My recent discussion with Dr. Reynaldo Pareja, aired Sunday on “Created in the Image of God,” is one of those rare conversations that provides a quiet resonance, like a melody caught in the background of your day. Reynaldo is many things: a scholar, a communicator, a lifelong seeker, and a gentle yet rigorous explorer of our world’s most persistent questions. His background, stretching from the hills of Colombia to the halls of European universities, gives him a cosmopolitan ease—yet his focus remains firmly on one deceptively simple theme: the unity woven through all of creation.
In a week where headlines and comment sections seem engineered for division, I find myself craving reminders that unity is not a naïve ideal, but the very structure of reality itself. Here are some of the ways Reynaldo helped me look at unity, revelation, and the paradox of diversity in new ways—reflections I hope will spark your own curiosity, wherever you find yourself on the map.
1. The Universal Principle of Unity: From Cells to Civilizations
Reynaldo’s insight begins not with spiritual abstraction, but with matter itself. His work traces the logic of unity outward from the atomic, through the biological, up to the very structure of galaxies. The result is startling: unity is not mere wishful thinking. It’s the very architecture of existence.
Consider the cell. Each is a miracle of cooperation—a semi-permeable barrier, mindfully letting in what nourishes, guarding against invasion, yet always participating in a greater “we.” Cells harmonize into organs; organs form bodies; bodies become communities. Biology textbooks teach this, but Reynaldo’s originality is to insist that the same pattern recurs at every level, all the way to the cosmic dance of stars and the quietly miraculous bonds that hold families and societies together. Yes, there is difference—cell walls, cultural boundaries—but these are not walls for isolation; they are interfaces that make relationship, and thus unity, possible.
Unity, in Reynaldo’s telling, is the pattern that keeps the universe from collapsing into chaos. He describes how galaxies hold together, how human organs synchronize without our conscious direction, and how, when cooperation fails—when cells mutate into cancer, or societies fracture into warring tribes—destruction follows.
Here, the lesson stares us in the face. If unity is the thread running through all things, disharmony is both aberration and threat. When we ignore the call to work together—whether in families, neighborhoods, or nations—we are, quite literally, betraying the grain of reality. The systems fall apart. (Sound familiar?)
Yet there’s hope in this as well. If unity is so fundamental, then every small move towards harmony carries outsized potential. What bridges might we build—personally and collectively—if we remembered that unity is not an optional extra, but the deep logic of life?
2. Progressive Revelation: Why God Never Stops Speaking
A second theme from our conversation that has lingered is the Bahá’í concept of progressive revelation—an idea that startled Reynaldo when he first encountered it, and, truth be told, once startled me.
Progressive revelation holds that spiritual truth arrives in “chapters.” God, or the Divine, reveals wisdom in ways suited to the age, culture, and developmental needs of humanity, not unlike an ever-updating curriculum. Abraham spoke to nomads forming tribes; Moses gave law to a newly-liberated people; Christ reframed love and mercy in a fractured empire; Muhammad united the warring tribes of Arabia under a banner of justice. Why, then, would anyone suppose the Divine’s work in the world ended centuries ago?
It’s a radical, unsettling proposition. Every age, Reynaldo suggests, receives the revelation it requires, and each Messenger is part of a single, unfolding story. This dissolves the “us vs. them” at the root of so much religious strife—not “which one is true” but “how are they connected?” The implication: differences among religions are not evidence of contradiction, but of divine flexibility—God’s capacity to meet people where they are.
Yet this idea also forces discomfort. Most of us, religious or not, are habituated to guard what we know, to see wisdom as a finished product rather than an ongoing conversation. What might we be missing when we assume “the last word” has been spoken? Where do we see new truth—spiritual or otherwise—emerging today?
If you find yourself skeptical, I relate. I too scoffed when first told “all the religions are one.” The evidence of division, even violence, is everywhere. Yet, as Reynaldo gently insists, when we trace teachings to their roots—when we read the words of the Founders, not only the writings of their later interpreters—a pattern of unity emerges, a family resemblance impossible to ignore. The persistent “update” of wisdom may be less rupture, more continuity, than we imagine.
3. Unity in Diversity: How Oneness and Individuality Harmonize
The third challenge—and perhaps the most urgent for our moment—is to reconcile unity with diversity. Some fear “oneness” means enforced sameness, the erasure of difference (the infamous “Borg” from Star Trek comes to mind). But real unity is not conformity; it’s harmony.
Reynaldo and I explored the metaphor of the cell wall, the orchestra, the “community-building nucleus.” Each cell, group, or culture retains its defining traits, its boundaries, and loyalties. And yet, just as a body cannot function if its cells rebel or isolate, a society fractures if its members retreat into suspicion and self-protection. The task is not to lose ourselves in the collective, but to blend our distinct notes in pursuit of a greater motif.
In practice, this looks like vibrant interfaith gatherings, neighborhood “nuclei” where diverse families practice the art of consultation, shared service, and mutual learning. Sometimes, coming together is hard work—negotiating difference, risking misunderstanding. But again, the lesson from biology is instructive: health is not the exclusion of difference, but its purposeful integration. As Bahá’u’lláh wrote, unity is “a unity in diversity, like the flowers of one garden”—distinct colors, forms, and fragrances, yet mutually enhancing.
The dangers of losing this balance are all around us. Hyper-individualism turns every neighbor into a competitor; enforced sameness stifles creativity and breeds resentment. Real unity, as Reynaldo and the Bahá’í vision suggest, is made not despite difference but because of it. Collective progress depends on harmonizing strong identities with shared purpose.
Conclusion: Deep Patterns, Hard Questions
Why does this matter? Because in 2025, unity is not just a spiritual concern—it’s a survival skill. Our institutions—political, religious, social—are straining under the weight of unacknowledged diversity and poorly managed difference. Yet everywhere, at every level, the evidence of unity’s necessity is overwhelming, from the functioning of your own heart to the delicate choreography of planets.
So here is my invitation, drawn from Reynaldo’s example and my own restless seeking: What if you assumed, just for a day, that unity—however much it eludes us—really is the deepest pattern beneath the chaos? What would you notice? What small act, word, or gesture could tip even one relationship, one fractious group, toward harmony? Would you begin to listen more deeply—to those unlike you, and perhaps, even to the still, small voice within?
Call to Action: This week, look for unity in surprising places—a family dinner, a local committee, a story in the news that transcends partisanship. Reflect on where you see “progressive updating” in your own understanding, whether spiritual, practical, or personal. Seek out a person or a group that challenges your boundaries. See what happens when you lead with curiosity and openness rather than certainty.
Because as Reynaldo reminded me—and as creation itself proclaims—oneness is not the enemy of difference, but its highest expression.
What kind of world might we build if we believed that?
Comments and stories are welcome—how are you experiencing unity (or its absence) in your own corner of the world?
