Part 1
Many people often ask: why Christianity? Look at all the Christians killing each other in the world today and in the past! Look at the Inquisition, the Crusades and all the atrocities committed by Christians!
That may be true, but the truth is that the same can be said for any religion. Muslims have had their own inquisitions and mass killings (many modern and past Islamic states), Jews have killed and murdered many (after the founding of Christianity), Hindus have rioted and lynched Christians and Muslims (India), and Buddhist and Confucian mobs have killed Christians and Muslims (16th century Japan and modern Xinjiang). Protestant Chrisitians too are not exempt. They have burned Catholics at the stake (under England's Elizabeth I) and many believe that the Iraq war was a form of Protestant crusade.
Others, in response to the above ask: then why religion?
In response, I point you to the Marxist and communist philosophies. Marxism and Communism had many good underlying principles, but one of their core philosophies was to eradicate all religion. What happened eventually were brutal, systematic persecutions of religious believers (USSR, China, North Korea, etc). Eventually, the principles of Marxism and Communism became so twisted and corrupted, and many communist regimes carried out systematic destruction of “disloyal” people (Khmer Rouge regime, USSR, etc).
Even the French Revolution, which was supposed to create an atheist and “humanist” state, culminated in the Great Terror, led by Maximiien Robespierre, who murdered many innocent members of the clergy, ordinary people and “people dangerous to the Republic” (in reality, Robbispiere’s political enemies).
However, when one truly examines the principles of any religion or philosophy, from Christianity to Islam to Buddhism to humanism and Marxism, teach, or attempt to teach, people to be good and kind human beings.
If everyone was perfect enough to live by any of the pure versions of these philosophies, the world would be a much better, even if not perfect place.
Yet people, due to their original sin and conspicuence (inclination towards evil) fall short of the high ideals preached to them and even twist these ideals to their own ends. The result is that all of us, rich or poor, Christian or Muslim, Jew or Sikh, have sin on our hands and in our heart.
Part 2
God is perfect. And being perfect, he cannot stand for sin or impurity in his Kingdom. No matter how much we mortals sometimes try our best to strive towards perfection, we often fall short and into evil and sin. Often, we give up, even.
But wait: how do we know that humanity has a natural instinct to strive towards the perfection of a perfect Lord, in spite even of their tendency to sin? How do we know that most humans, deep, deep down, want to be perfect?
Let us refer to the works of the great theologian, Thomas Aquinas. He observes that in no human culture is oppression considered good, cowardice considered wonderful and idiocy considered excellent. Despite the fact that humans disregard these ideals and often distort them, the fact remains: these ideals are present. The strife for perfection spans the human experience. This would make sense when put together with the teachings of Sacred Scripture, that we are made in God’s image.
Therefore, returning to the main discussion, we can see that a perfect God would not be able, by nature, to stand imperfection in his kingdom.
So are we stuck in this dark abyss? Forever?
The answer is no, for we also have a merciful Lord. Christianity teaches that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, to atone for them and by that, to forgive us. This atonement covers all that we ourselves cannot atone for. Although this does not mean we do not face the temporal (physical) consequences of sin, it means that we are forgiven.
However he also expects us to do our part. We have to at least try to be good and caring men and women. We have to put effort into trying to change for the better, and we will have to pay the physical consequences for our sin. Yet, even when we, by virtue of our imperfect nature, fail at this, God understands, and he has forgiven us.
Part 3
But what of those who have never heard this message? What of those whom missionaries cannot reach? Are they all, through no fault of their own, doomed to eternal damnation?
The answer is no. God is not so unfair as to judge people according to a law they are genuinely not aware of. Unlike with human judiciaries, genuine and unintentional ignorance is a defence with God because he alone can see what truly lies in a man’s heart. For these people, they will be judged according only to the standard that they were aware of.
