Christianity build western civilization, do you agree?

Question

k, forget about the ancient civilizations such as rome, but if it wasn't for christianity we would be more far back in time, am I wrong?

built*******

for example look at other parts of the world such as the middle east where they're still living in the time of muhammad.

Answer 1

yes do agree that the education system , hospitals and universities, and The USA government comes from Christanity. here are a couple articles writen by Chuck Colson.

The Victory of Reason
2/22/2006

Christianity and the West


At the heart of the furor over Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad are the different values and ideals of two civilizations: one shaped by Christianity, the other by Islam.

Of course, it's seldom put that way, especially in the elite media. Instead, the values being defended are called "Western," as if a compass point produced the freedoms we today enjoy in the Western world.

Fortunately, there's a new book that sets the record straight.

The book is called The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success by Rodney Stark, who is not a Christian believer. In fact, Stark set out to refute German sociologist Max Weber's famous thesis that attributed the rise of capitalism to the Reformation.

Instead of refuting it, however, he wound up doing just the opposite, writing about how Christianity's emphasis on reason led to the rise of Europe. By "reason," Stark means "logical thought" that doesn't "jump to conclusions." According to Stark, the "the early church fathers were very clear" about following in the "tradition" of Plato and Aristotle. And this emphasis on reason reached its zenith in Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

The belief that reason "was the supreme gift from God" encouraged inquiry not only into matters of faith but the natural world, as well. Whereas other religions viewed creation as a "mystery" beyond explanation, Christianity expected to find "immutable laws at work."

St. Augustine, who is often caricatured as the enemy of science and progress, wrote about the "wonderful . . . advances human industry has made." These "advances" were the products of the 'unspeakable boon' that God has conferred upon his creation, a 'rational nature.'"

That's why, you see, "it was during the so-called Dark Ages," and not the Renaissance, "that European technology and science overtook and surpassed the rest of the world." Contrary to what you were taught, the worst "conflicts" between Christianity and science took place after the "Age of Faith."

Equally misunderstood is the relationship between Christianity and Western freedom. It was Christianity, Stark writes, that taught the West that "the state must respect private property and not intrude on the freedom of its citizens to pursue virtue."

Our ideas about democracy and equality stem as well from the central teaching of Christianity. The link between the belief that we are all equal "in the eyes of God and in the world to come" and "all men are created equal" should be obvious.

It should be, but it isn't, at least not to many commentators and academics. In their minds, the West succeeded despite its Christian past. Myths about the "Dark Ages" and other religious dystopias attempt to put as much distance between us and our Christian past as possible.

But, as Stark notes, many non-Westerners know better: For them, Western civilization and Christianity are "inseparably linked." He notes that Christianity "is becoming globalized far more rapidly than is democracy, capitalism, or modernity," which leads him to a breathtaking conclusion: "It is quite plausible that Christianity remains an essential element in the globalization of modernity."

This book will you give you some very good ammunition to answer those critics who come up with the same tired, old arguments about the fact that Christianity held back the progress of civilization. Nonsense. The evidence is exactly the opposite.

Last week, President Bush took part in ceremonies commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 uprising against its Soviet occupiers. According to the president, the Hungarians taught the world that “Liberty can be delayed, but it cannot be denied.”


While the president was right, that still leaves the question: Who taught the Hungarians, or the West, for that matter, about freedom? What moved the Hungarians to give their lives to be free? Unfortunately, most Americans haven’t got a clue where this belief originated. If pressed, they might guess the American Revolution or maybe even Enlightenment figures like John Locke.


But as Rodney Stark tells us in his classic work The Victory of Reason, Locke and others built on a foundation laid by Christianity. According to Stark, Western ideas about democracy and equality stem from “the central Christian doctrine that . . . inequality in the most important sense does not exist . . .”


By the eleventh century, the Christian belief that we are all made in God’s image and therefore equal “in the eyes of God and in the world to come” brought an end to slavery in Europe. Slavery only returned after Christianity’s cultural influence had waned.


Another way that Christianity contributed to our concept of freedom was its stress on the individual, especially in the moral realm. The Christian idea of Free Will meant that, instead of being captives to fate, people were responsible for their actions and choices. As a result, people increasingly saw themselves as having control over their lives. Western ideas about freedom are rooted in this Christian understanding of the individual.


In addition to changing the way ordinary people thought about themselves, Western Christianity changed the way people thought about governance. The idea that there are limits to the sovereign’s power over his subjects is a distinctly Christian one. It became particularly clear during the Reformation that there were aspects of life over which the king had no legitimate authority. The Reformers called it “sphere sovereignty” – every sphere carrying out its own responsibility before God.


These limits on state power, as Stark tells us, weren’t limited to Church matters. Christianity insisted that “the state must respect private property and not intrude on the freedom of its citizens to pursue virtue.” This is one reason President Bush so frequently says freedom is a God-given gift to all humanity.


Sadly, this isn’t what’s being taught in our schools today. Instead, students are taught that freedom resulted from putting as much distance between us and our Christian past as possible.


This is what Stark calls the “myth” of the “Dark Ages.” Like many myths, it has little basis in fact, but it reflects what some people need to be true if their secularist worldview is to make sense.


This not only does violence to the past, but it also hurts the present. It leaves people unable to understand why “all men and women should be free.” Clearly as modern Western nations (including our own) continue to distance themselves from Christianity, they imperil their freedom. A sobering, cautionary thought for us as we prepare next week to celebrate our freedom.

This commentary first aired on June 28, 2006.



is it not funny how some of the myths are repeated here on this website.

Answer 2

Yes. It was Christianity that supported the inquisition and other intolerant dogmas. It was the Christian church that wanted to keep people ignorant so thay they couldn't think for themselves. If they did, it was considered heresy. It was Christianity that started all the crap with Muslims. In fact, it was the Muslim who gave us the idea of the modern hospital. They were the first ones to separate the sick into separate wards to be treated separately for their particular illness. They understood that if you mix patients you get more trouble.
than you had in the first place. This is only one advance that they brought about. There are many more.
Christianity and the "church' did it's best to keep knowledge away from the common man and tried to keep folks like Galileo and others from discovering things.
It was Christianity that gave the Indians plague-soaked blankets, in the name of 'god' of course. Bless you brother.
The doctrine of 'manifest destiny' was based on the Christian belief that the 'heathen' should repent and 'be saved'. Why didn't god keep christians from from killing folks in 'His' name?
No, I think the world would be a better place if man would stop looking for some kind of 'divine inspiration' from an invisible, if even real, being. Remember it was god who supposedly killed everyone on earth in a flood. I can envision
the cries of children as they clung to their mothers while they all died, yet god chose to save the insects that cause disease
and such.
If god does exist he has a lot to answer for.

Answer 3

What are you smoking, and at least share with the rest of us. Obviously history is not a major of yours, nor ever has been. The world was further along scientifically until the advancement of Christianity into culture. Christians suppressed more scientific advancement and societal advancement to keep people where they were. Why do you think that supposedly God said that the "meek shall inherit the earth"? That was to keep the serfs from wanting more, since they could always having something else. However, someone failed to tell them that the Bible also states that after the second coming of Christ everyone is either going to heaven or hell, so where would the earth fall into that...............NOWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Christianity has done more harm, they have murdered more scientists who stated that the sun was the center of the Universe, etc. What are you thinking?

Answer 4

The Enlightenment built America, not Christianity. All the Founding Fathers were heavy into Enlightenment thought and rationalism.

And, on a worldwide basis, if Christianity built western civilization than why are the most industrialized and prosperous nations nearly all predominantly secular (when the US being the major exception)?

Answer 5

Not really. The Muslims took the world out of the dark ages while the Christians were persecuting and burning some of the greatest minds in history. Most of the western system came from the Greeks, not the Christians (Romans got most of their stuff from the Greeks too). I think Christians were good at hijacking things and then repackaging it.

Answer 6

The splendor of India,wealthy and cultured,was destroyed by barbarous westerners and islamic hordes!
They stole gems and gold from temples and palaces,turned Indians into slaves,humiliated them,till Gandhi led a revoluion,helped by Subash Candra Bose,who revolted against the invaders and got them out of India.The people of India were mainly vegatarians and God loving,and has tremendous books,that have been copied by westterners-vedas-
The west knew not much about spices,textiles or metallurgy and medicines,whereas India had written texts about such subjects.
Westerners invented slaughterhouses,and fed rotten corpses to pure cows,inventing thus mad cow disease.
Invented industrial sugar,by slave labor,and thus is crippled with diabetes,obesity etc etc..
Invents so many drugs,with deadly side effects,jsut to make maximum profits,and killing people all over the world...Probably invented AIDS!
Invented false christianity,with meat eating,wine and whisly drinking,casinos,prostitution houses and kill babies in the womb....
Invented false money by printing paper money,while having nothing in banks!
Constructs weapons industries,killing thus millions of people...

But there is hope from the .....East coming....
Real civilisation....soon!


Their destiny is dark!Karma is very heavy!
Destruction is near

Answer 7

I don't believe that time can go backwards. Hell I am not even sure time exists, but that is another argument. It is likely that things would be different Christianity was not around when western civilization was created but nothing more could be concluded then this with any certainty.

Answer 8

Christianity contributed a great deal to Western civilization, which may account for some of the difficulties it faces today.

Answer 9

Nonie Darwish is undoubtedly a very brave and amazing woman. I admire her for her coming out of the cult of Islam and telling the world of its agenda and all that Islam stands for. What she reveals is true. How does she know? She was raised a Muslim and knows all about Islam, its barbarism, cruelty to all humans (even other Muslims), the deceit used to deceive all nations that are not a Muslim nation, and the extreme danger it poses across the world for wanting to impose shari'a law. Every American should read her books and watch every interview she gives.

Answer 10

Yes somehow, when west decided to stand against those cruel and irrational ideas ,they started to build their civilization,Christianity was destroying Europe!... They learned a lto from other civilization especially middle east!

Answer 11

No, the Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, Romantic Era, the Agricultural Revolution, and the First and Second Industrial Revolutions did.