Parable of the three rings

Although the weather was hot, Joe and I went ahead with our scheduled walking tour of Vienna. The cathedrals of Vienna are magnificent.

Our tour guide, in discussing religious history, related a parable，which he attributed to the 17th century author and dramatist, Gottard Lessing: A man possessed a ring which conveyed on its owner perpetual grace before God and man. However, he could not decide which of his three sons should inherit it on his death. Therefore, he destroyed the original ring and made three identical copies. Upon his death, each son received one of these copies, along with a note that his was the true ring. The sons consulted a judge, but he could see no difference at all between the three rings. The sons began trying to outdo each other with goodness, and when they tired of this, they were cruel to each other and tried to kill each other. This, said our guide, is the story of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. And continued our guide, when there are no Jews or Muslims around, Christians like killing each other. A cynical attitude? Perhaps. But difficult to dismiss, in the light of history.