Chapter Three: Episode Six*
*The Hideous Schizophrenia*
The situation did not stop at weakening the power of the Christian ideal; worse things soon followed. The Church tried to stop the growing trend of extravagant living and moral decay that had become widespread in Rome before the rise of Christianity. Draper, in *Science and Religion*, describes how the Roman Empire, after reaching its highest point of military and political strength, fell deeply in moral and spiritual decline.
The Romans became obsessed with pleasure and luxury. They believed that life was meant for enjoyment and sensual indulgence. Their fasting and occasional restraint only made them more greedy and lustful. Their dining tables shone with gold and silver dishes decorated with jewels. They were served by attendants dressed in fine clothes and entertained by half-naked girls who excited their passions. They spent hours in lavish baths and enjoyed violent games in huge arenas, where men fought each other and even wild animals until they were covered in blood.
Those conquerors of the world came to believe that **Power** itself was the only thing worthy of worship. Power, they thought, could bring wealth without hard work; victory gave them the right to seize property and impose heavy taxes on the defeated. They saw the Emperor as the very symbol of this supreme power, and Roman life became filled with pomp and luxury. But all this grandeur was empty — much like what had happened earlier in Greece when its civilization began to collapse.
The Church, although it sincerely wanted to stop this moral decay, failed to deal with the problem in the right way. It no longer held to the true and pure teachings of Christianity — the kind that could have brought justice to people and balanced the extremes of human behavior.
In response to this corrupt lifestyle, a harsh form of *monasticism* arose — so extreme that it caused new troubles for humanity after the cruelty of Roman disbelief. People began to think that complete withdrawal from the world, poverty, and celibacy were the only ways to please God. This belief crushed human creativity and the natural abilities needed for progress and survival, as well as for fulfilling man’s duty as God’s representative on earth.
This unnatural lifestyle came to be seen as a sign of holiness and virtue, even though such strict asceticism was neither commanded by God nor required for a normal, righteous life.
*Key Points*
* The Roman Empire reached worldly greatness but fell into moral corruption.
* Pleasure and power replaced faith and justice.
* The Church tried to stop this decline but failed to apply divine guidance correctly.
* Extreme monasticism emerged, further distancing people from their natural and divine roles.
*Episode Six: Moral Corruption and the Misguided Response of Monasticism*
*Lesson 1: Material Success Without Moral Strength Leads to Ruin*
* The Romans reached the peak of power but lost their spiritual and moral foundation.
* When a civilization focuses only on wealth and pleasure, it collapses from within.
*Lesson 2: Pleasure and Luxury Destroy the Soul*
* Constant indulgence in desires blinds people to higher values.
* A life built on comfort and lust weakens both character and conscience.
*Lesson 3: Worship of Power Replaces Worship of God*
* The Romans came to see power as the only thing worth serving.
* When human power becomes the object of worship, oppression and greed follow.
*Lesson 4: The Church Failed to Apply Divine Wisdom*
* Although the Church wished to stop moral decay, it lacked true spiritual insight.
* Reform without divine guidance cannot cure corruption — it only changes its form.
*Lesson 5: Extremism in Religion Is as Harmful as Immorality*
* In rejecting the Romans’ indulgence, some turned to severe monasticism.
* Both excess in pleasure and excess in denial are against human nature and God’s plan.
*Lesson 6: True Piety Is Balance, Not Withdrawal*
* God did not command people to abandon the world but to live righteously within it.
* Real faith inspires moderation — balancing spiritual and worldly duties.
*Lesson 7: Neglecting Human Potential Is an Injustice to God’s Gift*
* The monastic rejection of work, creativity, and family life weakened human progress.
* Islam teaches that man’s natural abilities are meant to serve God and uplift humanity.
*Lesson 8: False Holiness Leads to False Morality*
* People began to admire unnatural abstinence as a sign of virtue.
* Any belief or practice not sanctioned by divine revelation cannot lead to true righteousness.
*➡️ Episode Six = 8 Lessons*
The downfall of Rome and the rise of monasticism show that both material excess and religious extremism corrupt the human spirit. True faith builds balance — guiding man to live with purpose, discipline, and devotion within the world, not apart from it. Only through divine revelation can humanity maintain the harmony between body and soul, work and worship, power and humility.
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