THE THINKER: Responsibility & Religion

Gandhi once remarked something to the effect that he would have been Christian except for all the “Christians” he had met.

The failure of people of religion to model their beliefs is not one confined to Christianity; it can be argued, however, that the responsibility of those who profess a particular faith, at some point, is bound to their modeling of it.  This begs the question then, should a religion be judged by the quality and behaviour of its followers?

Concerning the perceived shortcomings of members of the Christian religion, Mark Twain, in his autobiography, made the following observation: “But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most…”

Ignoring theological arguments regarding the applicable validity of Twain’s statement, it is interesting to imagine the benefits a conversion of Beelzebub might have on a world that, many believe, is the result of a constant struggle between the forces of good and evil.