| Jesus was the excuse, not the reason, for those atrocities. He never
supported the persecution of non-believers, so those who commit those acts
could not have truly been believers in what He stood for. The people who
did this were essentially the same people, at least by nature, who persecuted
Christ and His early followers. To refuse to follow Christ because some
Christians have abused His name makes no sense. It's like refusing to use
money because some people misuse it, or refusing to see a doctor when you're
ill because doctors used to 'bleed' their patients hundreds of years ago.
I'm even a little surprised when atheists use this argument, since they have
faith in evolution which teaches survival of the fittest. So by their reasoning,
shouldn't war and persecution be okay, since their success usually goes to
the fittest? Jesus is the one who tells us to love everyone, even our enemies,
and to strive to be peacemakers. Those who agree with Jesus' teachings should
be the only ones offended by war and persecution. |