One of the regulars at our gym recently wore a shirt that caught my attention. He’s a big dude with lots of tats and long dreads and multiple piercings who usually has a less than friendly expression on his face. I tend to give him a wide berth. But on this occasion, I couldn’t help noticing his shirt. It said:

F*ck Politics

Stop Dividing Us

F*ck Religion

I found the message to be equal parts profane, humorous, and confounding. Let me explain.

The first part, brandishing f-bombs in the gym... Come on! This isn’t Walmart. There’s actually a dress code – even if it’s not consistently enforced. Given the guy in question, however, I chose not to complain. Call me a wuss, but I don’t really like having my face pushed in.

I did, however, smile. And this was possibly an even worse mistake. It drew the guy’s attention. We momentarily made eye contact. I had to pretend I was amused by something in my earbuds. I quickly picked up my phone and scrolled until he stopped glaring at me.

But I thought it was funny: a shirt accusing two societal institutions of intentionally dividing us while threatening those institutions with something akin to violence. Provocative, yes. Logical, no.

Here’s where the confusion comes in. Politics, by nature, divides. Maybe political parties should be warmer and fuzzier and friendlier. But in general, they are not. Instead, they are ideological enemies who routinely express their differences with great emotion and, often, personal attacks on their opponents. Their debates are imbued with vehemence. (Double vocab points for using “imbued” and “vehemence” in the same sentence.) Next subject.

Christianity is arguably the most exclusive, intolerant, and divisive religion on the planet. And that’s by design.

Religion. This is the part I found especially odd. Since when is religion supposed to be unifying? Are you kidding me? It has been a source of disagreement and enmity since the beginning of time. (Points for “enmity”?) Prime example: Thanksgiving. What two subjects are you supposed to avoid at the dinner table? Right – politics and religion. Them’s fightin’ words.

So why would anyone be surprised by - much less print f-bombs on a t-shirt to protest – the idea that religion is divisive?

It is common knowledge that the major world religions are in theological conflict and actively disagree about God. Atheism says there is no God. Agnosticism says that if there is a God, we can’t know anything about him. Muslims follow Allah, as expressed by Muhammad. Buddhists believe human life is about suffering and that we can work our way to nirvana. Hindus believe in thousands of gods – none of which match the deities of other religions. (“Smorgasboard spirituality,” currently the rage in America, says all roads lead to God and cherry-picks from all of the above. But more on that in another blog.)

The problem is, you can’t be both an atheist and an agnostic. Neither can you have one foot in Islam and the other in Buddhism or Hinduism. It won’t work. Each religion is exclusive.

Then there’s Christianity, which is, arguably, the most exclusive, intolerant, and divisive religion on the planet. And that’s by design.

Jesus was careful to explain that he did not come to bring humanity together in a big Kumbaya hug. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth,” he said. “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother... A person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” (Matt. 10:34-36)

Kinda harsh. And definitely not unifying.

On another occasion, he had the audacity to claim: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

The way. The truth. The life. Which implies that all the other so-called ways, truths, and sources of life are false. Yikes!

He asserted that he held the monopoly on connecting with God. “Whoever believes in the Son [Jesus] has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son, will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)

Oh, boy...

So much for omnism, syncretism, and all the other isms. It was his way or the highway. Period.

Divisive? You bet. True? You decide.

It’s not so much politics and religion that divide us. It’s the truth that divides us. But that’s actually a good thing.

I once had a lengthy discussion with an ardent atheist about this very subject. She railed on God and organized religion in general, and Christianity in particular, calling it narrow minded and judgmental. Her final challenge to me was: “What if you’re wrong and there is no God? What if you wasted your life on this Jesus thing.”

My answer was something along the lines of: “I will have lived my life in obedience to a Bible filled with moral directives and teachings – most of which involve loving God and people. I don’t see that as a waste.”

As a final question to her, I countered with, “What if you’re wrong and there is a God? And what if when you die he judges you according to the commandments and expectations he laid out in the Bible?”

After a long pause, she answered: “I’ll be in big trouble.”

I told her she didn’t have to be in big trouble, that God was offering her a free gift of forgiveness and eternal life if she would simply accept Jesus as her Savior.

She seemed to consider this before walking away. No idea where she landed. Maybe she’s still ignoring God or maybe she decided to find out more about Jesus.

Here’s the thing: It’s not so much politics and religion that divide us. It’s the truth that divides us. But that’s actually a good thing.

Next time: Why I believe Jesus is the truth.