Religion Abroad

Religion abroad is similar to religion at home. It must be very similar because the Italian pastor I had to pleasure of hearing this morning emphasized the difference between religion and relationship. A sea of people in Italy share the American sentiment that religious affiliation will suffice in this world of terrorists, unexplained natural disasters and the like.

I was reminded today that doing the drill that is religion is man’s version of acknowledging his place in the cosmos. “But religion alone,” said the pastor, “can lead to dangerous things…” I’ve been told while in Itay that much of the culture is connected to Christianity through the Roman Catholic history of the region. They attend church enough to maintain the memership as it were. I found this to be a parallel with the American counterpart of Protestant association. But the pastor gave a timely admonition that spoke to the security that only relaionship can offer. At day’s end, arguments don’t put my heart at rest in the midst of crisis. Church practices and rudimentary elements don’t right the wrongs of thousands of years of humans saying, “I got this.” Isn’t that what we say? It’s always, “Why does God allow this?” while all the while ignoring the sinister humans who day-by-day have chosen to inflict misery on the less fortunate.

We could poll the criminals, the warlords, the thieves, the human traffickers and find them religious on some level couldn’t we? Don’t we all play for some religious team if not superficially? But what resonated today was the encouragement to seek, to discover, to avail oneself. This is what relationship requires. One must cease and desist with the head on a swivel looking to see how many of my friends share my convictions. There can be no wandering eyes in relationship that is sound but there sure can be in religion. At dinner tonight I heard a man lie about his religion so that he could eat what the Muslims were eating. I know this because the man has claimed to be Catholic all week. I’m not sure what religious team’s jersey he would wear. I don’t care. But the relationship he has with God does arrest my interest. Without relationship there can be no 6ixth Man for any of us.