The Inching Effect

I would like to propose the idea that we stop judging religions and belief systems as a whole by the adherent's behavior. Instead, we focus on the inching effect. In what direction are we inching?

In terms of good and bad people, there are good and bad people of all faiths and creeds. There are good Christians and bad Christians, good Jews and bad Jews, good atheists and bad atheists. The question is, overall, let's forget where everyone started out. Let's think, what do these believe systems, looking at the belief system specifically and not the behavior or its adherents, encourage?

You look at Christianity. That's where atheists say, look at all the bad things Christians have done! And I ask, is that the religious belief system, or is it the individual, who committed these crimes?

You look at the Holocaust, and you look at belief systems like Darwinism and Christianity. Neither of these belief systems encourage genocide. Christianity in itself encourages peace. If people decided to shoot someone as a result of their Christian religion, you can say that that was a "bad soul," or a "bad Christian," and not evidence that the underlying religion is bad.

It's about the spiritual growth of the adherents, and in which direction they are encourages to move. The underlying belief here is that there are, inherently, varying degrees of goodness and badness in all people, and it's all over the map.

You often hear of Christians converting and how a belief in a higher power encouraged them to get off drugs, or embrace their family, or stop beating their wife. And you think, my oh my, this wife beater also cheated on his taxes! But then you think hey, it's the inching effect. At least he is not beating his wife anymore.

So when looking at history, don't look at the fact that Christians did this, and atheists did not. Focus on the fact that Christianity encourages the idea that no good deed goes unseen, while atheism encourages the belief that it doesn't really matter.