Religion not responsible for all the world’s ills
Recently two of your readers submitted letters denigrating religious belief. (“Religion no excuse to deny human rights” and “Belief doesn’t give the right to wage war, kill.”) The second letter, written by Art Seger, seemed to hint that all of mankind’s ills including war, and the condemnation of anyone’s private belief, are directly due to religion.
Is this an entirely accurate or even a responsible thing to say? I suggest that both these writers take a broader and more informed view of history and consider all the facts. It’s convenient and popular these days to mock and ridicule sincere faith and religious belief, but is that wise or accurate?
First, close to 100 million people died in the 20th century, mankind’s bloodiest century, as a direct or indirect result of communism, 65 million in China alone. Communism, an atheistic belief system, not a religious one, has slaughtered millions. Naziism, an atheistic, state centred horrifying belief system, accounted for the deaths of even more millions. These are followed in the top body count statistics by the Mongols, whose “religion” amounted to revering the “blue sky” (basically no religion at all). In order of genocide it is Mao, Stalin, Hitler and Genghis Khan, none of whom were particularly religious.
People in North Korea are not starving because of an oppressive religion. If people are suffering and dying there it is because of fundamentalist communism. Empires and repressive states have been built for profit and domination much more than for religious zeal, and this not only in the 20th and 21st century but for many centuries before. The Assyrians weren’t particularly religious.
Since contempt for faith is so deep and it is so dangerous, perhaps we should tear down the beautiful cathedrals of Europe, burn the Renaissance masterpieces with religious themes, spray paint the “Last Supper” and take a sledge hammer to Michelangelo’s religiously inspired sculptures? Really folks?
Religious faith is not the problem. Greed, megalomania, the will to dominate, and the profit motive are more often the causes of death and destruction than sincere belief. And it is sincere religious belief that created and nurtured people like Mother Teresa, founded hospitals and universities, created relief agencies, improved schooling and resulted in some of the world’s greatest literature and art.
If you’re going to condemn something please get your facts straight and tell the whole story. The excesses, oppression, ridiculous socio political beliefs, and draconian legislation we have seen in the last decade in Canada aren’t coming from religion. They are coming from the radical agenda of the liberal progressive left, now sanctified by our present government, not a particularly religious regime, or one that respects the religious rights of the individual.
Let’s have a balanced discussion of all the qualities of faith, including the ennobling ones, not just a diatribe against religion.
Perry Foster
Duncan
