Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the three great "monotheistic" religions. Each of these religions professes belief in one God. Indeed, faith in one God is traced by all these religions to the faith of the patriarch Abraham, who with his wife Sarah made a journey at the urging of this God around 1850 B.C.

Belief in one God may seem to us to be the most obvious idea in the world — perhaps even a trivial idea. All good ideas, however, seem obvious to people who have always known them. Belief in one God is somewhat like the inspiration to put an eraser on the end of a pencil. It is a good idea, and we recognize it as such, but only because somebody already had the idea and acted on it. Once someone started putting erasers on pencils, the users of pencils had to ask themselves: "Is this a fad?"; and then, as they tried out the idea, "Why didn't I think of this?"

The idea that there is one God is an insight which changes the way in which people look at themselves and the world they live in. This change has to do with the understanding of power and how to wield it.

Before the one-God idea, people looked at the multiplicity of forces at work in the world. They relied upon sunshine and rain from the heavens for the growth of crops good for food. They looked to lakes and rivers, and to springs welling up from the ground, to provide them with the water which was absolutely necessary for life. They knew the difference between health and sickness and they hoped to ward off sickness and safeguard health.

It seemed that the forces which provided good things were multiple. People imagined various gods in charge of weather, water, food, and health. They supposed that it was necessary to learn how to influence the gods. They tried to wield power over the gods.

By contrast, the notion of one God leads people toward an understanding that such a God cannot be controlled. An attitude of trust must take the place of attempts at manipulation.

The very name of the religion "Islam" means "submission." Anyone who believes in one God becomes aware, with only a little reflection, that this God knows the needs of human beings. This God is not pushed around. God sees to the needs of people who are our brothers and sisters even though we don't know them. This God calls us to submit to an awareness that he has created one human family.

We can take this one fundamental idea — the existence of one God — and then apply it to our perceptions of human living. This God, of course, would have us act in accord with the great truth of human kinship. This fact may seem to be too little and too late in the face of ridicule and violence. But good ideas must take root somewhere. May they be rooted in our hearts.