Religion: A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
That seems way too benign a definition to engender so much antagonism about religion from people. Drop the "superhuman agency" thing and you could be describing any number of human groupings, from political parties to benevolent associations. So why this antipathy to religion if the institution itself is neutral?
One typical indictment concerns violence, wars and inquisitions waged by members of one faith on another, but then the secular crowd also does a dandy job inflicting inhuman cruelty on their fellow man, witness the Russian Revolution and the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia where tens of millions died, slaughtered by godless oppressors. And the list can be expanded ad infinitum, sexual depravity, hypocrisy, drug use, rascism, gender bias, all sins committed by religious and godless alike.
Really, what people object to, I believe, is what man does in the name of religion. And I don't quite know what the answer to that is, the church has been plagued from the beginning with all manner of abuses and it may be that all we can do is continue to point out that we don't endorse abuse, nor does Christ. We can also quit sweeping these abuses under the rug in the hope that abuse can be dealt with in house so that the good name of the church not fall into disrepute.
Defending the church and defending Christ are not one and the same and sin compounded by coverup does not become our Lord.
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