Defending Religion in General

I am a Christian. Let me make that clear. I believe the Bible is the very word of the very God of the universe – given to us so the we might have a guide, a reference throughout the ages to keep us in the proper know of who He is. Sometimes, though, I find myself defending religion in general to people who believe it is some sort of scourge on the earth – a roadblock to the intellectual progress of mankind from the blindness of the past to the enlightenment of the future.

My Christian brothers and sisters and I know that Jesus, not religion, is the way to truth. We all know that Christians have done horrible things in the name of Christ. We point to a spirit of religion that shifts our allegiance from the God of our faith to its institutions. This shift allows us to commit selfish and ungodly acts while laboring under the delusion that we are serving God. And so, Christians have perpetrated misery, pain, war, persecution and other manifestations of man’s sinful nature – all in the name of God.

But was it our faith? Did our “religion” (as the world sees it) actually inspire us to do evil? Is “religion” to blame? Many Christians would say yes to the latter. After all, the spirit of religion is not of God, so why shouldn’t it lead to sin. I maintain that a belief in a higher power, even one we Christians would label as “false,” is a direct result of our being created in the image of a higher power (God the Father) that we, mankind, are ever struggling to connect with. Unfortunately man has set off in the wrong direction, even Christians, and evil ensues. It is this selfish, self-reliant, self-serving, self-esteeming, self-defending tendency, not our faith in something better, that pushes us toward sin.

Consider these questions. Did the “bad” crusaders really act on a Word from God? Or did they act out of vengeance, love of war-making, greed, then justify their desires with religious reasoning. Prior to 1948 (the establishment of Israel as a state), did Muslim terrorists blow themselves up for Allah? Or was it only after outsiders moved in and ignited the very human flames of outrage, eye-for-an-eye justice and racial intolerance? Did early Americans really go to the Word in earnest meditation and hear God direct them that they should extend America’s borders all the way to the Pacific? Or did they simply covet the land and its resources for themselves until they found a religious way, Manifest Destiny, to accommodate their greed?

Now consider this question. If there had been no religion at all, just pure humanism and naturalism without any concept of a spiritual reality, would people still want to take what belongs to others? Would they flock together with their own kind and exclude others who are different? Would they lash out in fear or anger against their neighbors? Now here’s the big question: Without religion would the human race still find some sort of justification for every evil and selfish deed they desired to commit?

ABSOLUTELY!

In fact, without a belief in a higher power (outside of man himself), misery and oppression would be far greater than we have ever seen. Terror doesn’t come because of religion – it comes IN SPITE of religion, greed IN SPITE of religion, racial hatred IN SPITE of religion. Religion teaches us no turn the other cheek, deprive ourselves of things so that others may be blessed, love all mankind, treat others at least as well as we want to be treated – and so on and so on and so on. How can people blame a faith in these principals, and a God who established them, for behavior that is exactly the opposite of their aim? Well, we know how, of course, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Knowing what I now know and seeing what I now see – I think that if I were to totally lose my faith in God and become an atheist or agnostic, I would nevertheless be glad that most of the rest of humanity believes there is a real reason to resist evil and do good.

Let us not forget all the evil that has been done in the name of self. In the name of revenge. In the name of security. In the name of greed. In the name of fear. Let us not forget that environmental zeal has produced the violent and destructive Earth Liberation Front, that Darwinism fueled the Nazis and their concept of a master race, that the anti-war movement of the sixties produced the Weathermen (read about them from a reliable internet source), that the human-rights-violating murderous regimes within communism were atheistic and sought to foster an irreligious society.

Perhaps some would criticize the references I have just given and indicate that I am misguided, have incorrect information, and making flawed assumption and drawing weak parallels. As a Christian – I KNOW EXACTLY HOW THEY FEEL!


So to those who believe religion (and in America their favorite target is of course Christianity) is somehow the cause of all wars and oppression, and must become obsolete in order for man to move forward – I challenge you to reconsider. And I challenge you to remember the old Chinese proverb: Choose your enemy well, for he is who you will become. Be tolerant and accepting of people of faith, otherwise you will be intolerant and divisive like religious people have been. Be open-minded to the notion of a God, otherwise you will be narrow-minded and afraid of what the truth might really be - like religious people have been. Don’t speak of how “certain people” and their beliefs are dangerous, or you could become reactionary and eventually perhaps genocidal as religious people have been. Separate ideas from the people who espouse them, or you could become ignorant and judgmental as religious people have been.

My Christian brothers and sisters, Let’s not permit our sinful nature to rule our hearts. Let’s not try to mold God into our own selfish image. Let’s not try to get Him on OUR side. Let us cast off all our me-focused desires, worries, fears, anger, self-righteousness, pride, and lay them down at the cross. Let us endeavor in Christ to show the world that He who saved us from sin is loving, patient, righteous, caring, unafraid, wise, free from anger – by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in His ways and exemplifying the behavior He modeled for us on this Earth.

Grace and Peace to you all,

Stephen