This is one of my favorite topics and in person I could go on for hours to include the similarities of all major divisions of religions. For thousands of years of people have been fighting over these two concepts. My understanding that I want to share is this. As humans, we cannot know the name of god. It is impossible to speak because god has no physical body like us at the moment.
How can you use a tongue to say the name it whispers to us? The divine has no true name we could ever hope to pronounce. Does the divine have a true nature? Yes, it does. What is it? What makes us living and the dead not? Yes, it is that simple. Living energy is the divine. It is within everything we call alive; flowers, trees, animals, humans even bacteria. If the divine had another nature, could life still exist? Nope, that energy is life itself. Yes, the divine has other complex properties, dimensions, traits but that is the most basic nature.
Why are there so many names for the divine? Because every person is different and must be able to express their vision of god for themselves as well as they can comprehend it. If you are lucky enough to have freedom of religion, don't waste it arguing that there is only one god.
There is a different “god” for every human being, every animal and every blade of grass. It makes us all alive. So do what you believe in, live what you believe in and enjoy it. Don't worry what name you choose to give to the divine. When you call out to the divine in the universe, rest assured the divine will answer no matter what name you use. There is no real difference.
Language, culture, geography. Those define differences in people and therefore their religions too. The divine is perfect and a part of every religion. Why do we make such a big effort to hurt others because they use a different name for the divine? It is NOT the path to peace all religions want. Tolerance is a part of every formal religion and informal religion though it is often forgotten or overlooked.
Still need clarification? Try looking at religion (all religions) from a historical viewpoint. Joseph Campbell is the author I recommend for anyone wanting to know more. And a book called God: A Brief History by John Bowker. All religions make sense for their participants. It seems awful to say any religion shouldn't work. Being alive is about dealing with diversity, so tolerance for religious thought is a necessity. Time and science and human rational thinking define the changes between religion more than anything else.
For me, freedom of religious thought started with an honors class in high school (ninth grade). For the enrichment course, the students had to read Ramayana, the Bible and the Koran as works of literature instead of religious works. That opened the floodgates of philosophical thought for me by viewing the sacred documents in historical context only. Yes, it helped that I was an empty slate. My parents encouraged me to read the Bible but we did not go to church except for occasional holidays. My family moved away from the school district before I got to turn in my work but I devoured books about world religions quickly after that.
The real world is indeed greater than any of us can know in physical form. That is a consistent thought in every religion. So can we all just agree to express our own religion without degrading the meaningful choice of religion of others? That action would embrace the divine better than endless argument, wars and hatred.
