The rise of evil in religion has been documented in many ways and forms throughout the years. in recent years’ different religious groups claimed terrorist attacks. Tensions have been building for quite some time, and we have arrived at a crossroad. We can either choose peace or war. In this day and age, it is more important to understand religion than in the years past, because if we do not we will undermine religion entirely and cause further divide between cultures. In When Religion Becomes Evil by Charles Kimball, I learned of the warning signs that arise when a religion can become evil. Of the many points discussed, I found how these evil religions can justify their actions, the mindset of the followers, and the protection of certain institutions.
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There is no exception. Although most religions are strictly against violence, certain sects or groups can turn their religion to violence and find a way to justify it. Buddha said “Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is the ancient law. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. All fear violence, all are afraid of death. Seeing the similarity to oneself, one should not use violence or have it used.” With such wise words, it can be hard to imagine any Buddhist using violence, but it does happen. Recently, several Buddhists attacked mosques and burned homes in a Muslim community. Buddhism is not alone in this. One of Christianity’s most known teachings is Luke 6:27-28 “But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” This verse is not alone in The Bible, countless others speak of loving your enemy, but often times sects disregard these teachings and use another verse to justify their violence. This happens with all religions, and I learned that it usually begins with Absolute Truth Claims. Absolute Truth, to me, seems like one of the most dangerous potential aspects of any religion becoming evil. It is hard for me to see a true religion becoming evil, because of the sacredness and kindness of human life in almost all of their teachings. I have seen …show more content…
These events have left people with bitter taste in their mouth, which starts to make some people thing that religion is the problem. Since, most religions show several similarities, the blame has shifted from one particular religion to religion as a whole. But is no religion the cure all? No. The main part of a religion is not committing these cruelties. It is the small group broke away from foundational ideas to form their own interpretation of the text. Often times, it is a jingoistic leader that begins leading people away from the main church. This is most widely known with cults. While the word cult carries a harsh, negative connotation, that is not always the case. Just like how Islam now has a stained reputation from certain extremist groups, the same is true for cults. There have been many infamous cults throughout the years, and I believe it is important to learn from these groups, but it is hard for me to imagine what these people were
There is no exception. Although most religions are strictly against violence, certain sects or groups can turn their religion to violence and find a way to justify it. Buddha said “Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is the ancient law. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. All fear violence, all are afraid of death. Seeing the similarity to oneself, one should not use violence or have it used.” With such wise words, it can be hard to imagine any Buddhist using violence, but it does happen. Recently, several Buddhists attacked mosques and burned homes in a Muslim community. Buddhism is not alone in this. One of Christianity’s most known teachings is Luke 6:27-28 “But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” This verse is not alone in The Bible, countless others speak of loving your enemy, but often times sects disregard these teachings and use another verse to justify their violence. This happens with all religions, and I learned that it usually begins with Absolute Truth Claims. Absolute Truth, to me, seems like one of the most dangerous potential aspects of any religion becoming evil. It is hard for me to see a true religion becoming evil, because of the sacredness and kindness of human life in almost all of their teachings. I have seen …show more content…
These events have left people with bitter taste in their mouth, which starts to make some people thing that religion is the problem. Since, most religions show several similarities, the blame has shifted from one particular religion to religion as a whole. But is no religion the cure all? No. The main part of a religion is not committing these cruelties. It is the small group broke away from foundational ideas to form their own interpretation of the text. Often times, it is a jingoistic leader that begins leading people away from the main church. This is most widely known with cults. While the word cult carries a harsh, negative connotation, that is not always the case. Just like how Islam now has a stained reputation from certain extremist groups, the same is true for cults. There have been many infamous cults throughout the years, and I believe it is important to learn from these groups, but it is hard for me to imagine what these people were