Yes, you probably clicked on this in horror at the question  how could a religion based on love, kindness and selflessness be selfish?

This question was posed to me recently and has been the subject of many discussions with people who hold a variety of beliefs. Instead of the heated response I thought would occur by those Christian and non-Religious, as well as those who are Religious, the response was an attempt to break down the question.

What is Christianity missing to be considered selfish? At first we considered what it did contain that would disprove this – the basis of the religion –  the man and the myth of Jesus, the word of God. No elements were overtly selfish, in fact they were the opposite. It encourages human kindness, love respect, selfless acts, sacrifice – in fact, it makes humans better people. Hmmm.

Next we considered the Religion as establish and promoted, changed, authorised by the Church.  Sure the ever evolving rules, selling of indulgences, disagreements, wars, pedophilia, and many more could be selfish by the Church and some people, but does that make Christianity itself selfish? Or is that just certain people who have made decisions that could be considered selfish?

So what were we missing? We then decided to look beyond Christianity itself, and consider what other beliefs could be more holistic.   What was suggested was a look at Buddhism and Wicca – beliefs that look at the human person in the context of their environment. From the group understanding, they consider the spirituality of the person and combination of looking within the self, the treatment of other people, and their interaction and respect for their environment – nature, other animals etc. So while they has similarities with Christianity – such as love, sacrifice, selflessness, and respect – it goes beyond the focus of a god and other human beings – it extends to the environment around us, creating an awareness and respect for our impact on the world around us and for the future, not just as a gift, but as something equal, if not more powerful and important than ourselves.

So was the selfishness suggested of Christianity derived from the focus on human beings and God, as opposed to focussing equally on the environment and world in which we exist? Does this difference actually mean it it is not selfish if it is a predetermined focus? Is it selfish because we as part of our human nature are selfish beings? Are all religions selfish in their own way?

What do you think?