A common objection raised against Christianity, is that religion is the #1 cause for war throughout human history. Therefore, Christianity, along with all other religions, cannot be true. Is this a valid claim and if so, does it somehow disprove Christianity? How can a Christian respond to this objection?
First, it is important to acknowledge that awful things have, in fact, taken place in the name of Christianity. The following are some of the the most well-known historical events with the highest reported causalities.
- French Wars of Religion: 2,000,000 – 4,000,000 killed
- Crusades: 1,000,000 – 3,000,000 killed
- Thirty Years War: 3,000,000 – 11,500,000 killed
- Christian Inquisitions: 3,000 – 5,000 killed
Taking the high estimate of these events, 20 million people died at the hands of those professing Christianity. Again, this is assuming a high estimate. The problem, however, is that nothing in Jesus’ teachings encourages this type of behavior. As Christians, we should condemn the actions of any person who takes the name Christian and advocates violence in an effort to spread the gospel message. It is sad that this is part of our history, and we can agree with the non-Christian that this is unacceptable.
However, it is also wrong to judge a philosophy according to its abuses. Violence against fellow human beings is not the logical outworking of the gospel message. The Bible teaches that all are made in the image of God, and, therefore, have intrinsic value and ought to be cherished. We are called to love our neighbor and our enemies. Therefore, it should be easy to see that these Holy Wars is the antithesis of what is taught by Christ, and in no way reflects authentic Christian living.
It is a convenient thing for the atheist to forget all those who perished at the hands of atheistic leaders; therefore, it is our job to remind them of the following:
- Joseph Stalin – 42,672,000
- Mao Zedong – 37,828,000
- Adolf Hitler – 20,946,000
- Chiang Kai-Shek – 10,214,000
- Vladimir Lenin – 4,017,000
- Hideki Tojo – 3,990,000
- Pol Pot – 2,397,000
The total lives lost at the hands of secular, non-religious dictators exceed 122 million. The other fascinating thing about this statistic is that these leaders ruled at various times in the 20th century. The 20th century is on record as being the bloodiest century in human history, even more so when compared with the total number of deaths that took place in the 19 centuries preceding it. The 19th century German Philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, predicted this statistic.
Toward the end of the 19th century, advances in science coupled with the increased secularization of European society gave rise to the philosophical view of nihilism, the belief that nothing has any inherent purpose and that life is ultimately meaningless. Nihilism is often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche, who declared the death of God in his work titled, The Gay Science. Up until this point in history, God had served as the basis for meaning and value in the West. When man killed God, he effectively removed the moral compass that provided people with intrinsic value and the basis for objective knowledge.
Although Nietzsche did not believe in God, he understood the causal relationship that would follow from declaring God’s death; that objective meaninglessness would run rampant throughout society, thereby piercing every facet of human existence. Nietzsche went on to predict that because God had died in the 19th century, the 20th century would become the bloodiest and most destructive century in human history coupled with the breakout of universal madness. He was spot on as one can see from the above figures!
It would seem that the actions of secular leaders mentioned above are, therefore, the logical outworking of an atheistic worldview. If God does not exist, then objective meaning does not exist, and everything becomes subjective and true only according to its referent.
The Christian can look at the atrocities committed by so-called Christians and argue that they were nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing. What argument can the atheist offer to disassociate their worldview from the actions of Stalin, Hitler, or Mao? The answer is none. They were merely living out their atheism, defining morality and meaning for themselves. The atheist can make no claim that these individuals were objectively wrong, nor can they condemn the “Christian” who killed in the name of God. Without an objective standard beyond humanity, morality is reduced to a matter of opinion.
Therefore, the claim that Christianity is false because of its affiliations with violence is nothing more than an empty argument that lacks merit. Violence is not a prescribed behavior found within the New Testament. Consequently, those who commit such acts are not doing the work of Christ, and in no way invalidates the truth claims of Christianity.
Let Us Reason Together 