There were two churches in the tiny California ranching town where I grew up, the Methodist Church and the Assembly of God. The members of each church thought the members of the other church were clearly on the wrong side of God and subject to rejection at the pearly gates.

But, neither group castigated the other for its seemingly erroneous views. Tolerance and acceptance were the outward trappings, at least, of our community. When times called for coming together, whether to enjoy the town's premier annual event, high school graduation, or to mourn the loss of one of our neighbors, everyone belonged to the community, not to a particular church.

I've thought a lot about this dynamic during December, the month when three major religions celebrate important holidays. It's a time to remember what brings us together, rather than what separates us. It's a time to recall that religion should be not a divisive force, but one that values all human beings no matter what their beliefs.

As the birthday of Christ nears, we should remember that Jesus taught us love, forgiveness, tolerance and free will, the right and ability to make choices. As this year ends, we have the horrific reminders of what happens when those fundamental values are twisted into a distorted interpretation of religion. For it was Osama bin Laden's hatred of Western civilization, his smug belief that his brand of Islam gave him license to murder, and his dismissal of the fundamental humanity of Islam that underlay the terrible acts he perpetrated against Americans.

Not that Muslims are the only violators of the principles of love, forgiveness, tolerance and free will. The Inquisition is but one example of religion gone awry, where people were tortured, maimed and murdered because their beliefs didn't match those of the Church hierarchy. In recent years, we have seen ethnic cleansing, genocide, rape and other atrocities, all for a so-called religious cause.

This is certainly nothing new. Brutality has occurred throughout human history in the name of religion, usually because one group wanted to force its religious interpretations on those who differed with them. Osama bin Laden has a long line of notorious predecessors who made a mockery of religion by using it to justify depravity.

As Americans celebrate our end-of-the-year religious holidays, we should take a moment to look within, to question whether we are living up to the values of our respective religions. There are some among us who condemn others with different religious beliefs. What makes these zealots so sure that their brand of religion is the only pathway to paradise or to living a "good" life?

There are others who physically attack members of different faiths, not because they are threatened by any harm, but because they don't like what others believe. They seem to think that their religious certainty justifies violence against those who disagree. This is what bin Laden and countless others have used to validate their grotesque interpretations of religious values and the actions that accompany them. During this time of religious celebrations, let us remember the lessons taught by most of the world's religions-above all, the principle of treating our fellow human beings as valued, worthy individuals regardless of their religious beliefs. What makes great sense to one of us may not provide similar guidance to others who want to live loving, forgiving and tolerant lives. It is, after all, how we treat one another, not the words we use, that really determines whether we are living the values of our various religions.

Osama bin Laden has taught us that when one person decides he has the sole right to act in the name of God, the rights and humanity of the rest of us can suffer horribly. Like the people in my hometown, who put aside their religious differences in the interests of building a better community, this is the time of year to reaffirm our commitment to a better world, based on those important religious principles of love, forgiveness, tolerance and free will.