This is not a religious thread. It's for everyone who wants to comment but, please, no evangelising or praising the merits of some deity or other. The thread is not to do with any of that.
The old book called the new testament contains many fables and guidelines for living life many hundred's of years ago. Probably, they were written by semi-literate scholars for the benefit of primitive people and we know that much of the writing has been changed in translation and by later interference. However, could it be possible that, leaving religion completely out of this, at least some of those stories could be relevant in today's society? Could they be relevant in a secular world as sound advice that stands by it's own merits?
I was reminded the other day of the Good Samaritan fable. For those who don't know the story, it's very simple and brief. A Jewish traveller was robbed, beaten and left injured beside the road. People of his own faith passed him by. Eventually a Samaritan came by and helped the man. Samaritans and Jews generally despised one another. And that's it. A story about one person helping another despite their cultural differences. I suppose that, as he helped a Jew, he would have helped anyone.
The reason why this story came to mind is that university students in our Provincial capital closed their books a few days ago and came in their dozens to help clean up our local market area after a six foot deep flood swamped it. They had nothing personal to gain and no one told them to do it. Similarly, people who are hardly wealthy themselves have been handing out food and water to people who were stranded in their homes and are now without cooking equipment as they repair the damage and losses.
That, at least for me, is what the Good Samaritan story is about. Now, I ask how far would you go to help someone in difficulty with whom you had no connection, with whom you probably would never socialise and whom you may dislike?
The old book called the new testament contains many fables and guidelines for living life many hundred's of years ago. Probably, they were written by semi-literate scholars for the benefit of primitive people and we know that much of the writing has been changed in translation and by later interference. However, could it be possible that, leaving religion completely out of this, at least some of those stories could be relevant in today's society? Could they be relevant in a secular world as sound advice that stands by it's own merits?
I was reminded the other day of the Good Samaritan fable. For those who don't know the story, it's very simple and brief. A Jewish traveller was robbed, beaten and left injured beside the road. People of his own faith passed him by. Eventually a Samaritan came by and helped the man. Samaritans and Jews generally despised one another. And that's it. A story about one person helping another despite their cultural differences. I suppose that, as he helped a Jew, he would have helped anyone.
The reason why this story came to mind is that university students in our Provincial capital closed their books a few days ago and came in their dozens to help clean up our local market area after a six foot deep flood swamped it. They had nothing personal to gain and no one told them to do it. Similarly, people who are hardly wealthy themselves have been handing out food and water to people who were stranded in their homes and are now without cooking equipment as they repair the damage and losses.
That, at least for me, is what the Good Samaritan story is about. Now, I ask how far would you go to help someone in difficulty with whom you had no connection, with whom you probably would never socialise and whom you may dislike?
