Preface of the Book

We Should Be One book image This book may be unlike any that you have ever read. It is a book about faith. It speaks of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths; but it is not a book that has been sanctioned by any of these religions. In fact, it is likely that many people of these religions will condemn the book as pure folly or even heresy.

The primary resource that was used in this book is the Word of God—the Word that has been given in the Holy Books of these three great faiths—the Jewish Tanakh, the Christian Bible and the Islamic Qur’an. In that regard, this book is more about the Word of God than it is about faith. It is about the common and consistent Word of God that has been given to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. These passages reveal the unchanging nature of that Word. In the Qur’an, Surah 50:29, Allah states: “The Word changes not before Me.” In the Bible, Matthew 24:35, Jesus states: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” In the Tanakh, under inspiration of YHVH, Psalm 119:160 states: “Truth is the essence of Your word; Your just rules are eternal” and Psalm 119:89–90 states: “Your word stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness is for all generations.” God clearly states that His Word is consistent—that it has been the same from the beginning and will continue to be the same forever more—and He has said it to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

Now, before we begin, I want you to know that the author of this book is not an authority. I do not have advanced degrees in Religious Studies or any credentials that might entice you to read this work; and I do not speak for any of these great religions, nor do I write to endorse any of them. I write to share new insights about the Word of God that I received in a dream, and clarification that came in the following weeks and months which helped make sense of that dream.

This was a dream of uncommon proportions. It was a dream that started in the dead of night and continued long after awakening. It was a story that kept rolling around in my head and it was so exciting that there was no way that I could get back to sleep. It was an inspiration that would not go away. Day after day and night after night, the story continued to unfold. It was a story that had to be told! It was a Book that had to be written!

It occurred during the Lenten season of 2014 … but let me start with a little background.

I am a man who has lived his whole life as a Roman Catholic Christian. I have always had an interest in Holy Scripture and have been an avid and enthusiastic reader of the Bible for nearly 40 years. I have spent thousands of hours reading, contemplating, reflecting upon, and studying God’s Word. I have participated in Bible Studies and led Bible discussion groups for much of that time. Through it all, I had gradually developed an understanding of God’s Word; but I was always searching for more—a better and more complete understanding.

I have attended Mass nearly every Sunday since I was born, participated in the Sacraments, and like most Catholics, I have always done something for Lent. That is the period of 40 days before Easter in which we are to prepare ourselves spiritually for the Easter celebration. We Catholics generally give up some food, drink, or activity that we enjoy, do some extra service for others, or give a little more money to the poor. About 10 years before this dream, I began thinking that this was not enough. It seemed that I should engage in a more significant, more meaningful, and more personal Lenten practice—something that would help me become closer to God or to help me understand Him better; so I started taking on a project each Lenten Season. Each project was intended to help me learn more about the Word of God and more about my faith, and to help me grow closer to God. One year I studied the Gospel of Mark. One year I read all the Books of the Prophets, looking for prophesies concerning the Messiah. Another year I read all of the Epistles searching for insights of how the faith may have changed over the first 70 years of Christianity. One year I concentrated on the early years of Judaism. Well, you get the picture.

These were not huge projects, but they did enlighten me in many ways. I began to get a better feel for the Jewish people and for the reasons we Christians see ourselves related to them. I developed a greater respect for them and for the special relationship that they have with their God, YHVH. I also began to understand my faith better, and each year, became much more familiar with the Word of God.

When I had that dream in 2014, I was having difficulty choosing a Lenten project. I had already read and studied most of the Bible and had explored the history of Christianity. I had read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and studied important aspects of the Catholic Mass. It was just a dry time when nothing seemed to be of special interest. Then, one Sunday while I was praying at Mass, it occurred to me that maybe I should try to expand my faith a little bit. Maybe I should read the Islamic Qur’an. I thought that could certainly be eye opening!

Since I had never even considered reading this book, I checked one out of the public library—an English translation entitled The Meaning of the HOLY QUR’AN by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. I started reading and was enthralled. The words rolled off the page much like poetry. The phrases were brilliantly crafted and the message was clear.

To my surprise, many of the same stories that I had read in the Bible were also there in the Qur’an. I read about Allah creating the Heavens and Earth, and all that is in them in six days. I read the story of Noah and the Great Flood. I read the story of Abraham, about his calling, and about the Covenant that Allah made with him. I read the stories of Jacob and his son Joseph. I read the story of Moses and the miraculous events surrounding the Israelite’s Exodus from Egyptian slavery. I read the story of Allah giving Moses the Ten Commandments. They were all there in the Islamic Qur’an and were presented very much as they are presented in the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Bible.

When I started this project, I expected that the Qur’an would be something very different from the Bible. After all, Muslims, Christians, and Jews have been fighting each other for nearly 1500 years, citing their Holy Scripture as justification. What I learned was that the Qur’an nearly mirrored parts of the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Bible.

In some instances, the stories in the Qur’an were more detailed than what I had read in the Bible. The Qur’an enlivened those stories—made them come to life. The Qur’an put me there in the midst of the stories.

By this time, I had begun to think that the Qur’an, Tanakh, and Bible seemed to be the same kind of book—just written at different times with different perspectives. It seemed to me that they could have been written for the same reason—just for different people. It was in this frame of mind that the dream came to me; a dream which revealed a certainty that each of our great religions are based on the Word of God, and that each of us has truth in our belief—but none of us has the complete and total truth. Each of us has a portion of that truth; but each of us can still learn from the others. Indeed, this dream and the ensuing 4 years’ work have helped me to recognize that all of these Holy Books and all of these religions are pieces of the puzzle that is God. It was with intensity that the thoughts kept coming and it was with a conviction that I had never before experienced that led me to write.

I am not exaggerating when I say that my reading of the Qur’an and the dream that followed have become a turning point in my life. It was as if a light bulb had been turned on and I was able to see things that I had never noticed, things that I didn’t even know existed. It was an ‘ah-ha’ moment after which nothing has been the same. As a Roman Catholic Christian, I believed that I had everything that I needed to know about God. Now, I see that I did not. This was truly a revelation that I felt an intense need to share.

Now, let me try to put this awakening into perspective. Two of my favorite movies exemplify the illumination (or epiphany) that I have received—The Princess Bride and Ghost. Both of them have ‘ah-ha’ moments that reveal something that had been previously unseen. These two movies speak to the amazement of recognizing something that was hidden, the magic of receiving new understanding.

In the movie, Ghost, Sam and Molly are deeply in love. However, whenever Molly told Sam that she loved him, his reply was always “ditto.” Early in the movie, Sam was killed, but his ghost remained. After his death, he desperately tried to communicate with Molly, but without success. Fortunately, he discovered that he could communicate with a medium, Oda Mae Brown, and he enlisted her to help him. She reluctantly agreed and met with Molly to tell her that Sam was still here and that he needed to speak with her. Molly, however, could not believe what she was being told and considered Oda Mae to be a fraud. One day Molly had had enough and began to walk away. Sam had to do something and he told Oda Mae to tell her that he loved her. She blurted out “Sam says he loves you.” Molly turned around and said, “Sam would never say that”. At that point, Molly was even more certain that Oda Mae was a fraud and again started to walk away. Out of desperation, Sam tells her to say ‘ditto’ and she did. With that, Molly’s eyes were opened and she knew that Sam was indeed there, speaking with her.

In The Princess Bride, there was a young lady, Buttercup and a servant, Wesley. Whenever Buttercup asked for anything or gave an order, Wesley would simply reply, “As you wish.” In time, Wesley and Buttercup fell in love. He, however, had to leave, and unfortunately, his ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts and he was unable to return or send word of his plight. Over time, the pirate died and Wesley took on the persona of the Dread Pirate Roberts. He then came back—to save Buttercup from marrying a man she did not love, an evil prince. Buttercup did not recognize him; and from their conversations, she believed that he had killed her love. When she had an opportunity, she pushed him down a big hill and yelled, “You could die too for all I care.” As he was tumbling down the hill, he yelled back “assss—youuuuu—wiiiiishhh.” With that, her eyes were opened and she knew that this was her love, Wesley.

Every time I read through these examples, my eyes tear up and my heart fills—almost experiencing the love that these people had rediscovered in their ‘ah-ha’ moments.

There is a story that is very similar to these in the Bible, Luke 24:13–35. I highly encourage you to read it; but here is a summary. After Jesus had died, his disciples were feeling completely lost, and some even began to head back home to resume the lives that they had left to follow Him. Two of them were walking along the road to Emmaus when a stranger met up with them and a conversation ensued. He asked why they seemed so dejected, and they spoke of how disappointed they were that the man they had been following, Jesus, had been killed. Verse 21 states: “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.” As they were walking, the stranger recalled for them the Messianic prophesies, and revealed how they applied to Jesus. They were enthralled and asked him to stay with them longer so the conversation could continue. He did, “and it happened that while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.” This was Jesus— the same Jesus who had broken bread with them and blessed it in this same way just before he was taken to his death, the same Jesus who had been crucified and buried just three days earlier. He was alive again—and in the breaking of the bread, they knew it!

Sometimes we have truth standing right in front of us and we don’t recognize it. Sometimes it takes a special moment to open our eyes to see that truth. That is what happened with Molly. That is what happened with Buttercup. That is what happened with the two disciples, and that is what happened with me.

While reading the Holy Qur’an for the first time, it was like a light bulb was turned on and I could see more clearly by that new light. With that new vision, I was inspired to write this book—but I had no idea what would be in store for me. Frequently over the last four years, I have received insight into the truth of God’s Word. I would be awakened at 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning with something rattling around in my head, exciting me with some new insight that I had never before considered. I would have to get up, rush to my computer, and start typing. It was as if a veil had been lifted from in front of my eyes, and I could see clearly.

For the first time, I realized that the Holy Bible that I had embraced all my life was only a part of God’s revelation. With the reading of the Qur’an, my eyes were opened.

It is my hope that in reading this book, you will discover some new truth that you had never before considered, and that you will experience the excitement that such an ‘ah-ha’ moment brings. Before we go further, you should understand that there are four main objectives of this book.

To show that the Holy Books of the three great monotheistic faiths all reveal the same Word of God.
To reveal that each Revelation validates earlier Revelations, the people to whom they were given and the faiths which resulted.
To demonstrate that the Word of God is veiled in each of the Holy Books and that it must be explored to properly understand His Word.
To look critically at some of the most important beliefs of each or our religions that have separated us throughout the ages, beliefs that could be based on misunderstandings of God’s Word.

Lastly, I hope that your understanding of God and His Holy Word becomes more complete, and that you grow closer to God with each new insight; and that, in the end, you will agree with me that we should be one—united in the Word of God.