What exactly has Christianity done, in the last 2000 years, to make the world a better place?

Question

I honestly don't mean any disrespect here, and I'm directing this question to Christians ( mostly because Christians seem to be the most vocal about their viewpoints), but it could just as easily apply to any religion. I just don't see how most religions have really made the world a better place. I've listed specifics down below:

Women are commonly abused and discrimated against based on passages written in the Bible.

The same for Gays and Lesbians

Wars are waged against the heathens and unbelievers

Organized religion commonly gains material possessions by war, pillage and confisgating property of the persecuted heretics and heathens.

The untold amount of psychological damage done by controlling, rigid and guilt ridden relgions.

The hypocrisy of men and woman leaders who abuse their subjects.

The loss of knowledge and understanding because "we" can't learn about or befriend people who don't believe as we do.

How exactly has religion made the world better?

Just as a sideline..art is much older than Christianity..anybody ever hear of the cave paintings in France..or a little piece of architecture called the Pantheon????

And as far as I know..people were making music way before Christianity was conceived. I don't buy that as a contribution that Christianity gave to the world.

As far as altruism and democracy goes, Christianity isn't the only religion that has been known to practice such supposed "Christian" ideals as democracy and altruism. The Greeks and Romans (pagans)were proponants of democracy and altruism way before Christianity came around.

Answer 1

Well it's killed a lot of people. Does population control count?

It's also stunted human progress since it's creation, without christianity historians estimate we would have invented the internet in the 1600s.

The ancient civilizations (including the romans) were very advanced in technology, reason and everything else. They had indoor plumbing, indoor cooling with hydraulic systems (we're still not sure entirely how it was done), they were pretty close to electricity and so on... Egyptians could do brain surgery and were also quite advanced. Then along comes christianity and everything is destroyed, we plummet into the dark ages for well over a thousand years. It's only when we start to stray away from dogmatic principles and take a more open interpretation to the bible that we started the renaissance... over time we grew further from religion and we improved. Sure there was the Inquisition and many atrocities. But when America was founded by deists as a purely secular nation, things really began to pick up.

When science gained momentum and we uncovered "germ theory", that killed the Inquisition and other strident religious practices. Church attendance faltered and that heralded the beginning of the industrial revolution. However since WWII people have been growing more religious which has cut back on progress. The US has fallen from being #1 in technological innovation to #7 where we now are (all of the 6 before us are secular/atheist countries). So it looks like the cycle of human progress is starting again.

Every case study you can conduct, every where you look, christianity has directly prohibited progress, understanding, knowledge, acceptance (slaves owners quoted the bible before and during the civil war where the secular north forced the christian right to give up their slaves), and so on.

Answer 2

Christianity has tried, Men have failed.

The answer is that we need to all follow the teaching of Jesus better, no matter if we are Religious or not.

Most of those passages are in the old testament.

When we live against God or even against Natural Law, there should be some guilt, without guilt, there is no justice or law.

Take an honest look at the World before the time of Jesus, it was not such a Utopian world. Our standard of living, death rates, expected life expectancy, are all much higher now.

Please don't take a few bad examples of people claiming to be Christians while doing bad things and assume that all bad comes from Christ. I suggest that you read the New Testament and decide for yourself if we would all be better off if we followed Jesus example better or not.

Peace and Good Luck!

Answer 3

Some good answers.

I would also add that Christianity was the catalyst for slavery's eventual demise. The only place where slavery still exists is in the Muslim world.

Christianity is responsible for the preservation of classical Greek and Roman texts, the very foundation of Democracy, Scientific Method, and Philosophy.

Christianity provided the first coherent expression of human equality in its theology. Mind you, it has been imperfectly realized, but no other system of thought has so thoroughly incorporated this idea.

Christianity has provided millions with the moral strength and courage to combat racism, sexism, and oppression. Look at the Civil Rights struggle of the 50s and 60s, the Women's Right To Vote, and the Polish Labor Struggles against Soviet domination.

Christianity continues to be a voice for social justice throughout the world, espousing the end of violence, poverty, oppression, and human misery.

and the list goes on and on. I hope this helps.

Answer 4

The problems you are citing do happen but only when people are not truely practicing Christianity. Take the Crusades. As a Christian I don't believe this is what God desired- the Crusaders were using this as an excuse. As with any religion humans have the uncanny ability to twist the doctrine of that faith to make it say whatever they want and use it to justify acts that in reality go against the nature of that religion.

When true sincere followers are practicing their faith-that is where you find changes for the better. They may be small in the grander scheme of things but can make a huge impact on the few people that are involved.

Answer 5

Buildt Hospitals-Started Uneversitys--Have fed the Enemy
while at War with them.Lets see since the country with most
Christians stopped the advance of Hitler and the Leaders of Japan,WW 11 and concured the Nations,by contrast could have annexed them,What did we Do?Rebuildt the Nations.
and gave it back.Fed the Tali Ban & Iraqes.,Gave Medical treatment to the Enemy.
Your Statement "Guilt Ridden" It is the Conscience that conficts Sinners.
Women have more Freedom in the Church and this Nation than any other.

As to the"Gay" issue (Rom.Ch 1)

Answer 6

They have been patrons of the arts and, as a previous answer noted, Some of Bach's work was religious. Thankfully much liturgical music is indistinguishable from profane works - that in opposition to painting where religious content is obvious. And let's be honest, you only need one Sistine chapel. And to be fair, again, there's more religious artwork *on display* than the non-religious type. Churches (and, here again, it's mostly the Catholic church because of the timing) feel an obligation to display the works they commissioned. Donald Trump does not. States (countries) do not generally feel compelled to get involved in the art business and leave it to private institutions to build collections for public display.

Edit: when I say more religious work is on display, I simply mean a greater percentage of religious works are available for public viewing, not that most work you see in public is religious.

Answer 7

Perhaps first you should separate Christianity from religion, because you are asking about two different things!

Christianity has given God's people freedom to question authority and antiquated laws that their governments put into place to keep the people down.

Christianity does not abuse and discriminate against women, it puts women as equals ... the fact that you can sit next to your husband in church is something you can thank Christianity for.

The fact that a woman can be one of those leaders that you say abuse their subjects can be accounted to Christianity ... it allows women freedom to rise above the dictums of ancient Judaism.

But religion? It's the pits, it brings people down from their reach for God by legislating their souls. Evil people have used legalism to advance their own political agenda since Christianity began, all in the name of religion. They are not Christians, but they are religious ... do you get what I'm saying?

Please don't confuse the two, Christianity is a beautiful way to reach God and religion is the construct of man :)

Answer 8

Started Major Colleges in the United States

Major initiator of Charity hospitals around the world

Hundreds of thousands of Charities all over the world.

Answer 9

1) Holidays which = parties. 2) Even religious texts you find to be false workings have some historical context whether it be from style of writing to describing life in that era. 3) Commercialization. What would businesses do if they didn't have Christmas, Easter, Channukah, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, etc. to commercialize and sell all of the tacky baubles and candy solely associated with that holiday? 4) Religion brings diversity. I really wouldn't want to walk around believing the same thing as anyone else.

Answer 10

You mean besides provide medical help, charities, missions, and peace walks for causes? You mean besides set up shelters for the homeless and the abused? You mean besides risk life and limb in hostile territories to help the people there? You mean besides provide education for those who would normally go without? Help those who can't to read? Give hope to thousands?

Gosh, you're right. Christians don't do anything. I guess people like Mother Theresa don't exist. I guess the charities that go to Africa to provide food and medical don't exist. I guess that Woman's shelter down the road doesn't exist because Christians are the blight of the earth!