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The Good, the Bad, and the Best Uses of Religion
The focus of this post is to summarize the good, bad and best uses of Christianity. To establish what those things are, we rely on a video conference hosted by Emory Law School and posted on Youtube:
Christianity and Human Flourishing: The Role of Law and Politics, Emory Law School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcvGFdmn3JIIn the above video by some very distinguished theological and legal scholars, David Hempton, The Alonzo L. Mcdonald Family Professor of Evangelical Theological Studies, the Lord John Obrien Professor of Divinity, and the Dean of Harvard Divinity School speaks about the good, bad, and best uses of Christianity and how it can promote what he calls “human flourishing”. He summarizes what these things are as follows:
1. Religions is at its best when its agenda is about expanding human, protecting the vulnerable, and fighting against injustice. Included within the concept of “justice” is equality under REAL law. See Minutes 20-21. This approach relies upon HUMILITY and equality of all.
2. Religion is at its worst when moves to an exclusive and sectarian or moral coercion agenda. Charles Dickens called this “trying to make people religious by main force”. This suggests “our tradition has special privileges and all the rest don’t”. In other words, we are better than you. This would also include “benefits and privileges and franchises”. This results in the abuse of force and legislation to coerce others. Franchises produce INEQUALITY and therefore conflict. See Minutes 21-22. This approach relies on PRIDE, INEQUALITY, and elevation of one person or group above others. Recall that pride is one of the seven deadly sin and was perhaps Satan’s greatest sin.
3. The best role for religion is to oppose the use of force in a political or legal context. See Minute 30.We agree wholeheartedly with the assertions of David Hempton above. He listed some examples of GOOD, POSITIVE change in society wrought by Christianity as follows:
1. The separation of church and state.
2. The rise of religious toleration and religious equality.
3. An end of slavery.
4. Protecting animals from cruelty.
5. Rolling back forced ecclesiastical taxation.
6. Pioneering working class education.
7. Ending inherited privileges of elite established churches.He also listed examples of the BAD, HARMFUL effects of Christianity as follows:
1. Nasty sectarian anti-Catholicism.
2. Emboldened moral majoritarianism.
3. Trying to enforce sabatarianism, temperance, and the colonial export of Christianity, commerce, and civilization. This has produced a bitter legacy in the world since.
4. Moral coercion agenda to use law to force people to become religious by main force.Consistent with his comments about the BEST uses of Christianity, the Mission Statement of this ministry seeks EXACTLY what he suggests. Read for yourself:
SEDM About Us Page, Sections 1 and 2
http://sedm.org/Ministry/AboutUs.htm"Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God."
[Prov. 30:7-9, Bible, NKJV]
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