No one who has ever read, even casually, the history of “Christianity” down through the ages would be so bold as to attempt to justify everything that has been done in its name. Through apostasy, ignorance and plain old politics, many things have been done in the name of Christ that not only have nothing to do with Him, but have been absolutely contrary to His will and teachings. Should Christians be ashamed of our history? Yes and no! Since not all religious bodies claiming to be Christian have engaged in such activities as “witch hunting,” “crusades,” persecution of Jews and other nationalities, these have nothing for which to apologize; however, those who have engaged in such activities should not only apologize, but deeply repent and in as much as is humanly possible do what they can to right their wrongs. Yet, it is difficult for those living a thousand years after the fact to repent of the sins of their ancestors, or make them right, for they are not the sins of this generation. Therefore, handling these things must be left up to the justice of God.
However, such atheists as Richard Dawkins and his cohorts Harris and Hitchens have pronounced Christianity as being a curse to the world. They have not pronounced this sentence on Christianity alone, but on all religion in general, including the idolatry of India and other nations. No thinking person would attempt to excuse the evils of idolatry either modern or ancient, for God never has. However, these modern atheists, like their ancestors, base their charges against Christianity on the abuses of it, and the abuses of biblical teaching, not on what our Lord and the apostolic church actually did and taught. They attack such excesses as the Spanish Inquisition, and of that horrific period no Christian has ever attempted to make justification. They attack the Salem witch trials, and of that terrible action no right-thinking Christian has ever attempted to make justification. Hence, to attack biblical Christianity because of the abuses of it is grossly unfair since there is nothing that sinful man has not abused, including his faith! It is not only unfair, but unreasonable and illogical. It is like arguing that all dogs should be banned from earth because one had rabies.
Somehow, they always fail to recognize the good done in the world by true Christians. They also fail to recognize the terrible persecution and martyrdom of thousands who were trying to be true Christians. By whom were these atrocities carried out? By idolaters and atheists! Persecution and death when possible has always been the atheist’s answer to true Christianity; therefore, they should not sit back and criticize the abuses and excesses of so-called Christianity when their hands are as bloody as any who have committed atrocities in the name of Christ. If one were to compare the abuses and excesses of atheism with those of so-called Christianity, he would probably find that he should turn to Christianity. We close with this question: What were the religious claims of those who ordered and carried out the German holocaust? Did they claim to be Christians or atheists? Let us level the field, although we endorse nothing evil that has ever been done in the name of Christianity.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
