What ideas and beliefs tie judaism, christianity, islam, and buddhism together? what ideas do they share with each other, and what is behind the similarities? even more important, what do these similarities suggest about our general beliefs about our world, our role in it, and about our humanity? how commonly do we see these similarities in our society today, and what factors into our understanding of our coming ideas? how might these similarities play out in today's world if we understood them more fully?