What about all
the horrible things
that have been done in the name of Christianity?
1. Horrible things have
been done in the name of Christ
There is absolutely no denying that terrible things have been down through the
ages in the name of Christ. They are inexcusable. The question
is - do these things have anything to do with Jesus? Horrible things
have been done in the name of every kind of major movement in the history of the
world. If something is
completely contrary to the teaching of the leader of a movement that does not
prove that the movement is evil - it proves that those who commit the crimes
either don't understand the movement or are crassly using it for their own
purposes.
2. What does
Christianity actually stand for ?
Try this experiment. Think of some atrocity that was done in the name
of Christ. Now consider what Jesus actually taught:
"You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A
TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'
"But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on
your right cheek, turn the other to him also. "If anyone wants to sue you and
take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
"Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
"Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to
borrow from you.
"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate
your enemy.'
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
(Matthew 5:38-44)
Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you... Now how do the acts of those you were thinking about compare to this actual teaching of Jesus? If it is the exact opposite you can conclude that such folks don't understand Christianity regardless of what they call themselves. By the way, the quote above is not some obscure text - it part of what is called 'the Sermon on the Mount' which is held by virtually all Christian denominations to be the center of Christ's teaching.
3. But what about
all the people killed in the name of religion?
Here is another test question. Have more people been killed in the
name of religion or in the name of reason? The actual answer is surprising
to many of us:
More people have been killed in the last century in the name of reason and
progress than
all those killed in the name of religion in the entire history of the world.
The primary goal of the worst crimes of our century was to remove religion and
replace it with a society based on "science and progress."
(The
picture to the right is from a mass grave of Khmer Rouge victims in Choeung Ek aka the Killing Fields near Phnom Penh, Cambodia).
When I pointed this out to a scientist he said "Well they might have done it in the name of reason, but it wasn't really reason." Exactly. And people may have done terrible things in the name of Christ, but it wasn't really Christianity. The simple truth is that groups of people can wield great power for good and for evil - whatever they call themselves.
Here is another central teaching of Christianity:
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27)
Christendom (a particular European governmental structure of a bygone era which disastrously entangled state churches with official political power) and Christianity (ordinary people living out faith in Jesus Christ) are two very different things that people often confuse. The fact that kings and queens fought wars for land and power in the name of religion cannot erase the fact that at exactly the same time thousands of ordinary Christians intentionally chose poverty so that they could spend their lives feeding the poor, healing the sick, educating the illiterate. Which do you think was a better example of true Christianity? Mother Teresa is not the exception to what actual Christianity is, she is a modern exemplar. Is she what you think of when you think of Christianity? In fact, the very people who are the most critical of Christianity from a distance often don't quite know what to do when they meet people who are actually living out Christianity
People who talk about "the church" like it is some monolithic institution don't understand the actual state of affairs - there are hundreds of independent denominations around the world, and thousands of small groups of Christians who don't report to any hierarchy. The Catholic church is only one of many denominations. There is no organization in the world that is as multi-cultural as the Christian community. The church is not the institution - it is the community of all people who are following Jesus in every culture of the world regardless of what denomination they belong to.
The key is this - don't let the hypocrisy of others who call themselves Christians keep you from the truth of Jesus. Study him and his teachings for yourself and then decide what Christianity is... and is not. Gospel means "Good News" The news maybe even better than you thought.