Sam Harris said in his book Letter to A Christian Nation: "One of the most pernicious effects of religion is that it tends to divorce morality from the reality of human and animal suffering. Religion allows people to imagine that their concerns are moral when they are not – that is, when they have nothing to do with suffering or its alleviation…. This explains why Christians like yourself expend "moral" energy opposing abortion than fighting genocide." (25)
This statement missed a large part of the Christian reality, but yet sadly hit a major part of it at the same time. I believe that Harris is trying to point out the hypocrisy that plays out everyday in the Christian Church, but at the same time, he misses so much, that it becomes an unfair statement, and even hypocritical.... Hypocritical because he is generalizing the problems in a Christian community as an overall effect of religion, and then criticizes Christians for labeling all atheist as evil by generalizing the problems in an atheistic community and seeing it as an overall effect of atheism. The logic doesn't run through, and it seems as if he is just fighting fire with fire.It just doesn't work, and this statement, and those that followed, fall through because of this.
Personally I can list over one hundred organizations that are Christian based, and focus on relieving human suffering on so many different levels. Some are international, and others simply in the community, but they are there. Many Christians have felt the pain that other people have felt as well, and as a result of their finding of life in their religion, most want to step out and help those that are in the situations that they were lucky enough to make it out of.
On the other hand, there have been plenty of times where Christians, instead of loving, and doing good, brought out judgment and further hurt those that have been hurt, and I am sorry for that. Personally have been hurt many times by Christians, and have seen firsthand the hypocrisy in the church, and have even been attacked straight on by such, and not in a way that was superficial.
I see where one could start such an argument, and as a Christian it hurts me so much to see this continue with other people, but I have to say, that this response is not a merited one. Even in Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, he tells a people who have been abused for hundreds of years, that in these times of fighting for freedom, "we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." It is true that many Christians get hung up on their own "righteousness", but atheist also get hung up on their own "correctness," so I think it is fair to say that this is a human problem rather than a Christian one..
-Romans 12:9-10 –"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
See, people like Sam Harris are starting to wage war on Christianity, in a way that is truly terrible. Attacks are coming from all sides, and some I believe are truly our fault. Like I said above, I know the hypocrisy that lays within the church. I know people who sought a place to be accepted, and instead were rejected, but that is not the core of Christianity, at all. That is humanity.
Talking to a man named Mike, who was gay for 13 years, and turned to religion (10 years ago), he told of how the church had a tendency to put both hands up, and just say, "No brother, you're wrong." The gay community then had a tendency to put both hands out, and accept you for what you are. But when he finally came to know the Jesus that we all claim to follow whole-heartedly, he found a Jesus that had one hand up, and one hand out. Saying, what you are doing is not good, but I love you beyond that.
Did you know that Jesus ate with those that were in sin, and therefore unclean? Did you know that when a prostitute was brought to jesus, and brought to be judged for her sin, after Jesus gave the famous line, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone...", those who accused her left, and the following took place:
"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?""No one sir" she said"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
John 8
So in response to the attacks, I encourage you to take a look at the core of Christianity, and not just those who have screwed up. You might find something very real.
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And for the Christians who read this do read this, and wish to respond. I encourage those who read this to not just read this and just want to fight back, but to read this, think about it, reason against it by all means, and then love back. Atheist, like Harris, say the things that they say for a reason. What that reason is, it is clearly different for every person, but it is not just some random thought that they just came up with one day. Sometimes there is a sense of hypocrisy on our part, and for others it is a struggle that is taking place in their own hearts, but remember that we also struggle with that just the same. "For Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." (1 Corinthians 8:1) I know that it is a battle, and as Harris states in the intro, "if one of us is right, the other is wrong… one side is really going to win this argument, and the other side is really going to lose," (5) but we do not have to play the same game. We are called to be separate from the world, and our battles are not of flesh and blood, but are spiritual indeed (Eph. 6:12). So, as we build in knowledge, don't let that knowledge become the weapon you wield to cut them right through their heart, but as a defense, and support for why you believe what you believe.
Thank you.
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