I have stated in past blogs that Christianity does harm. “How Christianity and the Church Harm out Mental Health” and “Churches Fail People” have been two of my most read blogs. I want to spend some time investigating the damage of the Christian faith system. There are two parts, one is the damage done to society and our world and the other is personal damage. This blog will deal with the damage done to our society and our world from the belief and teaching of Christianity. Next week we will look at the personal harm that is experienced. As you read what I think of as harm, consider whether you see Christianity as having a harmful impact.
My premise is that Christianity as a religion is harmful. Christianity means different things to different people. For this discussion, Christianity means the conservative evangelical belief system which believes in the Bible as the holy book of authority, Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour and a personal salvation experience needed to go to Heaven. Some religious beliefs and practices are more harmful than others and perhaps your experience hasn’t included all of what I discuss. Some people experience more harmful effects than others, if you are one who didn’t experience great harm, please don’t discount the harm caused in the broader picture as shown today, or for others, personal harm, as we will discuss next week.
Let’s start by looking at the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:3-17 summed up King James Version for old time sake. It is the way I learned them originally.)
Thou shalt have no other God before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord they God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.
Honour thy father and thy mother
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against they neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet they neighbour’s house.
David Madison, in “Debunking Christianity” noted that humanity missed the best moral principles to follow when the following three commandments didn’t make the list. (Bracketed comments are mine.)
Thou shalt not engage in warfare. (#6 should have covered this but the Old Testament and history show this isn’t the case.)
Thou shalt not enslave other human beings.
Thou shalt not mistreat or undervalue other human beings because of the colour of their skin. (I would add… or how they identify their gender or sexuality or due to any disability or difference.)
Imagine how history would have been different if these three had been added and followed. So much pain and suffering due to war, genocide, racism, slavery and hate crimes would have been avoided. Do you feel Christianity has followed these basic ethical statements? Has society been damaged because they have not?
JT Eberhard in “40 Harmful Effects of Christianity” suggests Christianity’s most offensive crime is suppressing critical thought, causing otherwise good people to think cruelty or inequality are moral. I see this in some Christians I know. Hating the sin of LGBTQ is moral and right to them, but the outward effect of hating the sin of being trans, gay or queer brings such pain to children, family members, people in your pews and those not in the church. Have you seen the pain this has caused? Have you taken time to listen to the stories of the LGBTQ community? Seeing cruelty and inequality as moral is also happening in the middle east. The wholesale approval of Israel’s actions in war because of faith teaching shows a refusal to see the damage done to Palestinians.
The church has a definite history of covering the abuse of leaders towards their congregants. What was once thought to be a Roman Catholic issue has been exposed in the Southern Baptist denomination and in many, many other denominations. (Let me know if you would like a list of resources proving this.) Pastors who sexually abuse, commit adultery and have been caught, can apologize publicly, and are then applauded and reinstated while the victims are told to forgive, repent of their accusations and ‘get over it’. Sometimes the abuser is quietly released from their position and then goes on to find another church to continue their evil abuses. This harms everyone in the church. It harms the church in society as the sin within comes to light.
I saw a meme this week that said “If your version of heaven on earth requires someone else to experience hell, then you’re an oppressor. Hope this helps.”
This one made me think. Christians spend millions on their church buildings while there are homeless and starving nearby. Churches, classified as charities, are getting tax-free exemptions or lesser taxes, while their tithes and donations go to their denominations, their mortgages, their internal programs and staff financial gain (especially in mega churches), while money is desperately needed by poor, sick and suffering people. Can the church be seen as an oppressor? I see oppression in many places, the wars in Israel/Gaza and in the Ukraine, the billionaires building their paradise while so many employees try to survive. I must also ask, am I oppressing others while trying to build my own version of heaven on earth?
Christians are okay with publicly sharing their belief that non-Christians are going to hell. The Christian view of heaven requires anyone not believing exactly the right thing, defined by their interpretation of the Bible, to go to hell. That makes Christians sad, that they can’t convince everyone to believe like they do. But they know when they get to heaven that won’t be an issue. There will be no sorrow so they won’t care anymore that many are burning. What a horrible teaching. Can you see how this harms our society? It creates a division of the saved and unsaved, the believer and the pagan, the right and the wrong, and those divisions harm relationships and our society. How do we come together, hear each others stories and know, respect and love each other when we are being sent to eternal damnation?
Is it possible that Christianity, as well as other religions, can take much of the blame for the misogyny found in western culture? The patriarchal example of the Bible, the maleness of God and Jesus as well as the twelve disciples, the insistence that church leaders be male and that women be quiet and submissive has helped establish males as dominant in our culture. This can be seen in homes, work, athletics, and government. While some churches have and are working on progressing past the limiting of women’s influence, others have doubled down on the teaching. Has the Christian teaching, which has for years been the forefront of western life, been harming the females in our society?
The Christian teaching on the sacredness of life has stopped abortion which has harmed many women including those needing medical abortions and very young girls who are raped and impregnated. Euthanasia has been stopped by many Christians meaning people suffering extreme unending suffering can not die in a peaceful chosen and controlled way. LGBTQ people are discriminated against, hated, and harmed. Can it be that our society is harmed rather than helped when people are forced to abide by Christian beliefs and rules?
The Christian teaching of creation and the disbelief of evolution has created a suspicion of science and education. Since the enlightenment the church has been suspicious of scientific advancements and stopped scientists through intimidation and even death. Many Christians are fearful of science, untrusting of vaccines, and dismissive of climate change science. The Christian belief that the earth will burn means care for the earth has been unimportant. Not caring for our earth home causes great harm to the world and our society and the result of that is showing itself more as time goes on. Many Christians, though not all, see faith and science as enemies of each other and not compatible. How much damage has that already caused our earth? How much more damage will be done.
The Christian missionary movement was a plan to bring the gospel of Jesus to the world. It has converted many ‘heathen’ religions and cultures, replacing them with Christianity and in doing so, destroyed the previous religions and cultures. Colonialism and the doctrine of discovery have brought about much harm. One can see evidence of that in our indigenous people in Canada and the abuses, murder, and atrocities committed against them in the name of God and the church combined with our government greed. Anywhere there is missionary activity there can be found the attempt to rid people of their own beliefs and culture and replace it with Christian thinking, beliefs and practices. Can you see the harm to society this has caused?
I can’t prove harm is caused by a religion and a set of beliefs. But I have my opinions and want to base them on fact. How does one assess the harm done to societies? It isn’t a simple task. It is beyond the scope of my attempt. My investigation is to check if the actions and teachings of the Christian church cause damage in our society and our earth. What is your conclusion? Some may want to stop me and say ‘what about all the good Christians do?’ They do some good, some churches do lots of good. Does that negate the harm? Is there something these churches can do to help alleviate the harm? This harm comes from teachings the Bible doesn't make clear as being wrong. Somehow the Bible can be interpreted to hate LGBTQ, to allow slavery, to condemn people to hell, to justify war, to stop needed abortions and make people suffer in pain far longer than they should. God's holiness is used to allow all this hatred and evil against 'sinners'. That is what makes me sad. That is what makes me angry. That is what I object to so strongly. Progressive Christianity hates this stuff and I appreciate that. (I'll save my thoughts on Progressive Christianity for another post sometime.)
Writing these things down helps me think about what has been done in the name of God and what I myself did as a Christian. Is there something I need to do to repent of or repair the damage I did? I must look at my own life now to see if I am causing damage, intentional or not, and work to make changes if I am. I want to now live a life knowing, loving and accepting the value and potential of all people. Hoping you can join me in making this earth, the people in our world, and yourself, more peaceful and healthy.
Val Martens
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