For thousands of years the world had what I consider “religious conformity”; a number of small groups being taught by one person in each group teaching them his interpretation of his reading from a religious book. That person usually received his authority to teach from a larger group that had interpreted their reading of that book one way or the other! Sometimes, when no one else was a around, a person would take the authority upon themselves!
After many more years, a few people started traveling. That presented a problem! They started being told things that were not of their learning! The things they were hearing were not the way they had been told things should be. Therefore that made all “others” wrong! Those “others”, if they did not conform to the traveler’s religious beliefs, either had to be converted or killed! ANYONE they converted was a (good person), but all of those (no good heathens) must die! Yes, all in the name of religion!
This train of thought went on for years! Sometimes entire races were wiped out! But, as travel became more common, many found that they could move to areas that were more friendly to their religious beliefs or maybe they moved to vacant areas where they could give their beliefs a fresh start. Some even started different interpretations of their old religion, while still retaining its basic beliefs.
About that time our world walked into the last century. In just that century, the world went from horse and buggy to jet planes! In just those hundred years, we saw more changes in our world, than the rest of the years from the beginning of time! Many religions had been happy with things before. They wanted to keep living in “the good old days”, they didn’t realize they had to learn to think the old thoughts in new ways. Many felt more secure with that living breathing horse in front of them, they found themselves uncomfortable with those “new fangled” ideas of religion. Many stood there dragging their feet as their membership started running away!
Early in that last century many wars were fought. Suddenly those kids from those small areas, the ones with conforming religions, found themselves stationed in areas with entirely different beliefs! Areas they found was worshiping the same God, but doing it in strange and different ways!
Then, about half way through that century, came religion’s first major shocker! TV! Religion and the world would never again be the same! Now we not only see things happening any place on earth, but many times we saw them as they were happening! Religion’s old horse just ran away, and we watched as someone shot it! We were able to see and hear things, right in our living room that people of the century before couldn’t have dreamed! And, it wasn’t just for a moment, IT WAS ALL THE TIME!!!
About the time our reeling religious teachers were starting to regain their balance they were again broadsided! In the mid 1980’s the computer came into our homes! Suddenly, if we had a question our local teacher couldn’t explain, we could go to the world for answers! Often, we found ourselves receiving answers before we had fully worked out our questions!
The peoples of yesterday had their religious institutions as their center of interest, but the people of today often find themselves seated in their homes instead of their places of worship. Many find it far more exciting watching TV or talking with friends in faraway places on the internet or cell phone than sitting for an hour or more listening to the same thing told the same way! And, they don’t have to dress up!
Each day I wake in the morning thinking about all of the exciting things I’ve seen in just my lifetime. And, each day I’m sure there will be more! I’ve put many yesterdays into this 100th essay. Now, I’m looking forth to many more tomorrows to hand me the material for the next hundred! Thanks for being there!
No comments:
Post a Comment