The ruined building had only one window left intact. On it was a star.
‘Your star.’
‘What do you mean, Father?’
‘The star of David. It belonged to a religion, long ago.’
‘A religion?’
‘Like a belief, a faith. People gathered to worship their God.’
‘People believed Gods were real?’
‘Before science had given us all the answers, yes.’
‘It seems so primitive.’
‘Maybe, but now we were left with this.’
He opened his arms, gesturing at the devastation around them.
‘Beware false idols, Son.’
They shuffled on. With luck they would find something to eat soon.
Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
My first novel, ‘A Justified State,’ is available now
It seems all gods must fail, even the true ones
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It makes for a good story that way.
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The biggest question; is the world a better place without religion?
Great story!
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Probably one that will never be answered. Thanks
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Very apocalyptic. Timely fatherly lessons, too. Good story kelly.
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Thank you Neel
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You’re in a cheery mood today, Iain.
Post-apocalyptic doom, gotta love it!
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All religion does this to me really…
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Dear Iain,
A very bleak story. Well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle
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When religion finally disappears, hopefully, the beautiful buildings will remain, even if they only become fast food joints!
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I’m with you Keith – I have no interest in religion really, but if visiting a new city will head straight to the cathedral for a look – they don’t make buildings like ’em anymore!
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You and me too – and I’m passionate about sacred choral music. What a hypocrite I am!
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I don’t know what to say. It’s hard to conceive of a time when no-one will believe in some creed or another.
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I would think almost impossible, for a variety of reasons.
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Very dark and interesting! How are you, Iain? I have lots of catching up to do on posts
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Thank you. I’m very well, not posting as much on my blog as I used to as I’m trying to get the second novel written – going well so far! Hope you are well 🙂
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I’m good, thanks. Glad to hear the writing is going well!
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Once upon a time, people believed. They believed so much they destroyed each other in defence of their supposed best god. They did it for millennia…
Well done, Iain!
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Yup, I’m sure even when all the religion has gone, they’ll soon find something else to believe in that’s worth fighting over…
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I’ve no doubt…
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Ominous! I certainly hope it wasn’t science that destroyed them!
Good one, Iain!
-Rachel
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Probably a combination of science and something else, or competing versions of understanding the same science. I’m sure they’ll figure out something to fight about even if it’s not religion… 😉
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How terribly sad. It doesn’t seem like science did much to help the people who no longer had faith in anything but the facts they could touch and see.
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Science takes a level of belief and faith as well, otherwise what else have you got?
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A likely end to humanity? Great poem, gave me pause and has me thinking 🤔
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Thank you Elizabeth 🙂
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Raw and provocative writing.
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Your story reminds me of “The Road,” movie and novel. What’s left at the end is base, the need to eat, with room for frills like structures for religion. Thought provoking piece, Iain.
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I meant “with no room for frills.” haha
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Thank you Brenda that novel did pass through my mind as I wrote it! 🙂
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Excellent, I really liked this piece.
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Thank you Ted
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Unfortunately those who profess to be religious give religion a bad name.
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Indeed, many do.
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A grim tale. But given its history, I’d be Judaism survives long after the more recent sects are confined to the dustbin.
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It’s got a good record of surviving everything that has been thrown at it so far, even in the most extreme tragedies.
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A very bleak look into a possible future. I think we’ll never be able to live without faith, without the believe in something greater than us. The evil I see is religion, a power game since the beginning of time. My god is better than yours fed to the masses makes you powerful as cleric, bishop, pope… there’s a reason why younger sons of nobility took the cloth.
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I confess to not being a fan of religions either, but at the same time you are right, it is hard to not believe in something more than just ourselves in the universe.
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I like the turn-around – I’m seeing science as the false idol here, since it’s brought them to “the fall”.
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Perhaps not science but the way science is being interpreted to justify behaviours – for example, denying that we are contributing to climate change – in much the same way that religion is twisted by those who wish to commit evil.
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Science is the new religion now. Like basic tenets of religion, we don’t understand much of basic principles of science either. We simply enjoy the perks.
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I like your summation Abhijit.
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A good story, Iain and well written. I also thought of the movie “The Road”. As religion has lasted for thousands of years I doubt it will totally disappear. It will probably change though as it has been. I just hope we last as a world for that long without causing the wild animals and breathable air to be destroyed. If we don’t get busy, we’re well on our way. It’s a shame we have to fight legal battles to keep those who should know better from making things worse for profit. —- Suzanne
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It’s hard to not look at religion as flawed in our world today, but I think you are right, there will always be something ‘there.’ Perhaps a religion based on how we treat nature and the earth we live on rather than worrying about what might be in the heavens above us would be a good place to start!
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Oh my word, that was bleak. Good story.
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Yeah, I struggled to find an upside to it! Thanks Liz
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I read it as Full of double meanings and allusions. Adam’s fall from grace into sin;Satan’s fall from angel to devil; the false idols reference, applicable either to religion or science; in either case, inviting Heavenly retribution…And to complete the Adam analogy, on being ousted from Paradise, the pair must eat by the sweat of their brow.
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If you found all that in my 100 words, I am grateful! 🙂
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Fabulous story. Gods fall and new ones rise. Or the loss is so profound all faith turns to ash. I wonder what would appear now? Sporting gods or internet gods
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Most likely Twitter or InstaGods
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Ooo… this was good!
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😉
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Very dark. Well written, as always.
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Thanks Sascha
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Such a beautifully significant epitaph!
We do need simple faith, don’t we?
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We have to believe in something, for sure.
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Yep.
In one that has a good track record!👌
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Wow! One of my favorites of yours. Deeply poignant and thought provoking.
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Thank you so much Dawn, very kind 🙂
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Not a place for me… Enjoyed the read.
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Hopefully we won’t be around by then!
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I like the questions this piece starts. A really great write.
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Thank you Lisa
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Maybe knowledge is not the best thing… there are many ways to cause devastation.
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Sometimes ignorance can be a virtue.
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Wonderful take on the prompt. In approximately 5 billion years, the sun will start turning into a red giant star. Its outer layers will consume Mercury and Venus, and reach Earth. Hopefully by that time humanity would have found new planets to inhabit, would they still take their Gods with them?
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Maybe some new ones please? 😉
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I’m not very religious either, but I do love beautiful churches.
Interesting take on that, Iain.
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Thank you Dawn
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