Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could tell when someone is lying the way we can with a four year old?
“Did you have sex with that women?”
“No I didn’t and don’t pay any attention to the woman holding my trousers.”
“Of course I never took that bribe and my bank account deposit details which you are waving about is inaccurate.”
Children are very obvious at that age, but we get crafty as we get older at hiding the evidence. There is a worse lie abroad in the world today that says we all worship (those of us who do) the same god. And that that god is all love and anyone who kills in god’s name is just a bad person and not truly religious at all.
The actual fact is that we are too obvious. We do what our natures want us to do and then we try to define god in terms that continues to allow us licence. If belief doesn’t lead us wholly into a life of service and poverty we haven’t taken on board any religious wisdom at all.
“Yes I am religious and very loving and no I won’t allow my country’s army to stand down.”
We derive our beliefs on who makes the first move in this life, and we expect that always to be the other person. Peacefulness is not the natural way of human beings, it has to be taught, understood and embraced.