The challenge of being compassionate

 

Religions are the tooth and claw that have bled whole communities to death ever since man was aware that one day he must die.

 

To ban 'disdainful remarks' smacks to me of an over-indulgence in that dreadful concept of 'positive thinking' and also has been the excuse resorted to by the religious communities for every act of genocide that has ever been committed.

 

Rather than bestow upon the religious the responsibility for the teaching of ethics, why can't we get back to the days when children learned at their parents' knees and in the classroom about teamwork, equality and how to behave in the community? Why can't we live in an age when enlightenment means not being legally bound not to dislike a person? 

 

The current attitude of 'every man is my brother because if he is a different colour to me he can sue me for every penny that I own' removes a very basic human response to other people. It is not possible to like somebody (or not dislike somebody) simply because the law says that you must. Until freedom of choice is a universal right the extremist fundamental religious will preach dissent and violence.

 

Religions, by their very nature, are divisive. The people who preach religion have a vested interest in maintaining that theirs is the only true religion. If all religious believe that there is a Godhead, is it beyond their wit to get together and see how this Godhead can be incorporated so that all religions preach the same story?