Sri Sai Baba`S:Charters And Sayings

EIGHTEENTH TALK 369

name of the Emperor ? It is such a small thing*
Everybody does it. Why should not you ? " But
the man^s inconvenient conscience would get in the
way, and of course trouble would arise. As for their
religion, the Roman Empire was the most tolerant
in the world in religious matters. They had a huge
Pantheon where they set up temples to all the Gods.
As soon as ever they realised that the Christ was
being worshipped, they promptly set up a statue to
Him. But the reason for it was not that they were
so tolerant, but that they were utterly indifferent to
everything of that kind. They did not care in the
very least what God anybody worshipped, because
they did not believe there were Gods. It was nothing
to them. You* were quite welcome to do as you
pleased.

Now some of those ancient Romans are incarnated
in the English race. There are quite a number of
people now who are tolerant to all forms of belief
just because they do not believe in anything. They
look on religion as a nice sort of thing to amuse the
ladies, but of course for a man it is not a serious
matter. There are many people who hold that
point of view. Now, that is not the kind of
tolerance at which we are aiming. The Master
says here : " We should take a hearty interest in the
beliefs of those of another religion." Therefore you
must understand those beliefs, and your tolerance
must come, not from indifference, but from a
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