One of humanity’s greatest failures is its refusal to take responsibility. Ironically, religion—often seen as a moral guide—frequently exacerbates this problem rather than solving it. True universal brotherhood cannot flourish where dogma replaces duty, where rituals overshadow responsibility. This leaves a big question mark as to whether religion is capable of promoting the concept of desirable peace and stability across humanity.
Before exploring how religion contributes to this deficiency, we must first define what responsibility truly means.
What Is Responsibility?
Responsibility entails care, protection, and accountability—yet it also carries the risk of blame. In a car accident, for instance, the responsible party bears the cost. People embrace responsibility when it serves their interests, just like being promoted to a higher rank, but evade it when it demands sacrifice. We applaud accountability when it benefits us, but shirk it when it requires owning our mistakes.
The Cultural Failure of Accountability
Public spaces reveal much about a society’s sense of responsibility. Signs like “Please leave this restroom as you’d like to find it” expose a troubling truth: without reminders, many won’t act responsibly. In more conscientious societies, such notices are unnecessary—people naturally care for shared spaces. But where education and civic duty are lacking, responsibility is outsourced. The only sign of cultural failure is the failure to take responsibility.
This is a common issue globally. A villager might construct a proper toilet, but if neighbours keep using the bush, the disease risk persists, affecting even the responsible villager. Responsible individuals often criticise others, but still suffer the same consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted this reality. True responsibility means addressing others’ shortcomings, not just your own. When selecting leaders, remember that those who quickly blame others often show their own incompetence and aren’t true leaders.
The Blame Game in Politics and Society
Developed nations mock Third World leaders for incompetence, while those Third World leaders blame colonialism, capitalism, or other “isms.” Neither side takes ownership. Meanwhile, wealthy nations deal with refugee crises caused by failed governance elsewhere—yet instead of addressing root causes, they build walls.
Irresponsibility is contagious. When leaders like Donald Trump demand border closures without tackling the reasons for migration, they shift blame rather than solve problems. This cycle ensures chaos persists across generations. While appearing to protect those enclosed, Donald Trump’s philosophy promotes introversion, which is a recipe for endemic problems of humanity.
Religion’s Missed Opportunity
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, religion is humanity’s way of engaging with the sacred, divine, or moral order. But this definition overlooks a critical element: responsibility.
Jesus exemplified true accountability—He took the punishment for sins He did not commit—thereby outshining the significance of responsibility. James 1:27 defines pure religion not as ritual, but as caring for the vulnerable: “Visit orphans and widows in their distress, and keep oneself unstained by the world.” No politics, no blame—just action.
Yet modern Christianity often devolves into denominational rivalry. Evangelicals criticise Pentecostals; Sabbatarians judge non-Sabbatarians, etc. Instead of emulating Christ’s sacrifice, many Christians mirror the world’s divisions, thereby serving to invalidate Jesus’ services.
When considering the call to serve orphans and widows in their distress, it’s important to reflect on who this truly refers to. All humans can be seen as “Fatherless” if they are not identified as true Christians. Jesus died on the cross because humanity was Fatherless. A person may have physical parents yet be in a worse condition than someone without parents. Humanity remains Fatherless without being under God’s protection through Jesus Christ. This is about taking responsibility for addressing human needs, without being selective or restricted by religion.
The Deception of “Christian Religion”
Jesus didn’t establish a religion; His mission was to save humanity unconditionally (John 3:16-17). Belief in Jesus isn’t about adhering to a religion but embracing the selfless sacrifice He represented. Jesus is Lord to those who live by this principle of sacrifice. Paul grasped this idea, adapting to meet everyone’s needs to serve them regardless of their situation (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). True faith isn’t about labels—it’s about taking responsibility for others, just as Christ did.
Humanity was made in God’s image—not in physical form, but in moral conscience, established in the Spiritual realm. Even atheists feel guilt or compassion, proving this intrinsic imprint. What was lost in Eden—selfless responsibility—was restored on the cross. Yet Christianity, meant to reflect this, often distorts it into another blame-shifting institution. Each of those splinter groupings seeks to prove that it is right when compared with the denigrated ones.
The Path Forward
The solution isn’t more religion—it’s more responsibility. Actually, being bound in religion is another form of irresponsibility, where God is even often blamed for the wrongs. This world reveals that very few people are willing to do the right thing, that is, take responsibility for the wrongs in their environment, rather than blame others. Whether through engaging in cleaning toilets, just governance, or personal sacrifice, progress comes when we stop blaming and start acting.
Christ’s example wasn’t about starting a new sect. He remained a Jew, although denigrated by His fellow Jews. When one engages in inviting people to join one’s religion, what happens to the uninterested ones? Jesus’ example was about how to bear the weight we owe to one another, where self-protection is out of the question. Until we embrace that, religion will remain part of the problem—not the solution.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27 NIV).
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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