Violence in the name of God

I am currently reading 'Can Man Live Without God' by Ravi Zacharias, and highly recommend it.

In chapter one Ravi addresses a common, yet ill-understood charge that many people lay upon Christianity: 'What about the thousands of people who have been killed in the name of religion?'

Before forcing the Christian to answer this emotion-charged question, the responsibility falls upon the atheist to explain all the killings that have taken place at the hands of those who have lived without God, for example Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and Mao. Those who are quick to lay blame for violence at the door of the religious, very often are not so enthusiastic about distributing blame to the irreligious.

People who bring this attack to religion have failed to recognise that history's large-scale slaughters at the hands of antitheists were the logical outworking of their Godless philosophy. On the other hand, violent crimes committed in the name of Christ would never have been endorsed by the Christ of scriptures. Indeed it was the self-focused, power hungry politicizers of religion whom Jesus most opposed in His life and teaching.

In short, whenever violonece has spawned in the name of Christ, it has been in contradiction to the gospel. However when violence is spawned in the name of atheism, it is the logical outworking of a philosophy void of morals or any basis for human value.

The frightening outworking of a Godless philosphy hang upon a wall in the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. These are the words of Hitler - his vision of a generation of youth devoid of conscience:

I freed Germany from the stupid and degrading fallicies of conscience and morality... We will train young people before whom the world will tremble. I want young people capable of violence - imperious, relelentless and cruel.

Ravi completes the chapter in summary of Hitler's Nazi Germany, their heinous crimes and their inextricable link with antitheism:

"That this was conceived and nurtured in the mind of the most educated nation at that time in history and brought forth on the soil that had also given brith to the Enlightenment almost denies belief. But it was atheism's legitimate offspring. Man was beginning to live without God."

The End of the Gladiator

In a recent message entitled "Is There Not a Cost", Ravi Zacharias concluded with this story of the martyrdom of Saint Telemachus:


This is a story of a monk by the name of Telemachus. Telemachus was a dominionative man who lived amongst flowers and nurseries and reclusive settings.

One day the word of God came to him and told him to go to Rome. He did not want to go to Rome, he was not a city man; he despised the noise and the clanging, and the artificiality of city life. He wanted to live in his monastic reclused setting.

But God has strange ways. He raised Moses in a palace in order to use him in a desert, he raised Joseph in a desert in order to use him in a palace. He takes Telemachus out of a reclusive setting in order to use him in Rome.

Telemachus said ‘Okay God, if you want me to go, I’ll go. I don’t know why you want me to go, but I’ll go.”

As he is marching into the streets of Rome, he was quite overwhelmed by its monumental buildings, its spectacular edifices, the statues, marble sculptures and painting of man glorifying himself in self-worship. While walking into Rome he a saw huge crowd elbowing it’s way into the Colosseum. Telemechaus did not know where they were going but he was involuntarily dragged in by them and entered.

To his utter credulity as he sat in the bleachers there, he looked down and saw that what would that was going to entertain these sadistic masses was blood-letting orgies of hatred and sadism, as they were going to see the gladiatorial spectacles and fights; human beings tormenting and butchering one another.

He couldn’t believe it! As soon as the first sign of that violence was shown, in that huge amphitheatrical setting, he rose to his feet and screamed out “In the name of Christ, forebear! In the name of Christ, stop this thing!”

That amphitheatre had the ability to carry even a whisper to a marvellous crescendo of sound, and as he screamed, everybody heard him. He ran down the stairs, vaulted over into the centre arena, all the while shouting “in the name of Christ, stop this thing!”

He became a kind of innocent side show, and one man yelled from the stands, “Run him through!” A muscle-bound gladiator heaved him away, took his spear and thrust it through the body of Telemachus. As he bent over, clutching himself, the blood spilling out of his body and moments away from his death, the crowd now listening carefully, he speaks audibly once more for everyone to hear: “In the name of Christ, stop this thing.”

There was silence; then one man stood up and walked out. Then two; then three; then the thousands until everybody had left the Colosseum; they were gone.

The historian writes this: “Many other factors were brought to bear, but the death of Telemachus crystallised the opposition so that never again was there a gladiatorial fight, ever fought in the Colesseum.”

The entire message by Ravi Zacharias is exceptional and is available on his weekly podcast "Let My People Think".

Zacharias on Prayer

Ravi Zacharias was the 2008 Honorary Chairman of America's National Day of Prayer. Below is an excerpt of his keynote address at The Cannon House in Washington, on May 1, 2008. Typical of Zacharias, the address is thorough, insightful and loaded with excellent quotes and illustrations.

"...I’ve spoken to our troops in Doha Qatar and at Ramstein prayed with our wounded. In many of the bases I have been, at the end of each meeting there’s a line up of some of the finest young men and women in the world, armed with some of the finest weaponry, asking if you’ll just put your hand on their shoulder and pray for them. They want that power that is greater than what the military might alone can bring.

The famed John Chrysostom, writing in the 400s, said this,

“The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire; it hath bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, subdued evil instincts, assuaged diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. Prayer is an all-sufficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by the clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, and the mother of a thousand blessings."

To view the entire speech, click here

Ravi on Experiencing Jesus

I came to Him because I did not know which way to turn.
I have remained with Him because there is no other way I wish to turn.

I came to Him longing for something I did not have.
I remain with Him because I have something I will not trade.

I came to Him as a stranger.
I remain with Him in the most intimate of friendships.

I came to Him unsure about the future.
I remain with Him certain about my destiny...

Ravi Zacharias (Christian apologist; quote from 'Jesus Among Other Gods')