Saying that the scriptures, God, and Jesus are not valid because of the works of organised religion such as the Roman Catholic Church, is a weak argument to make.
If it was that easy to put something into disrepute, then I could pretend to be an Atheist, act like an idiot and then Atheism is in disrepute.
Think for a minute. If Jesus taught us to give one of our two coats to the man with no coat, and if Jesus taught us to love God and mankind as the two most important commandments, then the Inquisition, burnings at the stake, and lavish living just doesn’t match up does it.
In fact, Christianity lost much credibility in Europe because of the tactics of the Jesuits and Roman Catholics. It is well known that the Jesuits became Anglicans, Protestants, and Jews to gain positions of power and influence by agreement of the Pope. The idea was to create divisions and disputes by using their guise and influence to bring the organisations they pretended to belong to into disrepute. Although they infiltrated Protestant Christian organisations they were first and foremost loyal to the Pope and his bidding. They worked tirelessly to stamp out Protestantism in any way they could.
In 1551, secret instructions for the Jesuits of Paris at the Council of Trent were given for undermining and bringing the Church of England into disrepute. For example. A copy, of these instructions accidentally dropped from pulpit from a secret Jesuit priest in 1568. The instructions were as follows:
“Ye are not to preach all after one method but observe the place wherein you come. If Lutheranism be prevalent, then preach Calvinism; if Calvinism, then Lutheranism; if in England, then either of them, or John Huss’ opinions, Anabaptism, or any that are contrary to the Holy See of St. Peter, by which your function will not be suspected, and yet you may still act on the interest of Mother Church; there being, as the Council are agreed on, no better way to demolish that Church (the Church of England) of heresy, but by mixture of doctrines, and by adding of ceremonies more than at present permitted. Some of you who undertook to be of this sort of Heretical Episcopal Society, bring it as near to the Mother Church as you can; for then the Lutheran party, the Calvinists, the Anabaptists and other heretics, will be averse thereto, and thereby make the Episcopal heresy odious to all these, and be a means to reduce all in time to Mother Church.”
If you think about it, it is illogical to blame God for what men have done in his name. Men do terrible things in all kinds of names and for all kinds of reasons. The problem is really mankind, and although many wars are blamed on religion and historically on Christianity, the underlying reasons for these wars are more largely about land, wealth, power, ethnic differences, and politics. It just becomes a simple labeling exercise to identify opposing groups by religion when often religion is not the root of the problem at all. In other words many conflicts would still ensue even if religion was removed from the equation. Northern Ireland is a perfect example here. It is not a war of Roman Catholics against Protestants, but the British who tried to make Ireland part of their United Kingdom. This is clearly about land even though in the media it labels one side Catholic and the other Protestant.
Further, some of the blame that people place on God should really be placed on clever men posing as godly men bringing their respective organisations into disrepute for purposes of retaining power and influence. Simply put, if you do not like the idea of God because you don’t like the result of what men do in God’s name, then you are likely a victim of placing the blame on God when it is really the result of fifth column tactics. i.e., a group of people who undermine another group from within to bring them into disrepute.
In the end, regardless of human history, we either reject our creator or accept him. Our lives being the proof of our choices. And whatever excuse we use to reject the all loving God, it stands to reason that you must be smaller than the excuse you hide behind.
The following scripture sums it all up very nicely.
2 Peter 2:1-3
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
