Man created god when god was needed. It is time to move beyond that need. 

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

In his most recent book, The Social Conquest of Earth, the great biologist Edward O. Wilson describes how across human history religion has contributed to social stability, in-group collaboration, survival, and great cultural achievements. But he also perceives these ancient benefits have been superseded. Too often, he suggests, religion is "no more than a tribe..." If religion is principally characterized by distinction from and antagonism toward other religions, then Wilson argues it is a biological trap that we need to move beyond.

Tribalism is also trap for religion.  It is a trap that many -- including Isaiah, Jesus, and Mohammed -- have warned against.  It is a trap that needs filling in for good.

Any God -- worth the name -- is beyond my full comprehension. The source of generative order, animating principle, creative dialectic, emergent reality cannot be fully framed by any scripture sermon, liturgy, or tribal claim. No matter how accurate a particular religious insight may be, no language or human conceptualization can define the infinite.

And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Exodus 33:19-20)

Each of the great traditions is an angle on That Which Exists.  Much as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and their subordinate specializations each tell us something particular regarding empirical reality, so do Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and more each have their unique claims and perspective on transcendent reality.

And That Which Exists said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you..." This morning the fragrance of honeysuckle is in the air, the stars glisten, a soft breeze caresses my face.  This same goodness is offered to all.