Unity vs Uniformity

I came across a book called The Bible Illustrator which is large compilation of scripture commentary by editor Joseph Exell. It includes content from hundreds of famous authors of his day such as Dwight L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, J. C. Ryle, Charles Hodge, Alexander MacLaren, Adam Clark, Matthew Henry, and many others. 

Psalm 133 begins with,

"How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!"

I enjoyed the commentary on this psalm by an anonymous speaker. I have added some of my photos to illustrate the points made. 

"Let a difference be observed between "unity" and uniformity. The one is a Divine, the other a human thing. Acts of uniformity are the product of man. God only can make us the subjects of sacred "unity." 

Uniformity, we get in trees and hedges hacked, cut, and clipped, so as to reduce them to a common size and shape. 

"Unity" without uniformity we get in the trees of the forest, all growing according to the course of nature, of diverse shape, and size, and worth, but dependent for their wild strength and beauty on the same genial influences of nature, as they stretch out their thousand branches and myriad leaves to catch the light, and air, and dew, and showers of heaven. 

Uniformity we have in the classified assortment of flowers, arranged in pots or plots of ground according to their size and colour, no one sort allowed to mingle with another. 

"Unity" is the gathered bunch, worthy of the admiration of every beholder, whose difference of form, colour, and odour only adds to the loveliness of the flowers, which are all bound by one cord, enclosed in the one vessel, and made to drink of the same vital element, — the liquid stream of life. 

We are told that it is highly probable that in the wide domain of material nature there are to be found no two things alike, not even two drops of water, or two flakes of snow. Who ever knew two human faces alike? or two voices with precisely the same cadence? or two human forms identical in every particular? Is it, then, a thing of astonishment that in the mental and moral world there should be differences of thought, and judgment, and feelings? 

The world's diverse population has many ethnic, cultural, sociological, political and religious variations. Even within Christianity, there are differences in theological, liturgical, spiritual and canonical traditions. Pope Francis gave a speech in 2014 saying,

"if these traditions are genuinely rooted in the apostolic tradition, they are an “asset, not a threat” to the unity of the Church. If we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, the “richness, the variety, diversity” do not become a source of conflict, but are instead a point of enrichment."

There are those who prefer uniformity, but diversity is far more appealing to my sensibilities. We must embrace our differences. To quote Pope Francis once more,

...Unity is not “absorption,” but a unification around the same center, the Lord.