Maybe you’ve read a statement like this atheist meme (a fake quote which the actor and former Saturday Night Live member never said), or someone has simply told it to you and you’ve nodded in agreement then went on with your life.
But does stating something so boldly make it true? I decided to do some research and soon discovered that it’s impossible to come up with a credible number of people “killed by religion”.
Here’s why: one website tackled the topic and concluded that in the history of this planet, more than 195 million people have been killed in the name of religion. That is a truly sobering, astonishing number.
Then I looked at what was included. The list includes:
- the 1990s Rwandan genocide (800,000 deaths)
- several hundred years of slave trading (14 million deaths)
- AIDS in Africa (30 million deaths).
What’s wrong with including these tragedies? Well, the first was tribal warfare, the second was horrific economic racism and the third was deliberate government ignorance and prejudice against gay people.
Did religion play a role in any of them? Possibly, but it certainly wasn’t the major factor.
But let’s set that aside and look at the bigger picture. That picture makes it clear: religion is an overwhelming negative force. It makes people judgmental, it creates an “us versus them” mentality and, in the end, it encourages people to think anyone not in their religion is inferior.
The inevitable result is Islamic terrorism (150,000 deaths since 2000, according to this same website), the Jewish Holocaust (six million deaths), the Spanish Inquisition (5,000 deaths) and more unspeakable horrors.
If you’ve visited Frank’s Cottage before, you might know where I’m going with this: leave behind the nightmare of religion and look instead to one man. Two thousand years ago, this man came to earth in physical form and, without a single act of violence against another person, He:
- physically and spiritually restored broken lives;
- proposed – and demonstrated – an entirely new way to live and love;
- sacrificed His life for the eternal good of everyone who follows Him, then;
- showed His ultimate power over death by coming back to life.
I’m talking about Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God. His mission – then AND now – is to replace religion with a life-transforming relationship with the creator of time, space and the universe.
That relationship, made possible through faith in Jesus, can bring hope, change and restoration to every person who decides to follow Him. Just as important, anyone on this planet can say yes to this relationship, no matter what they’ve done or not done. That includes YOU.
Interested in knowing more? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 
It’s always about relationship with Jesus, not religion per se. Even the Lord condemned the religious practices of His day, as they did more to exclude and isolate others than to bring them into a true and lasting relationship with God.
Blessings, Frank!
Thanks, Martha. I always appreciate your commitment to reading this blog and your kind comments. 🙂
“Well, the first was tribal warfare”
It was religiously motivated. The tribes were divided by their religions.
“the second was horrific economic racism”
It was commited under the religious belief that slavery was morally justifiable.
“the third was deliberate government ignorance and prejudice against gay people.”
The ignorance and prejudice was instigated by the Catholic Church.
Religion certainly was a major contributor to all of these atrocities.
“Two thousand years ago, this man came to earth in physical form and, without a single act of violence against another person”
That is, of course, a lie.
Jesus commits several acts of violence in the Gospels, advises his followers to hate their parents and anyone who does not follow him, calls gentiles “dogs”, and says that those who don’t accept him should be killed at his feet.
Let me correct some misconceptions here, for anyone who is unsure about the facts.
1. Yes, *some* tribal warfare was religiously motivated. *Some*.
2. Yes, *some* slavery was committed under religious belief. A vast majority was committed under selfish greed and those people often used religion to cover up their greed and stone-hearted disregard for other people.
3. This comment provides *zero* evidence that the Catholic church instigated ignorance and prejudice. Was there some in that church? Absolutely. This is the case for every every organization on this planet, because *anything* involving people will somehow involve ignorance and prejudice. Many, many people are shot through with these sins. Sometimes, I’m one of them.
4. There is all kinds of evidence for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth and many, many websites go into great detail. I touched on that topic with this blog: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-g3.
5. There is *zero* evidence, in all the four primary-source biographies of Jesus, that He ever committed even one act of violence against another person. As for telling people to hate their parents, this is hyperbole to make a point and discerning people will have no trouble understanding that.
Jesus also declared he came as a sword to divide, and that’s clearly a metaphor to describe how believing in Him can divide families. How do I know this? It’s absolutely happened between me and my biological family.
When Jesus referred to non-Jews as “dogs”, it was in one specific circumstance where he was challenging the faith and motivation of a woman.
Considering a life of faith in Jesus of Nazareth is important stuff. In fact, I’ll go so far as to write it’s the most important thing anyone can do. Please don’t accept the superficial charges of atheist people (which this commentator has told me he is) and simply go on with your life.
Investigate the claims of Jesus; talk to people like me (fdking@hotmail.com) and collect the facts before making a decision that will effect the entire course of your life – and what happens when this life ends.
This is a very interesting discussion! As a Christian who has also struggled with ‘religion’, I too think it’s so important to draw a line between ‘religion’ and what Jesus came to say (which often made ‘religious types’ of His day hate Him).
I discuss my own journey with this topic here (in case you’re interested!): https://keepingitsalty.com/spiritual-vs-religious/
1. Religion has been used to motivate combatants in nearly every conflict in history.
2. The Bible openly condones slavery, so it would be more accurate to say the *some* religous people opposed slavery on humanist values.
3. Catholic decrees against, and punishing, homosexuality go back to the fifth century and continue to this day. Who do you think you are fooling when you complain that I did not list evidence to this effect? Not you, and not me.
4. There are precisely zero eye witness accounts of Jesus, and precisely zero contemporary accounts of Jesus, and zero precisely zero writing from Jesus. If Jesus lived at all, the only claim we can make about him with any confidence is that he was illiterate.
5. Jesus supposedly ransacked the temple market twice. You suppose he engaged in this violence with no opposition or harm?
This is a great opportunity to emphasize, for people open to spirituality, the giant difference between faith and religion.
1. Yes, religion has been used to motivate combatants in war. Yet another reason to avoid religion and, instead, follow Jesus. He never motivated anyone, ever, to do any kind of violence.
2. That the Bible does not openly oppose slavery is a good reason to put everything you read through the filter of Jesus. Based on His entire life and ministry, it’s clear that serious Jesus followers should always oppose any kind of slavery. No exceptions.
3. This refers to organized religion and I’ve written quite often about the truly awful things religion does to people. Enough said.
4. A vast majority of historians believe Jesus existed. And in his letters to Jesus followers, one of the earliest missionaries (a dude named Paul) wrote that the resurrected Jesus was seen by hundreds of people.
In other words, Paul was telling doubters that if they didn’t believe him, they could go talk to all these other people. That may not be good enough for atheist people (which this commenter has told me he is), but I trust people open to spirituality will give it a great deal more serious consideration.
5. There is precisely zero evidence that Jesus’ anger against people using faith to make money ever cause harm to even one person. It’s wonderfully ironic and amusing that people opposed to Jesus attempt to subtly make this assertion while also using a lack of eyewitness accounts to back up their claim in #4.
So, if you’re open to spirituality, I trust you’ll think carefully about the points made here. If you have questions, please email me (fdking@hotmail.com) and I’ll do my very imperfect best to answer. 🙂