> I usually find the strictly secular and over atheists are very compassionate and empathetic, but the mildly religious and definitely the evangelists in my life and the absolute _least_ compassionate people to those outside their tribe.

Sadly enough, I am of the same opinion, too. That is because true spiritual seeking must accompany humility and love for ALL others, not just of those of their tribe, and most religious practitioners fail that miserably. That is why universal compassion is the only real purpose of religion, as it is the target that we must all aspire to, or we will fall well short of the mark.

Most people of all ilks fall prey to selfish self-superiority, thinking incorrectly that their path is the only one that is "saved". They are just coldly and completely wrong. That is why one of the Masters said, "That which you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, that you have done unto me."

> I don't know how to promote empathy and compassion without relying on religious arguments.

I have settled on this fact: that no human being can survive the first years of their life without selfless, compasssionate care from adults in their orbit. This is the template for human life, but most people do not realize that this care should be attended to by every human being to every other human being as we grow older, where we are hopefully lucky enough to transition from the helped to the helper.

We know that those with a more comfortable upbringing tend to do better in life, financially, mentally, and physically. If we were to invest, as societies, in the "least of our brothers", we would essentially be the water that lifts all boats, and our entire world would flow more smoothly. The problem is that it would take those who have more to give more, and generosity is a virtue of the spirit that has its counterpart vice, greed, active in our being as well.

Every human being resides in the crux between the various vices they are susceptible to and the virtues they are presupposed to manifesting. It is incumbent upon us all to honestly search ourselves to find out in which ways we are less virtuous and then seek to become better. There are 19 pairs of vice/virtue pairs in the human being, so that's a lot of whack-a-mole to perform along our lives, but few of our fellows care enough to care enough about others to "Know thyself" deeply enough to do what Gurdjieff called "The Work".

Caring for the happiness of others is the best balm for not only our own spiritual development, but for the ills of the world.

Please remember that religion is always a personal affair, involving the internal relationship between the human being and our Creator. It does not enforce Its suggestions on our free will, which is truly given -- that's why there is so much mischief upon our world, and so much resulting suffering. As we Sufis say, "When you take one step towards God, It comes running."

Self-evolution is the act of manifesting the miracle of defeating our selfish ego over many battles with many losses and less victories. It is how we learn humility, grace, mercy, kindness, and compassion, among all the other virtues. Of course, that requires the person to truly want to become a better person; most people are simply satisfied that they perform certain practices in accordance with their traditions, but that ain't love and doesn't count for shit in the grand scheme of things.

As Rumi says, "The Way goes in."

Peace be with you, friend. I am at your service.