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04/28/2003 Entry: "A dangerous thing"
Josh Claybourn put me on to this article, It had to be said. Religion is a dangerous thing. And I have to say, "I agree!" Sort of, anyway.
Zuly made a very commendable reply, but what caught my eye in the article was this extraordinary claim:
Mother Teresa would have been saintly without the New Testament. Martin Luther King would have been a paragon of eloquent courage without having been baptized. Gandhi would have overturned an empire leaning only on his walking stick.It's a bold claim, but I beg to differ. To assume that you can seperate people's beliefs from their behaviour is, I think, obvious nonsense. Without the faith which motivated them, these would have been completely different people. Maybe better, maybe worse -- but certainly different. Faith is more than an intellectual assent to a series of propositions, though it does include that. But at it's heart faith is a commitment which will drive and motivate every part of the believer's life. It's just dishonest to claim otherwise. You might as well say that Hitler would have been a lovely bloke if he hadn't happened to be a fascist.
But still, I agree with opening proposition. "Religion" - which for me means a commitment to follow Jesus - is a dangerous thing. Dangerous to self-interest and greed. Dangerous to alternative demands of allegiance, be they social or political. Dangerous to ideologies which claim racial or cultural superiority over others. Dangerous to the smug and self-satisfied. And, above all, dangerous to those so blinded by their certainties that the opinions and sensitivities of others are treated as being of no account.
It had to be said.
Replies:
Not at all Chris. My point is precisely that values and beliefs are linked inseperably. It is no doubt true that Martin Luther King would value freedom and equality regardless of whether he was a Christian, Muslim or athiest, but off the top of my head I can't think of anyone of MLK's stature who hasn't been coming from a faith background. Can you?
Posted by Richard @ 04/29/2003 10:13 AM CST
I think you are confusing beliefs with values. That comment from my reading was more referring to a persons values than their beliefs. Although many people gain their values within a religious context they can exist separately from religion. It is not unreasonable to imagine that Martin Luther King would value freedom and equality regardless of whether he was a Christian, Muslim or athiest.
Posted by chris @ 04/29/2003 08:36 AM CST
Well done Irene - you win today's prize for spotting the deliberate mistake in the html!It's fixed now - sorry
Posted by Richard @ 04/29/2003 06:57 AM CST
Richard, something's wrong with the link to the article...
Posted by irene @ 04/29/2003 05:55 AM CST
Excellent response to the article, Richard. Keep up the good work!
Posted by Bible Geek @ 04/28/2003 07:26 PM CST
Thanks for stopping by Paul.
If I can't be persuasive, I'll settle for clever!
Posted by Richard @ 04/28/2003 05:18 PM CST
Clever. Not persuasive, but clever :).
Posted by Paul @ 04/28/2003 05:14 PM CST
