For example: the rise of capitalism, rise of the scientific method and critical thinking, abolition of slavery, eradication of Nazism, women's suffrage, civil rights of African Americans after the abolition of slavery.
And why does the church dishonestly claim leadership in these reforms after the fact?
2007-02-21 05:20:30 · 7 answers · asked by maggielynn 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Let's take just one of your examples ...
Civil rights.
Wasn't it Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (a preacher) who was one of the leaders that FORCED civil rights? Wasn't that BEFORE the laws were changed?
2007-02-21 05:25:28 · answer #1 · answered by azarus_again 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That may have been the case in the USA where the Church (especially the fundamentalist and evangelical end of the spectrum) has historically lined up alongside vested interests - ie, big business, the Republican party, right-wing politics, et c - with an interest in maintaining the status quo. In America, religion helped drag you to the right. One positive thing that can be said for Christianity in Western Europe is that it was one of the mainstays and driving forces behind the left-wing social democratic political parties, which supported causes such as trade unionism, universal suffrage, establishment of a welfare state, even things as fundamental as decent workers' housing - forced radical change. OK, the establishment Church of England can still rightly be called the Tory Party at Prayer, but in Britain at least, social change and the beginnings of a left political consciousness was helped along by the nonconformist churches - Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, et c. The Labour Party, in its beginnings, was fired with Christian morality of the best sort and steered by people who sincerely tried to put into practice during the week what the heard from the pulpit on a Sunday. (It's a real shame this is one of the babies that idiot Blair threw out with the bathwater) People who genuinely raged at inequality, hypocrisy, poverty, ignorance, want, hunger and need and who saw it as a Christian duty to resolve these issues - a real left-wing conscience came out of this sort of Christianity and surged upwards from the grass roots, and in the years 1850-1950 helped to transform Britain. Without it, I'm sure I'd be not much further advanced from the living standards of a Victorian factory serf doing fourteen hour days for six days a week and still living one step above squalor - the standard of living I enjoy today in Britain in 2008 would be a distant impossible dream. I owe those social reformers and old-time labour fighters a lot, and it's arguable this is one of the great positive things that can be credited to Christianity. Christianity drags you back in America. Although the force and the impetus of the movement has slowed now, even stopped, Christianity moved Britain and much of Western Europe to the left, and we're better societies for it.
2016-05-24 03:00:27 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Militant Imperialism of US is starting to be criticized all over the world b/c of our increasing military bases all over. Last week ITALY had a protest rally re US forces. We are headed for disaster by doing such and here in US there are 1200 terrorist groups in 150 cities with weapons. Who is going to deal with what they are planning. TheFBI knows.
2007-02-21 05:29:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is fashionable to put down religion so you never hear what is done in Jesus' name for the good. You only hear what is bad done by a few individuals. I think the media has an agenda that coincides with the New World Order and the Anti- Christ.
2007-02-21 05:26:07 · answer #4 · answered by Midge 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The church prefers to let God lead the way according to his time and not that of men. It is men leading the way that has gotten us in the mess that we are in. Men are responsible for global warming, not God. Men are responsible for war, not God. Men are the authors of chaos, not God. It is men that will bring about the end times, not God. If men would allow God to control, then we would never have left the state of Eden. God will allow us to make mistakes and screw our lives up, and he always has a remedy, albeit a remedy that we do not like.
2007-02-21 05:28:58 · answer #5 · answered by Preacher 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they do not trail the fact is they are teaching these things while society is screaming seperation of church and state the result is when society comes around they claim responsibilityand continue to reject the church
2007-02-21 05:26:46 · answer #6 · answered by David S 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No $$$$$$ in it
2007-02-21 05:27:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋