We Are All One by Rev. Teresa Stuefloten, M.Div. 9/28/2025

“It is all one!” This is the realization that came to me unbidden, out of the ether, as I was sitting with a group after Sunday service at the lovely progressive Lutheran Church I had attended for years, listening to a recording from the Jesus Seminar. That sudden realization of our oneness came out of the blue for me and I struggled to explain this revelation to the rest of the group. No one seemed to understand what I was talking about. I just got confused looks and blank stares in response. This was a group of highly educated people, professors and other professionals, but no one spoke up in agreement.

Spirit had given me a nudge. This is when I knew I had to find my people in order to further explore this insight. I spoke with my pastor, who empathized and said they talk about things like this in seminary, but most people in the church are not ready to hear it. He pointed me to a spiritual center I might want to try out to see if it was a better fit for me. Around the same time someone pointed me to Divine Science. This led me to an exploration of many spiritual philosophies and the opportunity to see their oneness.

In the book, Divine Science, Its Principle and Practice, is stated:

All substance is Spirit, eternal and changeless in essence. The outward form may seem to change, but the inner form, which is God’s thought, remains eternally the same.

All substance is one.

All substance is pure, whole and perfect. The visible universe is the Spirit of God in action.

All is God and God in action. (pp 40-41)

“There is only one Mind, one Substance, one Source, one Presence, one Power, one Life - All Good. Although Truth is omnipresent and changeless; although man lives, moves and has his being in God, the All Good; although he dwells in the kingdom of heaven, if he is not conscious of it, he may go on his way lacking many things and losing the blessedness that IS his.”

(pp 42-43)

“Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament when he gave but two commandments: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.’ Deut.6:5, and ‘…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…’ Lev.19:18 … When we realize the oneness and divinity of Life in all things we sense a universal justice, strength, and harmony back of all creation which when understood will be expressed as love.”

(pp 44-45) End of quotes

In Divine Science we believe that all is one. We are one with God, Spirit, our Source, and we are one with one another.

If we understand that we are one and live with the knowledge that what we do to another person, we do to ourselves, then we will naturally want to lift others up. We will naturally want to be kind, caring and compassionate toward others. We will naturally want to help others have a better life. We will understand that every time we lift another person up we lift the whole of humanity.

If we understand our oneness with all of humanity, and the collective consciousness that we share, we will understand that every thought we think and every word we say goes into the collective consciousness. Right now there are many thoughts of anger, hatred, prejudice, unkindness, and revenge going into the collective consciousness. This vibration affects all of us and makes many feel ungrounded, uneasy, scared, and frightened as to what will happen next. The Earth plane feels unpredictable because of rapid change in the collective consciousness. The people who are putting out these negative thoughts are not spiritually awake. That is why it is so important to stay grounded in our own spiritual practice, lifting our own thoughts and our consciousness to the highest level. If we are grounded in higher consciousness we will be able to navigate the shifts in the Earth plane with calmness and the assurance that we will be okay no matter what happens in the physical realm.

We are Spirit having a temporary human experience. This Earth plane was never intended to be our permanent home. We are learning lessons here. The Earth is merely our school room. Remember when you were in elementary school, learning to read and write, spell, add and subtract and memorize the times tables? I was never good at those times tables! But we learned what we were in elementary school to learn and we moved on to our higher education. We kept learning and moving higher in our education. It’s the same with our current experience in Earth School. We learn our basic lessons in kindness, caring, compassion, love, faith, and generosity. Then we can move on to the school higher understanding. I do think the concept of oneness is part of our higher education. Many seem unable to grasp this concept, which is Truth with a capital T.

The Christian Bible has many references to our oneness, but many seem unable to understand the concept, based on their eagerness to demonize immigrants and treat them cruelly. I guarantee this is not what they would want done to themselves.

Romans 12:4-5 “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same function. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that dwells within you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?”

1 Corinthians 12:12 “For as the body is one and has many members, and all of the members of the body, even though many, are one body, so also is Christ.”

When we know our oneness with God we can know our oneness with one another, and our oneness with all of humanity. Then we act with love wanting for others what we want for ourself, and actively seeking to promote the well-being of others.

Yolanda King said, “I have chosen to continue to promote 'we're one, the oneness of us,' and shine the spotlight, as my father did.”

“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. frequently spoke on the inherent oneness of humanity, a concept he expressed as being "tied in a single garment of destiny" within an "inescapable network of mutuality". He taught that all people are interconnected and interdependent, meaning that the suffering or triumph of one directly affects all others. This worldview formed the foundation of his vision for the "Beloved Community," a society where people of all backgrounds live together in harmony, respect, and justice.”

“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that all life and all of humanity are interrelated, a fundamental truth of existence. He emphasized that individuals cannot be fully "what they ought to be" until others are also "what they ought to be". One's own well-being is intrinsically linked to the well-being of others.”

“His metaphor of being tied in a "single garment of destiny" illustrates that humanity shares a common, inescapable fate. Whatever happens to one person or group ultimately impacts everyone.”

“The Beloved Community is his vision of a future society built on principles of peace, justice, and unity, where people of all races, ethnicities, and religions can live together in mutual respect.”

“King viewed the Beloved Community not as a distant dream but as a tangible and achievable goal that requires collective effort and a commitment to love and nonviolence.”

“King believed in confronting inequality. His call for oneness extended to economic inequality, as he argued that poverty and injustice affect everyone and that the salvation of the poor is the salvation of the entire nation.”

“In his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, King envisioned a future where all of God's children could "join hands" and sing the words of freedom.”

“His philosophy of oneness provided the rationale for confronting injustice, as he argued that ignoring injustice anywhere makes it possible for injustice to persist everywhere.” (AI Overview)

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s deep faith in God gave him the understanding of our oneness and the vision of his purpose. Like Christ Jesus, he was killed for calling out those in power for their abuses.

There are other powerful leaders who have known and understood the power of oneness:

“Gandhi reminded those who followed his faith that perhaps its most important aspect was its commitment to oneness.”

Ro Khanna

Desmond Tutu said, “The God who existed before any religion counts on you to make the oneness of the human family known and celebrated.”

Swami Vivekananda said, “All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.”

When we go within in meditation and prayer, we feel the sense of our oneness with God and with one another. Peace Pilgrim said, “Praying without ceasing is not ritualized, nor are there even words. It is a constant state of awareness of oneness with God.”

As we live our faith we live in oneness.

Eckhart Tolle said of meditation and oneness, “In the stillness of your presence, you can feel your own formless and timeless reality as the unmanifested life that animates your physical form. You can then feel the same life deep within every other human and every other creature. You look beyond the veil of form and separation. This is the realization of oneness. This is love.”

There is an foundation called Ryan’s Well. It grew from the compassion of a young boy who realized his oneness with children in Africa who did not have water. From the website:

“The Foundation grew from the passion and courage of one 6-year-old boy, Ryan Hreljac. Ryan was inspired to take action as a grade one student when he learned of the devastating consequences for people without access to safe drinking water. He was remarkably determined as he succeeded in rallying his community to help him raise the funds needed to build one well in Uganda, Africa – one well that has changed everything. Now, more than 20 years later, Ryan’s Well Foundation is a team of people committed to providing access to safe water and sanitation as an essential way to improve lives in the developing world. We also educate people about the importance of accessing safe water and sanitation services, and look to motivate people of all ages to take action and effect positive change in the world.”

Ryan says, “My story is really very simple. One day in January 1998, I was sitting in my Grade One classroom. My teacher, Mrs. Prest, explained that people were sick and some were even dying because they didn’t have clean water. She told us that some people walked for hours in Africa and sometimes it was just to get dirty water.

All I had to do was take 10 steps from my classroom to get to the drinking fountain and I had clean water. Before that day in school, I figured everyone lived like me. When I found out this wasn’t the case, I decided I had to do something about it.

So, I went home and begged my mom and dad to help. After a few days, they told me I could do extra chores to earn the $70 I thought would build a well. I thought that’s all it would take to solve the world’s water problem. I worked for four months to earn my first $70. Then I learned that it was actually going to cost $2,000 to build a well in a place like Uganda. I also learned that the problem was way bigger than I realized.

I started speaking to service clubs, school classes, to anyone who would listen to my story so that I could raise money for my first well at Angolo Primary School in Uganda. That’s how my little Grade One project became Ryan’s Well Foundation.

I attended University of King’s College in Halifax on the east coast of Canada and graduated in 2014 with a Double Major in International Development and Political Science. I returned to the Foundation as a Project Manager and I am now the Executive Director. I speak around the world on water issues and the importance of making a difference no matter who you are or how old you are.

My advice to anyone is that, in order to make a positive change in the world, you need to find something you are passionate about and then you need to take steps to act. For me, the issue is water and sanitation. Water is essential to all life. I hope my story is a reminder that we can all make a difference – it applies to each and every one of us.” (www.ryanswell.ca)

Paramahansa Yogananda, in his book, “Where There is Light,” says that when we come from the realization of our oneness we want to make others happy.

He said, “Compassion toward all beings is necessary for divine realization, for God Himself is overflowing with this quality. Those with a tender heart can put themselves in the place of others, feel their suffering, and try to alleviate it.” (P13)

Of our own happiness, Yogananda said, “Happiness lies in making others happy, in forsaking self-interest to bring joy to others…

Giving happiness to others is tremendously important to our own happiness and a most satisfying experience. Some people think only of their own family: ‘Us four and no more.’ Others think only of self. ‘How am I going to be happy?’ But these are the very persons who do not become happy! …

To live for self is the source of all misery.” (p. 116)

“In being of spiritual, mental, and material service to others, you will find your own needs fulfilled. As you forget self in service to others, you will find that, without seeing it, your own cup of happiness will be full….

The deeper you meditate and the more willingly you serve, the happier you will be.” p.117 (end of quotes)

I found this beautiful story online that illustrates the power of embracing another in oneness:

It is titled, Paderewski.

A mother, wishing to encourage her young son’s progress at the piano bought tickets for a performance by Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish concert pianist. When the night arrived they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on stage.

Soon the mother found a friend to talk to and the boy slipped away. When eight o’clock arrived, the spotlights came on, the audience quieted, and only then did they notice the boy up on the piano stool, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the master appeared on stage and quickly moved to the piano.

“Don’t quit – keep playing” he whispered to the boy. Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obligato. Together the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and again, “Don’t quit – keep playing”. And as we do he augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created. (Source: Leadership Magazine, Spring 1983)

I have seen quite a few video clips lately on YouTube and Facebook where a pianist is playing the piano in a public place, an airport, a mall, or an outdoor area where many people are walking by. Someone comes up to the pianist and asks if they can sing with them. Or they ask if the pianist knows a certain song and ask if they can play with them. The person has an instrument in a case, often a violin. As the pianist plays the requested song, the person joins in with their voice or the instrument. They smile at one another and communicate with body language. The blending of the two makes beautifully exquisite music. People passing by stop and a large crowd gathers around. People are smiling and show astonishment at the high level of the performance. Some are videoing the performance on their phone. There is a synergy in the crowd. The performers are blending their talents and their spirits in oneness. The appreciation of the crowd enhances the feeling of oneness. This is an example of humanity at its best, feeling the joy of oneness. The fact that there is so much of this being posted on social media shows that we as humans are craving that experience of oneness. We want to feel that we belong to one another. We want connection. And the truth is, we are one! We just have to realize it and live from our oneness.

I will end with one more quote from Paramahansa Yoganada that I absolutely love. It illustrates the effect of life lived from oneness. He said, “When you came into this world, you cried and everyone else smiled. You should so live your life that when you leave, everyone else will cry, but you will be smiling.”