Why are the worst acts of evil perpetrated by Religious leaders?

Question

Like Jim Jones?

Answer 1

Oh come on, Jibba -- here come the Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot references. Be real. The body count of militant atheism makes religion look like a tea party.

Answer 2

Thats a hard , but good question,,there are references to the christian crusades, and muslim wars, for centuries..
while christians now understand that God doesnt want forced religion, the muslims dont . Extremists just grow,,,,violence begets violence,,irregardless of religion.

For gruesome ways ,the koran followers take the cake. Ive seen some messed up hindus, etc, from ME countries, violently beaten to death,,beheadings,,etc..but the christian crusades,,reading about all of it will make you cry if you have a soft heart, and I do, so,,i did. A search engine of jihad, muslims, christians and chrisitan crusades will reveal many answers, also islamlies.com and cant think of any other links right off the top of my head.

Answer 3

Jim Jones was a rare event.
He was a kook!
Religious leaders, by and large, do not lead their people into an unknown land to kill them.
Oh, yes, there was another religious leader that killed his people waiting for a space ship to come take them to heaven.
Just another kook!
Even David Koresh did not kill his people.

grace2u

Answer 4

I just voted for a best answer on a question identical to this one that was asked yesterday. That said, my answer is this: there are people who pretend to be religious to receive material gain, physical satisfaction, etc. These people are not the real leaders of the churches. The real leader of the church is Jesus, and He would never perpetrate these evils upon you.

Answer 5

Jim Jones and the likes of him listened to Satan and not God, they hid under the guise of religion to make things seem right. As if you didn't know.

Answer 6

Because belief in an external god becomes a deeply personal commitment, and to accept that anothers belief could be true is to diminish your own belief. ie. how can Islam be true if I know Hinduism to be the right path ( or insert any other religions)
This kind of thinking leads to self aggrandizement and the denigration of others. Then you end up with stuff like the Inquisition, or Jihad etc.etc

Answer 7

Jim Jones was an example of a cult leader. He began to think that he was God. One hallmark of that kind of cult is when mass suicide is encouraged or forced.

I'm a Catholic, and you will never see the Catholic Church encouraging mass suicide because it's a mortal sin in our religion to commit suicide.
.

Answer 8

Because everyone in the material world is after power, and money and fame and women. So they hide under Religions to get what they want. And people are so foolish they give it to them. (Cheaters and the Cheated) It works out nicely for everyone who is insincere.Accept the innocent fools. Eventually God whacks them in this life or the next.

Answer 9

There is a time when religion had a chance to stand up for true Bible principles, but...........well. Failed miserably

http://www.nobeliefs.com/nazis.htm

Millions died and HItler was never 'removed' from his religious organization. Even if HE wasn't a Catholic and only Raised in a Catholic houshold it does not remove the bloodguilt from the Catholic Church. Does it?

In my opinion it has happen again with different victims. Children.

Answer 10

Because the believers blindly follow them and support them.
Now is the time for mature individuals to independently read the Holy Books, seek for the truth and apply with their own capacities, in their own circumstances

Answer 11

They feel the power, they are the power. Charismatic characters that have styled themselves inadvertently or maybe purposefully after the Antichrist himself. The Antichrist may not be real in the biblical manner but the ideology is most definitely real.