The Crusades.
The Inquisition.
Witch trials in Europe and America.
The Divine right of Kings (valid until killed by another Divinely-appointed King).
Missionaries destroying/converting smaller, "heathen" religions and cultures.
Missionaries such as Mother Teresa.
The demonization of other religions, e.g. Christianity demonizing Pagans ("They're devil-worshippers!"), the Romans demonizing Christians ("They're atheists and cannibals!").
Persecution of Heretics - e.g. Galileo for daring to suggest that the Earth orbits the Sun.
Children dying because their parents refused them medical treatment on religious grounds; relying instead on faith-healers and prayer.
Slavery, supposedly supported by scripture ("Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, just as you would obey Christ.", St.Paul, Ephesians 6:5)
Holy wars - followers of different faiths (or even the same faith) killing each other in the name of their (benevolent, loving and merciful) gods.
The destruction of great works of art considered to be pornographic/blasphemous, and the persecution of the artists.
Censorship (often destructive) of speech, art, books, music, films, poetry, songs and, if possible, thought.
Persecution/punishment of blasphemers (Salman Rushdie still has a death sentence on him), and blasphemy laws in general.
The requirement of theism in order to stand for public office or to testify in court.
Serial killers believing they are doing the work of Satan (or sometimes Jesus).
Often-fatal exorcisms by priests believing they are destroying the work of Satan.
People suffering dreadful injury or death in the belief that their faith has made them invulnerable (e.g. people climbing into lion enclosures at zoos, with a Bible as protection).
Whole societies divided by minor differences in belief or doctrine, often resulting in violence.
Mass suicides of cult-members following a charismatic leader who believes the world is about to End
The attempted genocide of followers of a particular faith (e.g. the Jewish Holocaust, "ethnic cleansing" in former Yugoslavia).
Blood sacrifices to appease the Gods, or to ensure a good harvest. (The Aztecs made daily human sacrifices to ensure that the Sun would rise. Or did they? )
The practice of "female circumcision" (more accurately termed genital mutilation).
The discouragement of rational, critical thought (resulting in young-earth creationists, for example).
Uncontrolled population growth caused (or at least helped) by churches prohibiting birth-control and abortion. (You can also add : unwanted pregnancies, ill-fated forced marriages, and pregnant teenagers condemned to a life in mental institutions to avoid embarrassing their families.)
The spread of sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. AIDS) due to churches prohibiting the use of condoms.
Believers whipping, impaling, poisoning or crucifying themselves during religious festivals as a demonstration of their faith and piety.
Suicide bombers taught to believe that martyrs go straight to Paradise.
The indoctrination of children into the religion of their parents, giving them an arbitrary, life-long belief that is almost entirely dependent on their place of birth.
Women treated as second-class citizens or even slaves
Pentecostal snake-handlers
Persecution of homosexuals
Abuse of power, authority and trust by religious leaders (for financial gain or sexual abuse of followers and even children). It's not riff raff it is fact, why do you people have a problem with facts and reality? They think that god bestowed morals upon them and that god is superior, but forget about very important lessons they were supposed to have learned from the Bible like, 'turn the other cheek', or 'love thy neighbor', or 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'.
Thank god that morals don't come from god! Because that is what they are told. People like us know the truth. I like how you blame sexually transmitted diseases on churches simply because they "distributed condoms".
That alone further validates the biased nature that we're all guilty of in order to justify a personal opinion. Due to that your entire argument is excused. Funny thing is Jesus would never have done, nor would he condone most of the things you listed. Some of these are just things religious people use to make excuses for the things they want to do. Does this mean your "group has it"? You are distorting the facts and generalizing, not all Christians THINK they have the moral high ground, they know they must follow Christ and the guidelines he set out for them, and many of those things you list are NOT Christian, just worldly self centered people pretending to follow Christ when they are not. Jesus is Lord, the Way the Truth and the Life and the Only Way to heaven. Because Christianity is defined that way. In their indoctrinated minds, Jesus is the only way to be moral. Nothing else exists, can exist, must exist. They think in absolutes. Deaf, dumb and blind. Why is Mother Theresa in there? Do you actually think that her mission was a bad thing?
And yes, many atrocities have occurred in the name of Christianity. It is sad when my fellow Christians assume that they are more morally upright than other people. Do you have an axe to grind, by any chance? (smile)
Very simply, all that you cite here, historical or not, exagerated or highly precise... assuming 100% true... which I grant you for the purpose of argument (since I'm not a historian)...
Just as thinking people don't blame all Muslims for the actions of an idiot minority faction which do things utterly inconsistent with the faith... neither must thinking people ascribe to genuine Christianity and the teachings thereof...
the actions of any person, persons, or agency, or denomination that act OUTSIDE the clear, obvious, loving and miraculous context of historic Biblical Chrisitanity.
If you understand that God is love, and the Christian gospel reflects that love... then you know that all who CLAIM to be Christians but who fail to bear the fruits of that love... are pretenders... posers... wannabe's.
The pretend ones that are ultra-violent within the Muslim faith do not represent their faith truly-- and they are not rightly or fairly taken as evidence that the religion is inherently evil or false. Such radical heretics are evidence that they themselves are fake... not the faith.
Likewise therefore with any faith... certainly including Christianity. Not all Christians are the same. For example, the Inquisition and the Crusades were the doing of the Catholic Church, not other Christian religions. Many of the things you have listed were don by religious fanatics and would be considered extremist.
Christianity is not just one religion. It is made up of thousands of different sect. In some cases you might consider each congregation as a different sect. They are forced to believe so... or die in Hell.. It's not riff raff it is fact, why do you people have a problem with facts and reality?
I don't have a problem with facts and reality, but as they say when swearing someone in at a court hearing where they are trying to come to a judgment you have to tell the truth the "whole" truth, and nothing but the truth.
The truth is that you have presented a variety of partial facts along with some suppositions and taken the acts of people who may have professed to be followers of Jesus Christ but whose actions do not match up with the teachings of Jesus Christ and used them to make a blanket indictment of Christian morality.
It would take too long to address every issue that you have raised so instead I will answer only your original question.
"Why do some Christians think they have the moral high ground?"
The moral high ground that true Christians have comes from the creator God of this universe. It doesn't reside in fallible individual human beings. It doesn't "belong" to Christians. Instead it is God's gift of guidance to all of humanity and people of every religion or of no religion benefit from applying what God says to their lives and imperil themselves in both this life and the life to come when they ignore or distort God's commands in order to satisfy their own desires whether they be a "Christian" leader who abuses authority or an atheist who has set him or her self up as the ultimate authority in matters of morality in their own life. Hello! Churches say monogamy only- that would stop STDs in their tracks!!!!
And yes, there was a lot of persecutions and horrors DONE "in the name of God" and God says WoE WOE unto those who do things in my name, but are none of his. Do not want to be in their shoes come judgement day.
And no matter what you tell yourself, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao- Mugabe- among others are NO religion at all except perhaps the "god of forces, power".
And all the things you list is exactly WHY we need a savior. And nothing is going to be set right until He is here personally.
YES yes yes something is wrong in the heart of man.
So do you have the solution for it all??? Education?????Wipe out poverty- will that stop all this?
You have a suggestion? You specified the practice of female genital mutilation, but what about male genital mutilation? Because they do. Regardless of all the riff-raff that you typed here, we are saved by grace through faith...........and not by past or present works.
Amen
We're not exempt from sin just because we're Christians on our way to heaven........we still fail. But Christ is our eternal Advocate when we do fall short.....and everyone sins |
