Why has religion caused so much harm, violence, and suffering throughout history?

Question

Sun Myung Moon · Accepted Answer

The question of why religion has caused so much harm and suffering throughout history presents a significant intellectual and spiritual hurdle. While religions often preach love and peace, their historical involvement in conflict requires a deeper understanding to reconcile faith with reality and to forge a path toward true peace. The Biblical Foundation: God's Ideal and Human Deviation The Bible openly depicts the tragic consequences of humanity's departure from God’s original ideals. Despite God’s explicit commands to love—"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5) and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18)—history shows these mandates have been tragically violated, often in religion's name. We see evidence of an inner struggle against an unseen force in Paul’s confession: "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members" (Romans 7:22-23). The fallen nature of mankind often leads to disobedience, even when knowing the right path. Jesus himself spoke of spiritual division when he said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword... a person’s enemies will be those of his own household" (Matthew 10:34-36). This "sword" signifies the spiritual schism that arises when truth is embraced by some and rejected by others. Paul further elaborates, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). This reveals a deeper spiritual antagonism underpinning human conflicts, as exemplified by the persecution of figures like Stephen (Acts 7:54-60). The Spiritual Root of Conflict: The Fall and Restoration The root cause of historical conflict lies not in God’s will or in religion itself, but in the Human Fall. This event severed humanity’s original vertical relationship with God. As a direct consequence, our horizontal relationships with one another were also broken. Instead of a world of love, history began as a corrupted realm, a "hell on earth" where people became alienated from God and unable to feel the pain of their neighbors, even seeking to harm them. This placed humanity under the pervasive influence of a spiritual adversary, whom we call Satan. Human history thus became a battleground where God continuously works to restore His original ideal of a world founded on love. This divine effort is called the providence of restoration. God sends central figures (Abel-type individuals or groups) to guide humanity back to Him. Their efforts, however, inevitably provoke intense opposition from the satanic force working through others (the Cain-type) to block God’s work. The biblical account of Cain murdering Abel (Genesis 4:1-16) is the archetype for this conflict. Cain’s resentment of Abel’s sincere offering was an external expression of this internal, spiritual struggle. Therefore, much of the violence perpetrated in religion's name is not God's design but the tragic result of this satanic influence working through corrupted individuals and institutions to resist God's progress. As it is written, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). History's Goal: A World of True Love This long history of conflict is inseparable from God's ultimate purpose: the complete restoration of fallen humanity to its original state of goodness. God's unwavering goal is to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, where all people live in harmony as one family, guided by true love. His plan of salvation is universal; He seeks to save all of His children, jumping over all barriers of race, nation, and even religion. Because humanity fell, God cannot arbitrarily impose His will. He works patiently through history, allowing people to fulfill their portion of responsibility in overcoming the entrenched legacy of evil. Each new revelation or Abel-figure represents a step forward in God’s providence, but it often triggers a fierce reaction from those under Satan's sway. What appears as "religious conflict" is, in reality, the clash between God's path of restoration and the forces resisting it. The goal is not to destroy the world in a final apocalypse, but to restore this physical world and fulfill the state described in the Bible: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore" (Revelation 21:4). Indeed, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Livin

Why has religion caused so much harm, violence, and suffering throughout history?

The Biblical Foundation: God's Ideal and Human Deviation

The Spiritual Root of Conflict: The Fall and Restoration

History's Goal: A World of True Love

Living the Principle

Sources and further reading