Dogmatic Dichotomy

Thomas was a religious man; he went to church every day; Matthew was an atheist, taking his journey another way. Thomas prayed for the hungry; Mathew took them food to eat; Thomas lit candles for the crippled; Mathew helped massage their feet; Thomas put money in the offering; Mathew helped the poor find work; Thomas condemned the truly evil man; Mathew tried to help reform the jerk. Thomas memorized each bible verse; Mathew gave books to the book mobiles; Thomas read parables about multiplying fish; Mathew helped fix the homeless meals; Thomas conversed with his God each day; Mathew talked to strangers on the street; Thomas sang songs with the chorus group; Mathew sang the praises of folks he’d meet. Thomas was a religious man, living life as the church said he should; Mathew was an atheist, driven to do for his fellow man all that he could. Lesson to be learned: Being religious does not necessarily mean we are doing all the good we can; and, being non-religious is not necessarily synonymous with being evil.