Failure of Religion

One day a soapmaker came to visit a rabbi and announced: "I am through with the Jewish religion. You have told us that the aim of religion is to bring peace, justice and charity into the world. But it has done nothing of the sort."

The rabbi reacted with patience and invited the soapmaker to take a walk with him in the park. They passed a group of boys at play. "If you take a look at these dirty boys," the rabbi observed, "you would have to admit that soap is not much good."

"Nonsense!" protested the soapmaker. "Soap only works if you use it." "Aha," replied the rabbi, "the same is true of religion. It only takes effect when you use it."

Some critics have said that Christianity has been tried and found wanting. "That is not so," says Chesterton. "Christianity has been found difficult and not been tried."

The Christians we find filling the jails are not there because they followed Christianity.