The judgement on all religion

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For many years, a devout Muslim man lived next door to us with his family. He was just about the best neighbour that it is possible to have: friendly, kind and generous.  He was very tolerant of the noise our young children made and cheerfully threw back the many balls which ended up in his garden.

Over the 10 years we lived next door to each other, we spoke a lot about our different faiths and what they mean to us.  There is no way that his generosity, kindness and essential decency could be separated from his faith. His beliefs and action were integral to each other.

Religion that leads to violence

In an attempt to stem anti-Muslim sentiment after atrocities such as the London Bridge attacks, the Manchester Arena bombing or the anti-Semitic murder in a Manchester synagogue last week, it is common to hear people say ‘this has nothing to do with Islam’.

Hamza Yousaf, the Scottish First Minister said:

“This evil terrorist may claim to be have been Muslim but his actions have nothing to do with Islam.”

But just as my neighbour’s behaviour is a positive expression of his faith, we cannot pretend that these forms of violence have nothing to do with religion.

‘Strong hate’

It is well-meaning but dangerous. History gives endless examples of the connection between religion and violence. However twisted and warped, we have to acknowledge that it is theology that has helped form the worldview of many killers. All suicide attacks are intrinsically faith-related because they involved self-sacrifice motivated through belief in a reward beyond the grave.  They are actions carried out by those who do not accept the liberal dichotomy between the political and the theological.

Thomas Merton wrote about the power of this kind of violence:

“Strong hate, the hate that takes joy in hating, is strong because it does not believe itself to be unworthy and alone. It feels the support of a justifying God, of an idol of war, an avenging and destroying spirit.”

Religion as a private matter

Western secular culture offers a form of respect to religious belief but also fundamentally misunderstands it, patronises it and underestimates its depth and power.

Often it wants to present all cultures as morally equal and that all religions carry the same risks. But this is not true. This perspective is why the UK authorities failed to name the specific cultural factors behind the gangs which groomed and abused young women over so many years.  And their failure to do so has fuelled the rise of right-wing groups.

And alongside this, liberal culture also seeks to domesticate faith within a private sphere: faith is fine, as long as it’s between you and God.  It has no place in the public realm.

But Islam and Christianity will always resist being domesticated in such a way.  Both faiths believe in a God who created all things, who is sovereign over all people, not just those who acknowledge Him. A God who has a plan and is leading history in a certain direction. These universal claims necessitate a public witness and lead to a myriad of social and political action.  

And throughout history, both religions have contributed to the some of the most beautiful achievements of humanity, but also to some of the most blood-soaked.

Corrupt religion

No one could deny the European Church’s involvement in the brutal imperial opportunism, murder and slavery in the 18^th and 19^th century. Institutional Christianity gave a pretence of divine approval to appalling injustices.

And today, Christian Nationalism has been channelled by Donald Trump to become the dominant ideology in the US. Pete Hegseth, the newly titled US ‘Secretary for War’ openly uses public prayers as he leads the most powerful military power in the world. And of course, Christian beliefs have long been used to defend slavery, segregation and gun culture. As the singer Jon Guerra puts it in his song, The American Gospel:

Denying Jesus

In the recent Unite the Kingdom march in London, many carried crosses and chanted ‘Christ is King’. In one video I saw, these chants were immediately followed by cheers for someone shouting:

‘We need to stop turning the other cheek’.  

It was a succinct example of the desire to have Christ as a basis of power whilst overtly denying Jesus’ actual teaching.

Challenging corrupt religion

We need to challenge corrupt religion whatever label it carries – and authentic faith provides the best resources to do this. After all, challenging religion is a major theme in the Bible, especially in the prophets such as Amos, Jeremiah and Isaiah:

‘Even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood’ (Isaiah 1:15)

And the deepest basis, the cornerstone on which society can find the truest meaning and best morality is in the person of Jesus Christ. His radical life, teaching and example stands in judgement of all religion – including Christianity.

The task of those who seek to follow Jesus is to shape our own lives and our churches around his grace and truth. In doing so we can be the radical salt and light that our local communities and country desperately needs.