A big stumbling block for many people today regarding whether or not to pursue the Christian faith is the irrefutable evidence that much harm has been done in the name of religion. In his novel, God is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens argues that religion is a net evil for civilization, asking the question of whether or not the net effect of religion is positive or negative. In other words, does religion do more harm than good? His conclusion is yes, that religion is the cause of all social woes and we would be better off without it, as it simply 'poisons everything' (the subtitle of his book). Many critics ask these questions or argue these views, but I must disagree that religion is the root of all evil, and here's why:
First of all, many wonderful happenings have also taken place in the name of religion. From Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to William Wilberforce advocating for the end of slavery, religious leaders have worked to relieve people from oppression-all in the name of religion (these examples are used because my viewpoint is that of a Christian-even outside of Christianity, good has been done in the name of religion). Those that argue religion is the root of evil are only judging it by the bad fruit it produces, rather than considering both the good and the bad.
If religion in itself is not the problem, then we must search deeper to discover what is. Perhaps there is a bigger issue: the ones who carry out religion. Why, if religious folk claim to believe in a good God, do they not live their lives reflective of such a claim? If Christians believe in a God that loves everyone and means for everyone to be loved, then why don't their actions match their words?
With past and present examples of abusive power, violence, and hypocrisy, it's no wonder that fewer people are choosing to subscribe to the tenets of the Christian faith, especially if such a faith seems to be promoted by perpetrators of evil. Expressing hostility toward the French Catholic Church at the dawning of the French Revolution, Voltaire wrote,
'Is it any wonder that there are atheists in the world, when the church behaves so abominably?'If you're reading this post and you've been hurt by a Christian before, then I am truly sorry. I really am, and I hope that you have found healing and restoration for your precious soul. Before you write off anything having to do with faith or that one guy named Jesus, let me provide an explanation for the hurt that has been done to you: there is a problem called sin.
Though it is not a justification of the wrong that is done, it is an explanation. It's easy to write off religion because of the bad fruit it can potentially produce, but in addition to remembering that there is also potential for good fruit we must consider the reason why harm is often done. There is a concept called the Moral Law, which says that all human beings have fallen short of a universally acknowledged godly standard. I believe in this concept because I see evidence of it every day. I myself prove to be a criminal when it comes to this Law, because I break it with astounding regularity. Christians fail to fulfill it's standard along with every single other human being.
So, why is there wrong done in the name of religion?
The Church is made up of fallen people.
Thankfully, the hope of Christianity does not rest in the sinners. It stands firm upon the rock of salvation: Jesus Christ.
(Click for further reading about the Church: The Church Delusion)
Here is how we must cope with this: by separating the religion from the religious. We must be able to see that what people's lives represent does not often match up with what they claim to represent, and once we are able to distinguish between the two-between truth and the ones who attempt to live it out-we are able to discern properly if pursuing the Christian faith-let alone a sort of faith at all-is worth it.
In his book, The Language of God, Francis Collins writes,
'The pure, clean water of spiritual truth is placed in rusty containers, and the subsequent failings of the Church down through the centuries should not be projected onto the faith itself, as if the water had been the problem'.The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the water in our present scenario. In the Scriptures the Gospel is described as, 'the water of life'. It is pure and saving and life-giving. The word 'Gospel' means Good News, and what it says is that a loving and holy God stepped into the broken world of man and in the person of Jesus Christ and was murdered by sinners after living a pure and blameless life. The Gospel says when His innocent blood was shed for the guilty people, deep happenings took place: death was turned back, the gap between God and man was closed, and Jesus Christ rose from the grave, allowing whoever believed in His truth to be called His son or daughter of God and to be able to live with Him in sweet paradise forever. As a Christian, I believe God has chosen to use human beings to live out His truth, but I equally believe that humans do not always represent His truth well (clearly, hence the reason for this post). However, those that represent something do not define that something. Christians do not define God's standard. God defines our standard.
One reason (of many) why I am a Christian is because the Gospel addresses the problem of sin. It's a heart problem, and it's a sickness inside each and every human being. The beauty of this is that our brokenness shows us our need for a Savior, and His name is Jesus Christ.
If you're a Christian and you're reading this, I hope it brings to light the fact that it is vital that our words match our actions. If we truly believe in the goodness of God and the healing His truth can bring, then we need to live out what we say. We will not be perfect, but we at least need not forget the One who is. The world desperately needs Christians who's lives match their convictions and not just for the sake of avoiding hypocrisy. As believers we are called to love people-to preserve souls-and if our lives do not show that, then what are we living for? What is the point of claiming a truth that we do not intend to strive to live out?
Though people misrepresent the Gospel in various forms-the Crusades, hypocrisy, or the currently emerging problem of spiritually dead faith within churches today to name some examples-and it is sobering indeed, one who is seeking God or confused about religion must look beyond the behavior of broken people and look to the flawless truth of Christ.
Would you judge Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night on the basis of a poorly composed canvas painting by a second grader?
No. You would look to the real-deal. You'd examine the actual portrait of beauty painted by the Great Artist. A real observation of truth can only come when one looks at the clean, pure water-not at the rusty containers in which it sits.
