Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Why is it that religions are better known for producing negative consequences (holy wars, conflicts with science, intolerance...), rather than positive ones?

A:  The key word to this question is the word “known.” We live in a culture that shaves and spins truth in various ways. Too often reality takes a back seat to perspective. So, if we listen to those in our culture who have strong anti-religious feelings, we tend to hear stories which fit that perspective. Nowadays there is a real need to take every perspective with a grain of salt and go back to the facts to see what is real and true.

We can do exactly that with the legacy of Christianity in history. If we do, we will indeed find many instances where people claiming to be Christians did terrible things. Scripture clearly condemns these wrong actions and assures us that those who have committed them will receive their due (Romans 2:8-11; 1 Peter 1:17). It’s important to remember that God never hides the mistakes and wrong choices of His followers. He is clear at all times that the people who walk in His ways do so imperfectly, and sometimes display even less character than the people they are seeking to reach! Such is the mystery of His grace (e.g., Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10).

We will also discover that enemies of the Church tend to overemphasize the negative effects of religion and ignore the positive impacts. There have been many instances where the Christian faith has had great positive impact on government (such as the Christian principles underpinning the Declaration of Independence and Constitution), education (such as Martin Luther’s call for universal education), civil rights (the vast majority of whites who opposed slavery and oppression of African Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries did so for religious reasons), and scientific study (in fact, the western pursuit of scientific knowledge began as an assumption that a God of order created rules to govern the universe). So there is some misrepresentation on both sides of this issue. For what it’s worth, the belief system that caused the most deaths in the 20th century was Atheism and it caused more people to die in one century than all other belief systems in all other centuries combined!

In the end I think it’s best to judge a belief system by its core teaching. Examining the teachings themselves can help us figure out whether the wrongs done by professing followers stem from their religion or from some other factor. Evaluating a belief system solely by the character of its followers is an exercise in futility because all belief systems have flawed followers. We’re only human after all!

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