Christianity - A Journey from Facts to Fiction — Page xxvi
xxvi Christianity – A Journey from Facts to Fiction becomes on the moral conduct of a people. Whenever the two interests clash, the belief in God will give way to immoral urges. By applying this criterion to any religious society anywhere in the world, we can always draw correct and reliable conclusions. Putting a so-called believing Christian society to the test, one can simply ask whether Christian values prevail in that society or not. Do they, for instance, behave towards their neighbours as the Ten Commandments would require of them? Do they, at the time of national crisis in situations of war etc. , apply Christian principles towards their adversaries? Do the innocent victims of aggression and assault offer the other cheek when smitten on one? The question is how far does one’s conduct in life portray the picture of one’s belief? If it does not, this is exactly what we mean by suggesting that the belief in God clashes with human urges and requirements. If the belief in God stands supreme and it is the human urges and desires that are sacrificed on the altar of that belief, then one can truly say that whatever the nature of the belief, at least it is genuine, sincere and strong. Observing the world of Christianity as it is today, and applying this test to judge the quality of belief in God becomes a very depressing and disillusioning experience. What is generally seen is an open rebellion against the belief in God, and sometimes a passive revolt which is not translated into open negation. It is the contradiction between the belief in God and the practices of individuals, which gives one the illusion of there being a religious society of believers, while the truth is very different. The same applies, to a large degree, to all other religious societies. But in every case it is not always the same cause which produces a similar