"...if we be honest with ourselves,
we shall be honest with each other." ~ George MacDonald
"...if we be honest with ourselves,
we shall be honest with each other." ~ George MacDonald

Persecution

If God is so good, why has there been so much persecution in the name of religion?

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -C.S. Lewis

Sadly, many Christian leaders are ignoring the plight of the persecuted church. Some are even silencing those who would speak up for the persecuted. See Persecuted and Silenced. Others are ignoring the plight of the persecuted for the sake of money. (E.g. Many businesses and politicians in the west, and the east, ignore the plight of Chinese prisoners, whose organs are used and their bodies disposed if they are a match for someone needing a transplant. If you wish to deal in China you must not say anything against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), see here. Many of these prisoners have done nothing more than displease the party. See here.)

"But," you might say, "What about when it's the church doing the persecuting?"

The Link Between Persecution and Doctrine

There are doctrines within many religions that lead to persecution. Particular doctrines are the problem, not religion itself. The following is a chapter from Thomas Talbott's book, The Inescapable Love of God, which looks at a particular doctrine within Christianity which led to much persecution in Europe. A Legacy of Fear and Persecution . (If you'd like to look into this doctrine more deeply I highly recommend Talbott's book and All You Want To Know About Hell  by Steve Gregg; particularly the section entitled "Preliminary Considerations.")

Some say that believing that there is only one way to God is dangerous; it can lead to violence and persecution of non-believers and heretics.

They are right. It can. But it will not lead to ill treatment of unbelievers and heretics if the person who believes there is only one way to God, also believes they should love those who disagree with them and that those people should be allowed to express their opinions in public.

Does thinking there is no God lead to persecution and violence? Not if those who think that also believe that those who disagree with them should be allowed to express their views in public.

Is believing that all roads lead to God a problem for society? It can be, if that belief is accompanied by the view that those who say there is only one way to God, should not be allowed to express that belief in public.

In a free society, people have a right to be wrong.

All views can lead to persecution, when the proponents of the view do not believe that those who disagree with them should be allowed to express such views in public.

What is Falun Gong and Why is it Persecuted?

The Law Firm That Enables Persecutors

Australian Christians Persecuted?

What can we learn from Afghanistan?

Brutal massacres in Africa

 

Silencing the Persecuted

How Should Unbelievers be Treated?

The Cairo Declaration of Human Rights

The Truth

Is God good?

Homosexuality

Three Questions for Christians about Atonement