Religion Causes More Wars
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this...to keep oneself unstained by the world." - James 1:27
Another major objection to Christianity is, "Religion is the cause of more problems and wars than anything else." The response: You're right, religion is the cause of many wars and conflicts.
* Look at the Middle East today.
* Consider the abuses in church history.
* The Crusades were the so-called Christian holy wars with Moslems seeking to capture the Holy Land for the "true faith."
.* There was the horror of the Inquisition, with so-called heretics burned at the stake and Jews expelled from Spain.
* Remember the terror and killing in Northern Ireland, or more recently, look at September 11, 2001...hate smothered with perverted religion.
Jesus never taught this. He says to love and forgive your enemies. There has been some bad stuff in religion, but Jesus would never call on Christians to force other people to believe in Him and His word. There is nothing in the Bible that teaches that. That is manmade religion--not Jesus. Yes, a lot of religion stinks. It's caused tons of unnecessary problems, but Jesus is the One you want to look to. Unlike misguided religion, what He teaches is always good.
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8 Comments
"I come not to bring peace, but a sword." - Erik the Just
I am not scholarly or learned enough to remember where it is in the Bible but I have seen one referance that kindof puts Christianity on a defensive. It wasn't Jesus at all but it said something like do not let anyone take from you this land I have given you, protect it and... Like I said, I can't remember exactly but if someone can let me know where it is, I would really appreciate it. I would also like to hear some interpretations of it...........................THANKS! - Kevin
Oh my. Where's that quote from Lenny Bruce?
"People are leaving the church and going back to God."
How many customs do we have that are not Biblical? Many major holidays have become customary, but none are Biblical. None of the major holidays of main line Christians are commanded by God. Easter gets closest, but not the bunnies and eggs. Passover is the commanded holiday.
Most Christians don't even know. - Hal
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If all people on earth followed the teachings of Jesus (the way), they would be knowing the truth of God's love that sets them free and wars would not be necessary nor would there be the physical loss of life associated with war. True Christianity does not impose its beliefs on others but it does tell of the beliefs and is open to acceptance or rejection without any consequences other than what God in His sovereignty chooses to do about the individual's choice. - Janice
Just as Erik states...Jesus didn't come to bring "peace" but division. Also another thing that this devotion forgot to mention was the fact that God did command the ancient Israelites to go to war against the Hittites, Jebusites, and Philistines. Passivist Christians seem to forget that. - Florian
I have always associated the sword that Jesus brings to be the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God---that double edged sword that divides people according to which way they will choose to believe. Jesus leaves His peace with those who follow him. Others become angry when someone close to them chooses to follow Jesus instead of following the way of the others (who may include the closest of family members). To everything there is a season. God has always allowed wars to happen throughout history but Christianity should not serve as the scapegoat for the reason for wars. - Janice
I agree, the religion that people choose to deliver hate and harm is not what Jesus had in mind.There will always be someone out there turning their "religion" into a reason to kill, hate and destroy. How else will they define their evil ways and get others to believe in what they are doing? - Jennifer
The typical person spouting, 'religion is the cause of more problems...' is also coming from the secular humanist view (sadly, most of these are not likely to want to hear His word).
I think it was Michael Medved (a conservative radio host) who addressed this with pointing out how much more suffering and deaths atheism has caused – the massacre’s of Stalin totaled in the ten’s of millions, the purges of Mao Tse Tung’s “culture revolution” totaled in the hundred’s of millions (ref. Guinness Book of World Records). The slaughter caused by lesser atheist tyrants (Hitler, Castro…) range from the hundred’s of thousands, to the several millions.
- facts are stubborn things - Steve Tyner