Christian teachings on communal harmony and peace

The Holy Bible is full of messages on peace and reconciliation. But, if the followers believe in those messages but do not put them into practice, they actually deprive themselves of the blessings that those good beliefs can give. Jesus Christ is called ‘The Prince of Peace’ in the Bible. The Gospel according to St John records that Jesus is recorded to have said to his disciples in one of his post-resurrection appearances, “Peace be with you!” He said this to the troubled disciples three times (verses 19, 21, 26) in the penultimate chapter of the gospel, i.e., chapter 20, when he found them greatly worried and concerned about their safety of life. They were utterly troubled as their teacher or rabbi was killed, and they were apprehensive of a similar fate for themselves at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders, who had handed over Jesus to the Roman authority to be crucified, eventually.
Matthew 5:9 records Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Jesus also said, “So in everything, do to others as you would have them to do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7). Luke also records the same words of Jesus in Luke 6:31. Peace and harmony have a cost to pay for. It is always prepaid. Christian teaching is that we love and respect others before we expect love and respect from others. Before Jesus said, “Do to others as you would have others to do to you”, some Jewish religious teachers said the same thing in the negative. It used to be said, “Do not do to others what you would not have others to do to you!” Christ said the things with a positive meaning. We should give others first the thing that we would like to have from them. This very positive attitude to life and living enhances and glorifies life in the society for the lasting good for all.

What the usual worldly standard and/or practice is: we wish to get good treatment from others first, and then we may give the same treatment to them! We always wish to declare that ours is the greatest and most sublime religion in the world. How can we say that? We cannot and should not criticise any other religious belief as inferior to ours until and unless we practise what is best teaching in our own faith.
Paul, the greatest missionary of Christ, exhorted his readers at the Church in Rome (in his epistle to the Romans) thus: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18).  Further down in the same chapter at verse 21, he fervently exhorts the same people with the words, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (verse 21). The greatest chapter on selfless love is discussed by Paul in a unique manner in 1 Corinthians 13 in the following words: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have no love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. . . . And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 
These invaluable words of Paul are sandwiched between the two sections on either side of these in his descriptions of various kinds of miraculous and great deeds that could be performed by the followers of Christ. This is done so because the writer of these words wanted to show that whatever and however great works one can do for others, it is tantamount to nothingness unless they are done in selfless and pure love. Love is divine. It is the supreme virtue in every religious belief. There is nothing like it! No human virtue excels love.
In a list of the seven sins that man commits, pride or arrogance tops the list. I quote the relevant scripture here: “There are six things that LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes (i.e., pride or arrogance), a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19). According to the Holy Bible, ‘pride’ is the worst of all sins. It is the root of most of our sins. The antonym of this is humility. Humility and love are the best of human virtues. We have the words ‘human', 'humanity', 'humble', and even ‘humus’, something that makes the topsoil of the earth productive. If we want to do something for lasting benefit for others, we do it with love and humility. 
We can love others, our neighbours, and people who differ from us.  Our human glory lies in loving and bearing with others, others who differ from us in any aspect of life, whether religious faith or in any other. God is the wise and righteous judge of all. Let us not first judge others and condemn them.
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The writer is a Christian Theology teacher and Church leader