How believers must treat others

In the previous column we discussed the destructiveness of human selfishness. In this article we shall examine briefly how religion has attempted to draw our attention away from the self.

In this regard it is necessary to understand that religion is at the centre of human culture in that it teaches people about three very important relationships: the relationship between humanity and the Creator; the relationship between a person and fellow human beings; and the relationship between humanity and the rest of creation.

In terms of the relationship between a human being and the Creator, religion teaches that there is a higher being than ourselves – the Omnipotent One who created human beings and all things.

Our main concern here is with the relationship between a human being and fellow human beings. In every society there are norms about how an individual should relate to other people and their possessions. I may not just appropriate someone else’s house, cattle, tools or field. In most societies one may not have sexual relations with one’s sibling, mother or father; and may not kill another person. At the same time, no one is entitled to insult me or treat me with disdain.

In respect of the discussion above, we can say that in addition to other laws, religion gives human beings three very basic laws.

First, I am recognised as an individual who is distinct from everybody else, and who should be respected as such. As a sign of this recognition of my distinctiveness, I am given a name that identifies me.

Second, I am taught that there is a being higher than myself whom I must respect and worship.

Third, there are restrictions and obligations in my relationship with fellow human beings. I must not harm them, but must do that which pleases them – respect them, respect their possessions, do good to them and behave well towards them.

The function of religion is universal – it does not apply to only one religion such as Christianity or Islam or Hinduism.

While there are significant differences between these religions, this particular function is common to most if not all of them—religion plays a critically important role in the development of our worldview: It makes us aware of the Supreme Being; and it places restrictions and obligations in our relationship with others. It gives us freedom to relate to others and to own things, but not to trample on others. It teaches us that others have the same freedoms as we have. In this way freedom is not unlimited – it is socially restricted for the good of everyone.

There are three very important lessons to learn from the argument I have advanced so far.

First, the argument that all religions teach people about the relationship between the individual and the Creator and between the individual and others leads to the conclusion that through religion God has put the Ten Commandments in the hearts of all people, including the people we regard as pagans.

Second, God has revealed himself in a very special way through those religions that regard Abraham as their Father in faith—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We Christians believe that God revealed himself most fully through his Son, Jesus Christ.

The third lesson is that, disappointingly, religion—including Christianity—has not fully succeeded in drawing people away from the destructiveness of human selfishness.

There are several reasons for this, but I will briefly mention two: First, we do not always understand our faith fully. For instance, when Protestants and Catholics kill one another in the name of religion, they are ignoring the fact that Christianity is based on the law of love. When Christians and Muslims have in the past used force to convert people, they have turned their own religion into an object of worship.

Our religion becomes so important to us that it, rather than God, begins to define our values. God does not need us to fight for him. It is our own sense of self importance that leads us to use religion to oppress others and to cheat ourselves into thinking that we are fighting for God!