The Problem Of Religion
Many studies in psychology and sociology would prove that many religious people are actually often less humanitarian, rather than more humanitarian, than their non-religious neighbours.
Allport and Kramer have demonstrated that many religious people are more ethnocentric. Rokeach has demonstrated that many religious people are more dogmatic. Wright has demonstrated that many religious people are more judgmental. Stouffer has demonstrated that many religious people are less tolerant of political dissent. And Kilpatrick has demonstrated that many religious people are less charitable towards disreputable minorities.Richard Stellaway contends that “religious belief has more frequently accommodated, rather than transformed society.”
Take your average church, (temple, mosque, synagogue or mandir), for example. “A congregation may tolerate a minister’s stand against injustice only for as long as the issue does not affect them personally. The more popular the congregation is, the less likely it is to advocate unpopular causes. The more established a congregation is, the less likely it is to advocate change. The more a congregation is seeking to establish itself in a community (through recruiting members, raising funds, and building facilities) the less likely it is to take on issues in the community that require the advocacy of change.“
Jaques Ellul has pointed out that “When ever the church has been in a position of power it has regarded freedom as an enemy.” He explains “If one turns to history, it is surely apparent that Christians have more often imposed restraints than championed liberty. Freedom finds little place in the church’s history…. It has been a veritable catastrophe.” Take the history of my church in my country for example. “The history for evangelical Christians in welfare (in Australia) has been conservative in most ways… The recipients of aid have been treated (as) recipients of aid, probably with a load of opprobrium thrown in, combined with a dash of social control.“
Dave Andrews Buiding A Better World p338-341
Allport,P.&Kramer,B. “Some Roots Of Prejudice” Journal Of Psychology 1946 22 p.9-39
Rokeach,M.The Open And Closed Mind Basic Books New York 1960
Wright,D. Psychology And Moral Behaviour Penguin Harmondsworth 1971
Stouffer,S.Communism,Conformity,And Civil Liberties Doubleday New York 1955
Glew-Crouch, Religion And Helping Behaviour Unpublished Thesis 1989
Stellaway,R.”Religion” Christian Perspectives Of Sociology Zondervan Grand Rapids 1982 p.254
Ellul,J.The Ethics Of Freedom Eerdmans Grand Rapids 1967pp.88-90
Dickey,B. Evangelicals And Welfare Zadok Canberra 1989 p.