Sure, you've heard it said before. It's what all CHRISTIANS espouse. If there is to be COMMUNITY there have to be some BUILDING BLOCKS that are mutually agreed upon; however, within the commonalities are many and diversified personalities. Humanity only progresses within constructive and loving antithesis. But, without things held in COMMON, there is no COMMUNITY.

Tom Harpur puts it this way, "The most urgent question for a multicultural and heterogeneous society that we see in the world today is how to find the key, common values on which a harmonious community can be built while still preserving our differences."

Bingo!

For me it's not a matter of being religious or not religious, deeply spiritual or superficially inclined. There is at the CORE of all religions a global ethic which seems to be hard-wired in us even though many disconnect at various times and it's generally called the GOLDEN RULE! It goes like this-

>Do as you would be done by. Greek writer Hesiod (700BCE)
>What you do not want done to yourself, do not unto others. Confucius (491BCE)
>He harms himself who harms another. Aristotle (333BCE)

And then the principle is found in all major religions:

>Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do to them- Christianity.
>What is hateful to you do not to your fellowmen- Judaism.
>Desire for your brother that which you desire for yourself- Islam.
>Do nothing to others which would cause you pain if done to you- Hinduism.
>Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful- Buddhism.
>Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and his loss your loss- Taoism.

It seems pretty obvious that there is at the CORE of all religions a common thread and it also seems that few religions have ADHERENTS who are fully embracing that CORE. Jesus called it unconditional love. Why don't we give more time to the PRACTICE of it and less time to debating the differences in doctrines. Whatcha say?