These are the words of Voltaire the French philosopher. And as we look at the death and destruction globally, the hate and hypocrisy in religions, the greed of the world’s billionaires, the wannabe billionaire leaders, and the poor, the weak who are always among us, where else can man and woman get solace in these times?
As HIH Haile Selassie said, “Religions are all made by man” and time controlled, hence like the times they must evolve. The time has come to realize that our technology-controlled youth of the world demand more than wordy speeches. Religion has got to be active and reach out to help people in physical need. Religion must evolve with the people, especially now, as our future generation rejects the basic activities of the Church, now reduced to the once a week preaching and collection of the widow’s mite.
When the Son of Man declared, “Peter on which I build my church’ his words were clearly mis interpreted, as Peter means ‘rock’ of which the churches are built. But it is man, flesh and blood on which the real church is built, and the devil continues to prevail against man.
Over the past two thousands years, the proliferation of rock churches throughout the world gave rise to religious ceremonies, which for the most part fed the spirit but left the poor and hungry, still poor and unfed. The rock called for clearly was not a stone building but mankind being the Church. The people, the rock on which the Church is built are expected to care for the sick, feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, help the helpless, and care for the children.
The Basilica is erected in Rome on its own land and commands authority as an independent country, with its own laws and constitution. The Church of England is headed by the Throne, the King or Queen, and the people of God pay tithes and collection, to maintain the service of the church buildings and the clergy who live and maintain the rock churches. Had mankind listened beyond the word ’rock’ they may have heard, “Feed my lambs!”
Today rock churches all over the world are empty, some have been turned into places of entertainment where young people disco instead of giving praise. Those antiquated and misinterpreted commands of the ‘church’ are now ignored by the youth, whose moral platform has shifted to technology, without spirituality.
If mankind does not consider the teachings of love, and kindness, and personal responsibility for each other as the ‘Church,’ the next generation will continue to praise technology, instead of giving thanks for the use of technology to make life easier for the poor and dejected to rise as they are entitled.
The Church needs to reinvent God for mankind.