What GOOD has ever come about from Christianity ?!?!

by Hamas 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Ravyn

  I think that there is good in any religion only if the people in that particular religion are in it to make themselves better people. Once it gets beyond the individual, it goes wrong. I answered this about JWs to TeeJay on my thread about racism being regional in the BORG.

  If you create an organization out of a religion that has a cap on individual growth and freedom to move on, you have missed the whole point of religion and created a monster that will end up killing you along with itself. Religion's proper place in human spirituality is that of a tool, not a savior. Use religion to make yourself a better person, when that stops happening the religion has outlived its usefulness. Go on to the next thing.

  If the three Abrahamic religions do not show some growth in this area right now it will be apocalypse, they are writing their own scripts to fulfill the their own demise.

  Ravyn
• 

  Abaddon

  It is always nice to read your posts Rayvn
• 

  Satanus

  One good thing that the catholic church did, was bring europe together into a semblance of unity. Europe had been made up of multitudinous tribes. Through the centuries, the church spread it's christianity culture throughout, and brought order, more or less.

  SS
• 

  Kenneson

  Hamas,

  What good has Christianity accomplished? For one thing, the rise of universities in the Middle Ages are credited to Christianity.

  Since you point the finger at the atrocities committed by Christians, I think it is equally valid to ask if there has "EVER been anything good come about thanks to Atheism?"

  More people have died in the name of atheism (no God) then that died throughout all history in the name of any one God. Stalin and subsequent Communist leaders, who demanded atheism and caused Christianity to go under ground because of its viscious persecutions, put to death tens of millions of people. Millions of Chinese died in the purges of Communist Mao Tse-Tung. Millions of Cambodians lost their lives in the killing fields and death chambers of Pol Pot. Atheists killing atheists. Thousands continue to die each year in China and North Korea, and even Cuba--each the "model" atheist society.

  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
• 

  Hamas

  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

  Lol, mate, you misunderstand. I'm not athiest.
• 

  Kenneson

  Hamas,

  Pardon my misunderstanding. Yes, you are correct. Agnostics and skeptics (did I forget any other group) belong to neither persuasion. Sorry.
• 

  seedy3

  More people have died in the name of atheism (no God) then that died throughout all history in the name of any one God.

  I have a very hard time accepting this statement, although the people you named were known athiests, they did not kill in the name of athiesem, they did in the name of political revoloution and reform and athiesem was a part of it, but not all of it. Yes they did persicute and kill religous people.
• 

  ThiChi

  It has been the Christian Nations that has fought to End Slavery, Promote Democracy, give Women more rights, on and on.
  
  Then, the great thinkers of the world that have influenced our life. Some Christian, some not, yet still influenced:
  
  Just to name a few:
  
  Augustine
  Thomas Aquinas
  Dante
  Chaucer
  Gilbert
  Bacon
  Hobbes
  Milton
  Pascal
  Locke
  Spinoza
  Newton
  Hume
  Kant
  Gibbon
  Jefferson
  Madison
  Hamilton

  In a world where there has not been one Nation that has not been invaded at one time or another in History, context must be considered when pointing fingers.
• 

  Abaddon

  Hey, Darwin was a Christian, or influeneced by them. Quite a few people on that list were influeneced by 'pagans' and 'heathens' as well as by Christians or Christianity...
• 

  bebu

  Do agnostics and other fence-sitters like the fence because they feel they will then be free from responsibility? This is what it's looking like to me at this moment. But they are definitely more responsible than they realize...
  

  A man spoke with a rabbi. "I don't believe in God!" he exclaimed. "Look at all the wretched things that religious people have done. Look at all the misery that 'God' allows. No, I don't believe that God, especially if He is good, exists at all."

  The rabbi smiled at him and said, "You must be a very kind man! Since you see that God is not acting , then I realize that each time you see a hungry child that God is not feeding, you must be taking upon yourself the part of God, doing what that imaginary God would do if He did exist. Every time you see an injustice, I know you must stop and work to make sure that it gets resolved with justice. Whenever you see a Jew fail to act with mercy, you yourself intervene on behalf of the downtrodden. Since for you God doesn't exist, I know that you surely must be stepping into His place doing all that He does not do. Yes, you are a very kind and compassionate man..."

  Anyway, two recent articles.

  http://www.house.gov/reform/cj/hearings/01.04.26/diiulio.htm

  http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/religion/5513235.htm

  A short section from the philly link:

  Religion

  
  

  	Posted on Sun, Mar. 30, 2003
  	Philadelphia's map of the faithful A landmark Penn survey has cataloged the life and works of hundreds of the city's congregations. By Jim Remsen INQUIRER FAITH LIFE EDITOR How much do you figure the social programs run by Philadelphia's houses of worship save the city in tax dollars? Try $250 million a year - fully half of what the city spends for its own comparable programs. What slice of congregations' budgets is devoted to social programs? On average, 21.6 percent. What percentage of city residents are members of congregations? That's 48 percent. How many "denominational affiliations" are represented across Philadelphia? Seven hundred. University of Pennsylvania professor Ram Cnaan knows all that for a certainty, and much more. Like a cyber-mountaineer, Cnaan is sitting on a virtual Everest of computer information about the city's "faith communities." Over the last three years, the social-work professor has led a team of Penn researchers in compiling the Philadelphia Census of Congregations, considered the most extensive survey of its type undertaken in a major U.S. city.

  It's an interesting article.

  Hamas, I think your mind is completely made up already about this. (I wonder why I'm even responding... )

  bebu