The so-called New Atheism movement has a valid point and raises legitimate concern. Many atrocities have been done in the name of religion.

While I generally tune out much of what they have to say simply because their words drip with such venom, they can be commended for not being biased in their targets for damnation, which include the emperor worship of the Roman empire, the Crusades, the divine-right claims of kings throughout the middle ages, and modern day terrorist attacks.

They go too far, however, in claiming that faith itself is the underlying problem of these atrocities. Blind faith, however, is a different story and contrary to some over-generalized claims, not all faith is blind.

As evolved, intellectual ancestors of the Enlightenment positivists, it shouldn’t surprise us that Christianity is often called upon as a punching bag for the New Atheists, due to the role it has played in the shaping of western civilization itself, and how ingrained Christianity is, even in our “enlightened”, scientifically-minded culture.

Yes, many horrible actions have been justified in its name, but was it the underlying cause? Did faith in Jesus Christ, blind or otherwise, offer the catalyst for these events?

The common thread for violent atrocities throughout history, if looked at through the correct filter, is not Christian faith, but blind faith in the State.

The Construct of the State

Economically speaking and stripped down to its essence, the State is nothing but a regional monopoly on the use of force.

It derives this power from “the people”, who feel they want this monopoly over them as the most efficient and sensible way of dealing with national defense, protection of private property rights, and enacting justice. And in the areas just listed, the State is generally efficient for time.

Problems occur, however, when it attempts to extend its grasp into other areas. The State accomplishes things in other areas through the only way it can: implicit and explicit threats of violence.

You wait in the long line at the DMV because if you don’t, you’ll get a fine. And if you don’t pay that fine, something even worse can legally happen to you.

You pay your taxes because if you don’t, you can be thrown in jail and have your liberties stripped of you.

You don’t smoke pot, because in an effort to protect you from yourself, the State will strip your liberties from you. And if you grow pot, your property can be stolen from you.

In other words, you have no choice in the matter. Since it is a monopoly, there is no competition. It gets your tax money no matter what, so what does the State care what you think?

Sure, you may get some say in a “democracy”, but you only get to cast your vote every 2-4 years. Politicians, who are just as self-serving as the rest of humanity, don’t have to live with immediate consequences for their actions. A dangerous combination.

This prospect is attractive to some unethical businessmen, because they can manipulate this monopoly to get profits they normally wouldn’t get from voluntary customers. We call these subsidies, and they allow businesses to force money from “customers” at the point of gun, money that these victims would not have given up voluntarily.

And, more to the point of this article, Christians try to align with the State because it allows them to use force in order to get other people to live by a certain moral code. In other words, they get tired of trying to convince people that new creation in Jesus Christ is good news, and instead take the easier route and pull a knife on them.

What do we generally call people who threaten violence unless we give them what they want or do what they want us to do? What do we call people who like to keep others in a perpetual state of fear so they cooperate?

Depending on the context, we call them thugs and terrorists.

Continue reading Christianity has been Hijacked by Terrorists Part 2.

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