Religion and the New Rome

What do you feel when you see a photo of a smilingso called good reputation in my area, and asked them
child or one dying from malnutrition somewhere in theif they could help the old gentleman. Their answer
third world? Do you feel compassion, sadness orwas that if I did not belong to their congregation
what do you feel? Of course you should feelthey could not help.
compassion and sadness because the feeling shouldTalk about exclusive religion! That church is not the
be that there, but for the grace of God goes I.only one I came across in my life, with that attitude.
Should the fabric of civilization and society not be aNow was that not a trade mark of the pharisees in
common belief in what is good for all of us. Thethe Christian Bible who thought themselves above
tragedy is that the exact same thing that shouldthe so called sinners?
bring us together in a common goal or purpose in aThe fabric of life and creation runs through each and
united world is actually dividing us and that is religioneveryone on this planet and we have a God given
and a false belief system.task to help each other. We who pride ourselves on
Religious fanaticism and intolerance has been dividingwhat we achieved to build civilization are now
the nations of this God given planet for ages and Ibreaking down that same civilization by turning our
belief it is the one factor that is keeping youngerbacks on all the barbaric things that is happening
generations from wanting to belief in religion.unchecked in this, "our world".
Who wants to belief in the sort of religion that isAll kinds of perversions like rape, child abuse and
judgmental and unforgiving? The sort of religion thatpornography, murder, drug dealing to name but a
is like an exclusive club where you don't belong if youfew are in business, unchecked by laws and society
do not follow their doctrine to the letter or questionat large. What do we do? We whine about the
anything they preach.politicians we appointed while we sit back in our
A while ago I met an old man who used to be alounge chairs and watch these perversions
concert pianist and who after being forcefully retiredre-enacted in soaps on television.
for being too old fell on bad times. He still has a lot toOur so called civilization is the new Rome and I
offer to society because his skill at playing the pianowonder who is playing the fiddle this time around
has not diminished.while this Rome is burning?
I contacted one of the charismatic churches with a