By Dale E. Smith, M.A., LCPC
Alumnus of CTS
Many non-religious people believe that Christianity poses a threat to civilization. That Christians are exclusive and claim to be morally better than others. That God, and Jesus if He exists at all, is impersonal, indifferent to or uninterested in the sufferings of humanity, perhaps even unjust and cruel because of the many crimes perpetrated by Christians or other religious faiths throughout history. This is of course, a generalization and bias in its assumptions. There is always danger in generalizing about anything when based upon some facts that are true, but disregarding other facts that are also true.
First of all, many Christians in fact, are some of the most emotionally damaged and needy persons on Earth even though some do not admit it. Jesus did not come to save the righteous, but the flawed (Sinners). The fact that religious people throughout history have committed some of the most heinous of crimes under the self-righteous idolatry of religious moral superiority does not negate the fact that much has also been done in Love toward others. The old adage, "You can't always judge the forest, simply by some of its trees" is true. The proponents for rejecting religion, and especially Christianity, fail to understand or consider the overwhelming positive influence that deeply religious individual people who truly follow as best they can Jesus' teachings have contributed to civilization. In many ways some non-religious persons place their philosophy of life and themselves on a moral pedestal as a false god in itself. They are just as capable or guilty of crimes against humanity and self-righteous arrogance as some marginal or fanatical Christians or other religious faiths have been.
During the past century many secular, humanistic and non-religious ideologies also have caused untold misery, death and destruction. Any honest look at human history will reveal that not only Christians but also non-Christians are both flawed in this respect when religious indifference or fanaticism have become the moral focus rather than the true Gospel of Christ.
In my counseling practice I have noticed one certain fact concerning all persons I talk with. Namely, that whatever their personal, moral, ethical, philosophical, religious, agnostic or atheistic beliefs may be, they invariably always have some need based upon self interest that deludes them into thinking and behaving contrary to their own individual moral values eventually. They are blind to the fact that their human nature is primarily focused upon themselves, their individually or collectively perceived identity and behaviors are resistant to the idea that there is in reality only one absolute morality which is dictated by God. Because of that, they believe that God and life is unfair, that all suffering is bad and to be avoided, and that if only they could change themselves or others in some way all would be well in our world.
This is understandable considering that this misconception of individual freedom and the right of each individual to create one's own morality has been promoted since the dawn of human history. Even the religion of evolutionary theory is based almost entirely upon such assumptions, since it claims that man evolved and continues to evolve containing within his claimed good nature the inherent so called legitimate tendency of survival of the fittest and his right to self determination. If such assumptions are true, then how well has it worked out in the affairs of the actual perpetual discontentment of civilizations? I submit, not very well. Human history has proved consistently and repeatedly, either between individuals, within a family, community, kingdom, empire or nation the secular ideologies have also failed as much or more than the religious ones. Personal liberty is not dependent on freedom from absolute morality and individual choice, but rather upon a committed struggle of faith toward God's absolute spiritual values of right and wrong as the perfect ideology. Mankind cannot do this on their own. It has been and can only ever be exemplified by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only perfect man and One and only true Son of God. The fact that we humans fail miserably in following such God given absolute and perfect truth in no way negates that truth is a fact and real. If there is any hope for mankind, it certainly cannot be available in our self-conceived or self-centered approaches as has been demonstrated throughout all human history. Why not? Because all material creation as we know it is in fact changing and moving toward decay and death, even the scientific experts agree to that. Sadly, many are yet unconvinced of that reality and falsely believe that man can and will save everything by shear human efforts alone. Thus, so many people believe only in themselves as god and act it out in a multitude of different ways and by different ideological names never realizing their self delusion or powerlessness over reality.
