The Heart of the Problem

The Heart of the Problem

Historian John Dickson writing about the cause of violence in human history contends that “...the real problem is neither religion nor irreligion; the problem is the human heart in possession of a misdirected passion.” (Bullies & Saints p. 280)

You don’t need to be religious to have a dangerous inclination to want to bend others to your own views. It just so happens that most people throughout history have been religious, not atheist. Any ideology or worldview is capable of resorting to violence to promote or defend its position, because it is human beings who hold views and beliefs and positions, and humans seem to have a proclivity to self-centeredness and even violence. 

This is consistent with exactly what Christian teaching affirms–that humankind is fatally flawed. It is a human problem not a unique problem of religion, or Christianity. The problem is not religions but the human race.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn nailed it when he stated,

“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”