The “Purpose” of Religion
In talking about the continuing claims and objections to Christianity, I want to bring up another one that I’ve personally dealt with:
Religion is made up to control people, to make money, and to have a reason for war. If God does really exist, there has to be a better way to find him than through religion.
Original Problems
From the outset, this objection commits a couple of logical fallacies, not the least of which is an “unqualified generalization”. Saying that 100s of major worldviews are equally false is a claim, which that statement can’t hold on its shoulders. It offers no real evidence-just a conspiracy theory. Furthermore, it breaches the Law of Non-Contradiction. By definition, “religious” worldviews attempt to answer questions and deal with answers when it comes to God. If you create a new worldview that deals with God, it’s automatically a religion. It’s impossible to have a worldview that deals with God that is NOT a religion.
If God exists at all, that automatically rules out several worldviews (e.g. Atheism). If there is indeed a way to find him, that rules out many other worldviews (e.g. agnosticism). You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Furthermore, the fact that Christianity was “created” by some group of people 2000 years ago is unhistorical. As I’ve illustrated in the God Outside of the Bible Series (Link), God has interacted with human beings on personal levels, without the need for “human witnessing”.
Nevertheless, let’s quickly address the 3 main issues and examine why they’re so defective…
[In order to actually make progress, we shall substitute “Christianity” for the word “Religion”.]
Issue #1: Christianity was created to control people.
I don’t see this as particularly being credible since Christianity teaches equality. When you have equality, you can’t have one group of people controlling another. Jesus best illustrated this with his earthly ministry. On many occasions, Jesus taught that it was the religious Pharisees who were actually farther away from God than the lowly servants and beggars they passed on the street. In fact, Jesus’ own disciples projected this same type of humanity and equality through their teachings and preachings.
Finally, the obvious questions are raised: “In Christianity, who controls who?” and “If they control them, to what end?” There’s no real meaning in this first objection.
Issue #2: To make Money…?
While it is true that it is the duty of Christians to support the church, Christianity as a whole is not some grand money-making scheme. Want proof? Look at the average income and lifestyle of just about every preacher in the world. The essential purpose of giving money to the church is so that the church can support both its outreach and other ministries. Aside from staffing and such, money flows through the church, not into it.
Still don’t believe me? Examine this blog. Have I ever prompted you to donate money to me? What money-making schemes have I exacted on my readers? (Oh by the way, I’m working on a donate button for PayPal…just kidding!) 😀 I’m actually doing a giveaway!! For a financial endeavor, it’s not a very efficient one. Once again, I defer you to Jesus. He didn’t teach us to horde our money, but to give it generously.
However, money isn’t fundamentally required. In Jesus’ day, every church was usually very poor. Instead of giving money, they gave their time in service to the church. If you’re worried about how your tithes are being spent, ask to see the financial paperwork. If that’s still not enough, decide to give 10% of a different resource, such as your time.
In hindsight, this question doesn’t deserve a response. Saying that Christianity is just for monetary gain would nullify all Christian missions, all national and international outreaches, and every good thing Christianity has done.
Issue #3: Christianity was created as a reason for War!
I barely know where to begin. Why would people invent something, with the sole intent of making other people disagree, just so they could go to war? This question is nonsensical.
If Christianity was created as a reason for war, half of the N.T. needs to be ripped out. Jesus taught his followers to put others before themselves. Laying down your life for another person was considered a “great love”. The objective is to SAVE people, not kill them.
Conclusion
When you actually sit down and examine these claims, you realize how void of purpose they truly are. Understand these claims and their responses and make yourself familiar with them.
apologetiks 