Religion gets a bad rep sometimes when it comes to inclusion, often due to how it’s been interpreted or misused by people with an agenda.
However, if you look at many core religious texts themselves—without all the noise—you’ll find surprising messages about kindness, equality, and embracing those who are different. Here are a few things religious texts actually say about inclusion that might change the way you see them.
1. “Love your neighbour” wasn’t just about people like you.
This phrase shows up in the Bible, but similar ideas appear across religious traditions. The original meaning didn’t come with fine print. Your neighbour wasn’t just your friend, family member, or someone who shared your background—it meant anyone near you, even a stranger. The message was about connection over division. It pushed for a wider circle of compassion, long before modern conversations about inclusivity even started.
2. Hospitality to strangers is a recurring commandment.
From the Torah to the Quran, showing kindness to strangers isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a repeated, firm instruction. Welcoming other people, especially outsiders, is seen as a sacred responsibility. It’s a theme that shows up again and again: treat the traveller, the foreigner, or the unfamiliar guest with dignity. Inclusion, in many ancient texts, starts with how we treat the people we don’t know.
3. Many prophets and spiritual leaders were outsiders themselves.
If you look closely, most major religious figures were not embraced by the in-crowd. They were often rejected, challenged, or misunderstood in their time. Their stories show how wisdom, courage, and goodness don’t always come from those at the centre of power. This thread reminds us that being an outsider isn’t a flaw—it’s often where deep purpose and perspective begin. Inclusion starts by listening to the voices that are easy to overlook.
4. The concept of oneness appears more than you’d think.
Many spiritual traditions talk about unity—how, at our core, we’re all part of the same creation. In the Quran, for example, it speaks of all people being created from a single soul. In Hindu texts, the divine spark exists in everyone. That shared spiritual core suggests something powerful: that our differences are surface-level, but underneath, we’re connected. It’s a deeply inclusive idea, even if it’s not always the one we hear first.
5. Acts of kindness matter more than identity labels.
In both the Bible and the Quran, there’s a strong emphasis on character—how you treat people, how you show mercy, how you live your values. Over and over, kindness is placed above status, tribe, or social group. That message flies in the face of exclusion. It suggests that what counts most isn’t who you are on paper, but how you behave toward other people, especially the vulnerable or marginalised.
6. Judgement is discouraged, and mercy is encouraged.
While some people use religion to point fingers, the actual texts often say the opposite. In Christianity, for example, there’s the line, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” In Buddhism, compassion is at the heart of practice, even for those who have done harm. Religious texts frequently caution against playing moral police. Instead, they steer readers toward mercy, humility, and looking at our own hearts before we assess anyone else’s.
7. Helping the poor and oppressed is non-negotiable.
You’ll struggle to find a religious text that doesn’t emphasise caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan, or the outsider. It’s not presented as an optional bonus—it’s seen as central to a meaningful spiritual life. That call to uplift those on the margins is one of the clearest examples of inclusion in action. It’s about centring care where it’s most needed, without exception.
8. Women play more central roles than people often assume.
Many assume religious texts are all male-dominated, but look again, and you’ll find powerful women woven throughout. From Mary in Christianity to Khadijah in Islam, or the fierce female sages of Hinduism and Judaism, women’s voices are present, even if they haven’t always been highlighted. Inclusion also means acknowledging these roles and remembering that spiritual wisdom has never belonged to just one gender.
9. Forgiveness is extended to everyone, no conditions.
Most spiritual teachings put forgiveness front and centre. And it’s not selective. It’s offered to everyone, no matter their past, their background, or their social standing. The idea is that everyone has the capacity to change and be embraced again. It’s not just about second chances; it’s about recognising the humanity in every person, even the ones other people might write off. That’s a deeply inclusive idea, and one that shows up again and again.
10. Unity in diversity is actually a celebrated concept.
In Islam, there’s a verse that says people were made into “nations and tribes so that you may know one another.” Not to compete or clash, but to understand. In Christianity, the early church was a mix of people from all walks of life, bonded by shared values rather than sameness. Across many traditions, diversity isn’t presented as a problem—it’s a strength. That spirit of inclusion runs deeper than people often realise.
11. Inclusion of those with disabilities and illnesses was radical—and real.
Many sacred stories involve people who were blind, paralysed, sick, or struggling. And they weren’t ignored or hidden; they were at the heart of major moments. In the Gospels, Jesus spends much of his time healing and honouring those society left out. That message was powerful back then, and it still is now. Spiritual inclusion often starts with those the world forgets to include at all.
12. Love is always shown to be stronger than law.
Source: Pexels Across many texts, love is shown as the highest commandment. In Christianity, Jesus famously says that loving other people sums up all the laws and commandments. In Judaism, acts of loving kindness are said to sustain the world. The focus on love doesn’t dismiss boundaries; it just places connection, care, and empathy above cold rule-following. It’s a reminder that religion, at its best, should build bridges, not walls.
13. Inclusion isn’t about tolerating difference; it’s about welcoming it.
Religious texts don’t always use the word “inclusion,” but the idea shows up in action. Welcoming the stranger, caring for the outcast, honouring every soul—that’s not tolerance. That’s open-hearted hospitality. That kind of inclusion asks more of us, but it also gives more in return. It’s about creating community, not just making room. And that idea has been part of sacred traditions for a lot longer than people think.
14. Silence in the face of injustice is often condemned.
In many traditions, staying quiet in the face of oppression or exclusion isn’t neutral—it’s wrong. The prophets, sages, and teachers often spoke out, even when it was uncomfortable or dangerous to do so. Religious texts often show that standing with the excluded is part of spiritual responsibility. Real inclusion doesn’t just mean being kind—it means being willing to speak up when other people are shut out.
