In the light of President Trump’s recent revival of his infamous “travel ban,” I wanted to share an idea that I’ve had regarding religion in this world. This isn’t meant to be political or even meant to convince anyone of anything – just an idea in my head that comes from one simple, universal belief:

We all come from the same God.

Growing up Catholic, I’ve met many of those who believe in some form of Christianity. I’m a strong believer in my Catholic faith and I am proud of it, but I always remember growing up thinking, “how do others not believe in the same religion as I do?”

And as I’ve grown older, and I’ve met new people and experienced new places, I’ve come to the realization that the answer to my question is also simple – it’s impossible.

We as a country can rarely unanimously agree on one thing in today’s societal climate, so how in the world would I expect an entire world to believe in one particular God?

And as I would ask this, I’d be nervous. I’d think to myself, “if I’m allowing the possibility of others’ own God(s) to exist, am I denying the fact that the God I believe in is the only God there is?”

So I pondered on this for a number of years, specifically throughout high school. High school – the time when even those who come from the most religious of families stray from their beliefs to discover God on their own terms. I’ve met many an atheist or agnostic during these last few years. And meeting so many atheists added another question to my mind – “how can their be multiple Gods for one religion and also no God for nonbelievers?” Which lead to my asking, “this seems absurd, are atheists right that religion is just a fraud?”

All these thoughts roamed through my mind, and they’d actually keep me up at night.

As I became involved with politics, I realized that government officials speak to certain people with different approaches. This practice may be with voting demographics to earn their support, of course, but I’m mostly talking about those who deal with foreign nations and our relationship with them. I realized that in order to gain respect and/or support, you must know who you’re dealing with. You must know the person you’re talking to and how to reach them in an impactful, yet meaningful manner.

And then it clicked.

Not to compare God to a politician in any way – He’s certainly not in that ballpark, but I realized that if there’s anyone who knows us best, it’s Him. He knows who we are and our personality and what motivates us. He also knows that no single religion could ever entice an entire human race. So maybe, and this is just food for thought, but maybe He chooses to speak to us through many a religion. Through those He knows will live their life in an appropriate way through Catholicism, or Islam, or Judaism, or Hinduism, he allows each of us to hear His message in a way that can connect us to Him, even if the means in which we’re connected are different than that of our neighbor.

And even with agnostics or atheists, for those that believe in a higher power yet can’t seem to identify with a given religion or those that just don’t believe at all, I believe God is still speaking to them. He knows there are those who won’t be able to connect with any of the major religions and He knows there are those who won’t be able to connect at all regardless, so He allows those to live their lives in the most meaningful way possible instead of forcing them to conform to one religion.

I believe that there is one God, and He speaks to all of us in many ways, therefore each individual should be treated with respect regardless of which religion they (don’t) identify with.

I may be completely off-base. God is a mystery. And while he speaks to me through my Catholic faith, I also strive to recognize Him through others who hold different beliefs.