Some Christians have long insisted that Jesus didn’t come to start a religion—He came to establish a relationship. But that’s not what a Turkish minister meant when he declared Christianity is no longer a religion.
“The biggest three countries in the world are not Muslim countries. China, India—only the U.S. believes in a single God. Spirituality and religious feelings are weakening,” Turkish Environment and Urban Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar said at a recent conference hosted by the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Women’s Group, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.
“There are 2.5 billion Christians in the world,” Bayraktar said. “Christianity is no longer a religion. It’s a culture now. But that is not what a religion is like. A religion teaches; it is a form of life that gives one peace and happiness. That is what they want to turn [Islam] into as well.”
