has a monopoly on these concepts. Only some people are fooled by the idea that the "only" way to heaven is through, Jesus Christ, or Islam, or Judaism or any other religion.

Religions that continue to promote universal concepts such as justice, love, compassion and tolerance, as exclusively their own will gradually see their congregations decline, whereas religions which acknowledge the universality of these concepts will be on the right side of history. It does not matter what one's religious beliefs are as long as he or she does good and stand up against tyranny. It is despicable to say that all people with a certain faith are evil, or that they are inferior, or that they will all go to hell.

The Occupy Movement readily recognizes that majority of people, irrespective of their faith, their skin color and their culture, are struggling with the same multifaceted tyranny, and, that in a globalized world, the only way to stand up against tyranny is to do it globally. They do not seek their own welfare at the expense of others across the world. If they stick to these tenets, then Godspeed to them. Peace, Salaam, Shalom.

More Occupy photos.

Update: Someone criticized this post by saying that it was too idealistic and utopian. During the reign of Mary I of England, in the year 1556, the Bishop of Winchester, John Ponet wrote "A Short Treatise on Political Power", criticizing the divine right of kings. His work later influenced the greatest Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke who in turn influenced America's Founding Fathers such as John Adams. Were the three Johns; John Ponet, John Locke and John Adams all utopians?

Song of the Day: The Banality Of Evil - Nine Horses (2005)