https://www.ftsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/May-June-2023-Ezine.pdf
Jesus allegedly said in Mark 12: 29-31: “The first of all commandments is to love thy God, and the second is to love thy neighbor as thyself. No commandments are greater than these.” I think the second of these commandments is an excellent one and should be the foundation of our morality. We need to distinguish between crimes against humanity and crimes against “God.” Murder is a crime against humanity and universally condemned by everyone, regardless of religious belief. On the other hand, some religious believers commit crimes against humanity by following the first commandment when their “holy” book tells them to do so. Some will argue that the Crusades represented misguided Christianity and that true Christians would never do such a thing. However, at the time, it was easy for Christians to justify Crusades with their holy book. It’s terrifying to see how much evil can be justified in the name of God’s teaching in holy books. Bottom line: Commandment two is excellent, Commandment one sucks.
Jesus allegedly said in Mark 12: 29-31: “The first of all commandments is to love thy God, and the second is to love thy neighbor as thyself. No commandments are greater than these.” I think the second of these commandments is an excellent one and should be the foundation of our morality. We need to distinguish between crimes against humanity and crimes against “God.” Murder is a crime against humanity and universally condemned by everyone, regardless of religious belief. On the other hand, some religious believers commit crimes against humanity by following the first commandment when their “holy” book tells them to do so. Some will argue that the Crusades represented misguided Christianity and that true Christians would never do such a thing. However, at the time, it was easy for Christians to justify Crusades with their holy book. It’s terrifying to see how much evil can be justified in the name of God’s teaching in holy books. Bottom line: Commandment two is excellent, Commandment one sucks.