The crusades, the Inquisition, and witch burnings to name a few. Christianity has a checkered past. Time and time again I hear this past sited as a reason why Christianity is the plague of humanity. I think this is ridiculous. There are plenty of better reasons so could we just let this one die? Yes, Christianity was involved in some really violent, really awful events and we do hold a certain amount of responsibility, but at the same time I think everyone needs to remember context. First of all, these events took place in the past. I think people seem to forget one little fact about the past: it was really freakin’ violent! Everyone was killing and maiming each other on a regular basis. It wasn’t just Christians.
Also, it just happens to be that a large portion of the population was nominal Christians at these times. Many of these people said they were Christians because everyone was. As a result, many things were done in the name of Christianity that were more political than anything else.
I realize these were horrible things and that these sins will always be on our shoulders, but I think it is illogical to put the blame on Christianity when it had more to do with greedy or power-hungry people.
Other aspects of this that Leif mentioned were slavery and forcing our culture on aboriginals. As to slavery, I think that was also a cultural situation where everyone was doing it and we only see it as bad from our world-view where the idea of equality has a much stronger foothold. As to forcing our culture, this was a much more charitable option than what most other people wanted to do, which involved killing them all off.
And I would also argue that this forcing of culture still exists today and it is not exclusive to Christianity. How often have you heard someone complain about asian drivers or about the conditions of black and Hispanic neighborhoods or consider how we Canadians complain about how natives raise their children or their work ethic. In all of these situations, and many more, people basically want to force their culture on another culture. It is a much bigger problem and is not a result of Christianity.
Christianity has some skeletons in its closet that I’m sure most Christians regret today but which have been held against them unjustly
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Discussing the Good Stuff Once Again
Well, I have finally decided to start up this discussion blog. Donkey has given me this article to post for us to discuss. I am excited to watch where this one leads...
We have talked much about whether Christian or even theistic beliefs have any rational basis. I would like to steer away from that topic for now, and consider whether religion, and specifically Christianity, still have merit on some level to society and individuals.
I would assume that most atheist will claim that religion does more harm than good and that the human race would be much better off if we scrapped it all-together. I disagree and would like to look at some pros and cons. I’d like to do this by introducing each point and then having everyone’s thoughts. Once we’ve come to a concensus or killed the topic we’ll move onto the next point. I’ll bounce back and forth between pros and cons to mix it up. When I run out of points I’ll leave it open for anyone else to purpose a point for us to discuss if they feel they have something to add.
Charity: Christianity puts a large emphasis on caring for your fellow human-beings and aiding the less fortunate. There are few other places that harp about social justice and charity like church. There are lots of verses about it, many sermons taught on it, and many Christian organizations focused on it. Christianity is socially minded and that’s good. That’s not to say that someone outside of the church can’t be socially minded, or that everyone inside the church is, but I will claim that the subject is discussed more frequently in the church. As such, the topic is more frequently on people’s minds and I believe they are more likely to do acts of charity since it is more of a social expectation.
-Benjamin
We have talked much about whether Christian or even theistic beliefs have any rational basis. I would like to steer away from that topic for now, and consider whether religion, and specifically Christianity, still have merit on some level to society and individuals.
I would assume that most atheist will claim that religion does more harm than good and that the human race would be much better off if we scrapped it all-together. I disagree and would like to look at some pros and cons. I’d like to do this by introducing each point and then having everyone’s thoughts. Once we’ve come to a concensus or killed the topic we’ll move onto the next point. I’ll bounce back and forth between pros and cons to mix it up. When I run out of points I’ll leave it open for anyone else to purpose a point for us to discuss if they feel they have something to add.
Charity: Christianity puts a large emphasis on caring for your fellow human-beings and aiding the less fortunate. There are few other places that harp about social justice and charity like church. There are lots of verses about it, many sermons taught on it, and many Christian organizations focused on it. Christianity is socially minded and that’s good. That’s not to say that someone outside of the church can’t be socially minded, or that everyone inside the church is, but I will claim that the subject is discussed more frequently in the church. As such, the topic is more frequently on people’s minds and I believe they are more likely to do acts of charity since it is more of a social expectation.
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