Why are things that people do in the name of religion used as an argument against religion?

Question

Does Christianity teach anything that is so bad? Is loving you neighbor, being kind to others, praying for and helping those in need, and all the other basic Christian beliefs, are these so bad? Why is it that Christianity, and more broadly, religion in general, are blamed for the things that some of their followers do? Why is it that a few people go beyond the teachings and commit atrocities and everyone is saying that religion is the cause of all problems? Religion isn't the problem, people are the problem. Your thoughts?

Answer 1

True religion teaches nothing bad.
False religion, otherwise known as Babylon the Great, does.
The "Inquisition" by the Catholic church in the middle ages is as example of religion gone mad and of some scripture taken completely out of context and then acted on.
This was not to allow any " Practicer in omens or divination" to remain. And the Catholic church took that to its limit.
by burning innocent women to death for suspected " witchcraft", even though the word 'witch' is not in the Bible.
(2 Kings 21:6) And he made his own son pass through the fire, and he practiced magic and looked for omens and made spirit mediums and professional foretellers of events. He did on a large scale what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, to offend him.

(2 Chronicles 33:6) And he himself made his own sons pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hin′nom, and practiced magic and used divination and practiced sorcery and made spiritistic mediums and professional foretellers of events. He did on a grand scale what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, to offend him.

(Revelation 18:4-5) And I heard another voice out of heaven say: “Get out of her, my people, if YOU do not want to share with her in her sins, and if YOU do not want to receive part of her plagues. 5 For her sins have massed together clear up to heaven, and God has called her acts of injustice to mind.

Answer 2

When a particular church can kill millions of people for imaginary sins (i.e. witchcraft, heresy, or inquisition [Spanish and otherwise] ) there is something basically and intrinsically wrong with that church. Full wars (Crusades, Thirty Years War, French Wars of Religion, etc.) were not just a few followers committing atrocities. You are greaty minimizing what has gone on.

Since I am an atheist, the problem I have with religion is that it is wrong and based on lies and myths. Some of the teachings are good, but they are basic knowledge that was around before the Bible...such at "The Golden Rule" (Ethic of Reciprosity). We don't NEED religion to live the right way.

If people are the problem, people make religions. People make governments. People are good and people are bad. This isn't the people category. We have to address religion and spirituality in here.

Answer 3

In the first place, you will never EVER see an atheist go into a non-religion discussion group and start banging on about how there are no gods. Christians and Muslims do that sort of thing all the time - preaching in inappropriate circumstances where such ideas are not asked for and not wanted. In the second place, discussing and criticising ideas and beliefs is not just acceptable, it's *essential*, otherwise how will we ever produce educated, enlightened people? It just needs to be done in an appropriate place, and what more appropriate place to discuss religion than a religious discussion forum?

Answer 4

Because so many claim to be Christians yet are living evil, immoral, hypocritical lives.

Christian means Christlike and there are those that are anything but.

There are those that are false and in my opinion a false or backslid-den Christian can cause more damage to the cause of Christ then just about anything.

Ted Haggard for example, preached against homosexuality while committing the very same sin.
Is it any wonder he was found out?

Jimmy Swaggart being arrested for solicitation of prostitution and continuing behind the pulpit.

Christians who argue and mock non-believers telling them they are going to burn in Hell, not because they care they are going there, but to hurt.

The crusades, the Inquisition, Salem witch trials are all examples of Christianity being hijacked and going directly against the teachings of Christ.

You can't blame people for being confused , since there are so few truly showing the love of Christ , the fruit of the Spirit and living a seperated life.

Answer 5

what you highlight is the difference between theory and practice! ;)

In theory, even marxism is great, but you can see the reality which occured in USSR.

For religion, it is the same problem.

So today, no one would say that communism is great, because we have seen what it led to. There would be always selfish people who are starving for power. That's the human truth.
Unfortunatly it is the same case within religion nowaday and before (see the link about the saint-barthelemy massacre) (and that's the case of all the religions...see what's happening in Irak or Palestine)
And in general, that's the same for many things.

I think that human is bad in nature, and he needs to be educated. Unfortunatly many problems raised by religion are due to uneducated people who manipulate others.

Bottom line:
- religion is not the problem (that's the theory)
- people are the problem (thats the practical thing)
- it's the education (in fact the "uneducation") that is the problem as people tend to be easily manipulated => some selfish people use religion for their own interest.

does it help?

Answer 6

Right. Bad things happen when people DEVIATE from religion and do things contrary to the teachings of their religion. If a religion advocates love, and they kill someone, then you do not blame the religion you blame the person who deviated from the religion. If they stayed true to their religion they would be a good person. Because not one religion calls for followers to be bad.

Answer 7

Some of the basic Christian tenets also include:

You are already a sinner because of a piece of fruit some ancestor in the misty past ate.

God loves you, but he'll put you in hell forever for not believing him, when evidence is thin on the ground.

Believing in the absence of evidence is a virtue.

Sex is icky. Some kinds of sex are particularly icky.

Women should just shut up.

Fig trees are bad news.

Answer 8

People will distort and bend and twist God's precious words of love to us, because the devil hates God so much that he will use whatever method he can to get us to do or say anything that will try to hurt God and us in the long run. Doing horrible things in the name of religion (Islam, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhims,etc) is a sore excuse for the vile nature of man who has evil resting just under the surface and will use it to his advantage.
If people read God's word carefully, a few examples you mentioned, He is very specific in His instructions on our way of living, loving and treating others. Yes, I agree, it is people!

Answer 9

No Religion is bad. Bad is changing faith of people by conversions, it damage the spiritual progress of the person.

Answer 10

i don't care wat religion anyone is, well some time being a christian can be a little bit innoying 1st u have to go to sunday church 2nd you have to do this thing at teh church when you get married 3rd u have to do ceremoni for every acasion. ok so it not that innoying but i think u should respect everyone for what they are not they religion.