As a matter of my own deep religious faith, I “Imagine no Religion . . . nothing to kill or die for.” (What may seem a contradiction between “religious” and “Religion” was explained by another John — the American philosopher John Dewey, in his Yale lectures compiled in A Common Faith.)

The Christian Religion is perhaps the cause of more killing or death than any other. This includes the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the murder of most of my own family in the Holocaust. As you acknowledge, “the Holocaust didn’t arise out of nothing; it grew from long European hatred of Jews.” The Nazis did not invent this hatred — they were just the most efficient at killing Jews. Where did that “European hatred of the Jews” come from? It was taught by the Church over the centuries, going back to the original lie that Jews were the ones responsible for killing one of their own, Jesus, not the Romans who actually crucified them. That hatred for anyone not believing the same Religion is still taught today, in churches all over the world. This did not end with the Holocaust. Our current President encourages the hatred between religions, inspiring a new generation who believe religion is “something to kill or die for.” These killings continue, with, for example, the shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue (which my own cousins only survived because they arrived late for services).

In contrast to these centuries of genocide of millions inspired by the Christian churches, this article offers the lament of someone who is bothered that her own family criticizes her religion. Like the owners of Hobby Lobby, this cry of “religious freedom” is used as an excuse for the opposite — imposing your religion on others.

The article offers the example of the many Christians who are doing good in the world. These are the ones who are following the religious teachings of Jesus, rather than the religion of the Church. As Micah said, “What does God ask of you, but to do Justice, love Goodness, and walk humbly in the way of your God.”