When Religion becomes Evil: 5 Warning signs

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When religion becomes evil: 5 warning signs
Religion is one of the pillars that hold our societies together. It has however in the recent past been the reason for acts of violence being carried out in the world. Charles Kimball in his book has helped us understand the signs and reasons for religion turning evil.
Absolute truth claims refer to when people believe that they are in the right and others are on the wrong. A good example is how radical Muslims in the Middle East think theirs is the only true religion. This has led to them launching attacks on the non-Muslim nations. They do not follow the teaching of the Quran which advice against the killing of women and children during the war (Kimball, 67).
Another sign is blind obedience. This is where a believer follows their leader willingly and do everything they unquestioningly. They believe that God speaks through their leaders and would, therefore, follow every word they say. This can be seen in leaders like Osama Bin Laden who lead the al-Qaeda organizations many attacks one being September 11th attack.
Establishing the “ideal” time is another sign that assumes that better times are ahead. An individual or group believes that God has raised them to start a new era or generation. This can be seen in the Middle East where people try to gain control of the government to bring about an Islamic state to make religious percepts the law of the country.
The end justifies any means displayed when people try to gain power over others using methods that their religion prohibits.

They use force to bring about radical change believed to be supported by God. This can be seen in the recent attack in Syria carried out by the Islamic State group.
Declaring holy war is the final sign. Kimball points out how Holy war declarations have been used by people to justify their attacks on people in other religion. Such can be seen in the fight between Israel and Palestine over the holy land.

Work cited
Kimball, Charles. When religion becomes evil: Five warning signs. Harper Collins, 2009.