2. Religions Cultivate Good Character

World Scripture

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1.27

Whoever surrenders his purpose to God while doing good, his reward is with his Lord; and there shall be no fear come upon them, neither shall they grieve.
Qur’an 2.112

For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2.11-14

Make your mosque of compassion, your prayer mat of sincerity; your Qur’an of honest and legitimate earning. Be modesty your circumcision, noble conduct your Ramadan fast— thus shall you be a true Muslim. Make good deeds your Kaaba; truth your preceptor; good action your Kalima and namaz. Make your rosary of what pleases God: Thus will you be honored at the last reckoning.
Adi Granth, Var Majh, M.1, p. 140 (Sikhism)

What is to be avoided most in our life is vacillation and frivolity; what is most excellent is a reverential heart. Therefore, we Confucians endeavor to preserve sincerity of heart and consider reverence as most essential. It is needless to say that sincerity and reverence make us companions of heaven and earth, gods and spirits. There is, however, another class of people who adopt Buddhism as their guidance. They bow before the Buddha and recite his sutras, always bent on preserving reverence and awe. They will never relax the vigilant guard over the heart, which will by degrees become pure and bright, free from evil thoughts and ready to do good. This enlightenment is called their most happy land. What is necessary, then, for Buddhists as well as Confucians is to avoid vacillation and frivolity, which will render you unreliable. Keep the heart always restrained by reverence and awe. Otherwise what can be the use of the recitation of sutras or the discourses of Confucius?¹
Tract of the Quiet Way (Taoism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

The word “religion” in Chinese characters is 宗敎 (chongkyo in Korean). It means a floor-like teaching, in other words, the foundational teaching for human beings.
(92:309, April 24, 1977)

The church is the place where you cultivate your character and become a person of integrity. Due to the Fall we came to be in need of the church. The family and society are not sufficient to nurture a mature character; it doesn’t happen automatically. Nor does school: even if you attend a good college and then go on to earn a doctor’s degree, it will not restore your character. That is where the church has a role.
(25:126, September 30, 1969)

Through religions, God has been teaching people how to strengthen a God-centered spirit and reverse the body’s control over the mind; these further our character development. This is the reason why religions recommend that we fast, sacrifice and serve, be meek and humble, and so on. It is to weaken the power of the body and to have the body submit to the spirit. It normally takes three to five years for a person leading a life of faith to free him or herself from a body-centered, habitual lifestyle and establish a spirit-centered lifestyle.
(201:208-09, April 9, 1990)

Each religion that has appeared on this earth emerged from the deep will of God’s providence to teach the nature of love.
(Way of Unification 1.1.4.1)

Heaven is our original homeland, where we are meant to go. We fallen human beings are exiles from our original homeland, and hence our destiny is to return there. We cannot, however, enter heaven by ourselves, so through the course of history God has to set up paths to enable us to return. This is why God created the various religions: to be training grounds for heaven, illuminating paths for every people, culture and tradition. Religions are meant to train and polish people to be qualified to enter the region of the original homeland. To cope with humankind’s many different cultures, God set up paths in many directions, yet with each path related to the one standard. In this way, God is leading these various paths toward one unified religious world.
What do all religions teach to guide people to the original homeland? They promote the path of living for the sake of others. The higher the religion, the more strongly it emphasizes the importance of living for others. For example, religions teach us to be humble. Why? Because to live for others, we should be able to lift other people above ourselves. Religions also teach us to sacrifice and serve. Why? Through these ways, religions train people to fit the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven.
(78:117, May 6, 1975)