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Has Christianity

Benefited the World?

 

“The Church is the Church only when it exists for others...not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“We are called to service in the kingdom of God. The Christian life is not about what you claim. It is about what you believe. True belief cannot be separated from what we do.”

Tyler Edwards

 

 

How would you respond to the following?

"Christianity promotes intolerance, and ignorance"

"Christianity contradicts modern science"

"Christianity promotes slavery"

"Christianity degrades women"

"Christianity is the cause of millions of deaths"

"God commanded genocide in the Old Testament"

 

This is a quote from the book by the famous Atheist Richard Dawkins:

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” 

Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

 

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Some people believe Christianity has been a detriment to the world and not a benefit.  They believe that if we could just get rid of Christianity or at least the influence of Christianity, then the world would be a much better place.  They believe that the influence of Christianity actually holds us back from progress, that it is the restrictions of Christianity that keep us from achieving real freedom.  This could be one of the reasons why Atheistic professors make an attempt to reduce and even eliminate the confidence students have in Jesus and the Bible.

Remember many in the world look at Christians and Christianity as being intolerant.  We've already seen how this is not true, that Christians are not intolerant.  If the world truly would be better without Christianity then many have good reason to discount the evidences in the previous sections of this guide.  

Even though the Truth of Christianity isn't determined by whether it has made the world better or not, is the claim that the world would be better off without Christianity valid?  Has Christianity had an impact on the world, and if so, what has the actual impact of Christianity been on the world; has it been positive or negative?

To see the impact of Christianity, one need look no further than the western societies based on Judeo-Christian values as compared to the other societies in the world.  Many are surprised to find that Christianity has had a significant beneficial impact on the world.  Below are a number of the impacts of Christianity and Judaism, as well as links to be able to research them further.  Think about how much you would want to live in a society where these qualities didn’t exist.  Most of us take these benefits for granted because we’ve never lived in a country that doesn’t have these benefits.  

The Social and Historical Impact of Christianity

https://probe.org/the-social-and-historical-impact-of-christianity/

  • Modern Medicine.  Not as modern as originally thought.  Medical principals were specified in the Old Testament, and developed further by Christians

http://creation.com/modern-medicine

  • Universities. Began during the Middle Ages. In addition, most of the world’s greatest universities were started for Christian purposes.

www.tysknews.com/Depts/Educate/history_part1.htm

www.tysknews.com/Depts/Educate/history_part2.htm

www.tysknews.com/Depts/Educate/history_part3.htm

  • Literacy and Education for the masses.

 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/56682

  • Capitalism and Free Enterprise.

www.allaboutworldview.org/christian-economics.htm

  • Representative Government, particularly as it has been seen in the American experiment.

www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-bible-and-government

  • The Declaration and Constitution: Their Christian Roots.

https://probe.org/the-declaration-and-constitution-their-christian-roots/

 

  • Civil Liberties.

www.reformationsa.org/index.php/history/the-reformation-1517-1610/87-howthereformationchangedtheworld

  • The Abolition of Slavery, both in antiquity and in more modern times.

WILBERFORCE AND REAL CHRISTIANITY

www.weldonturner.com/wilberforce/

Christianity and Black Slavery

www.equip.org/article/christianity-black-slavery/

The abolition of the slave trade: Christian conscience and political action by John Coffey

www.jubilee-centre.org/the-abolition-of-the-slave-trade-christian-conscience-and-political-action-by-john-coffey/

  • Modern Science.  Most of the major branches of science were founded by Christian thinkers.

The Complementary Nature Of Science And Christianity

http://christianity.co.nz/2016/02/science-4/

www.godandscience.org/apologetics/sciencefaith.html

  • The Discovery of the New World by Columbus.

www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0196_Columbus_Christian_C.html

  • The Elevation of the Position of Women in Society.

https://bible.org/article/christianity-best-thing-ever-happened-women

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Amazing-Things-Christianity-Has-Done-to-Advance-the-Cause-of-Womens-Rights&id=2661871

  • Benevolence and Charity; the Good Samaritan ethic.

www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2013/05/08/3754498.htm

  • Higher Standards of Justice.

http://creation.com/the-christian-foundations-of-the-rule-of-law-in-the-west-a-legacy-of-liberty-and-resistance-against-tyranny

  • The High Regard for Human Life.

https://answersingenesis.org/sanctity-of-life/other-religions-view-human-life-versus-gods-view-human-life/

www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-impact-of-christianity#impact

  • How Christianity Civilized Barbarian Europe in Just One Hundred Years

www.newenglishreview.org/Emmet_Scott/How_Christianity_Civilized_Barbarian_Europe_in_Just_One_Hundred_Years

  • The Classifying and Founding of Many of the World’s Written and Spoken Languages.

India: www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/february-web-only/how-white-missionaries-helped-birth-modern-day-india.html

Taiwan: www.thefreelibrary.com/Pentecost+of+the+Hills+in+Taiwan%3a+The+Christian+Faith+Among+the...-a060138400

Check the last paragraph of the article.

Maraland:  https://www.facebook.com/Marareih/posts/796118277070915

        Check the section:

Literature work and Bible translation.

Ghana:  www.thefreelibrary.com/%22Obstinate%22+pastor+and+pioneer+historian%3a+the+impact+of+Basel+Mission...-a0197989375  

Check the section:

Ideas on African Languages and the Nation

  • Greater Development of Art and Music. The inspiration for the greatest works of art.

www.mightystudents.com/essay/Christianity.impact.music.15296

  • The Countless Changed Lives Transformed from Liabilities into Assets to Society Because of the Gospel.

www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/changed-lives

Is Christianity Good for America? – Dinesh D’Sousa debate

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rACrVLuIfDY

What if Jesus Had Never Been Born

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL4Gei0mEN8

The Social and Historical Impact of Christianity

www.probe.org/the-social-and-historical-impact-of-christianity

The Impact of Christianity

www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-impact-of-christianity

What has Christianity done for the World?

http://godtalk.hubpages.com/hub/What-has-Christianity-done-for-the-World

21 Positive Contributions Christianity Has Made

http://verticallivingministries.com/tag/the-historical-benefits-of-christianity

Christianity Benefits Society

www.jerrynewcombe.com/christianity-benefits-society/

The Influence of Christianity on Western Civilization

http://clstansberry.com/influence-christianity-western-civilization/  (incl. link to full paper in PDF)

The Social and Historical Impact of Christianity

https://probe.org/the-social-and-historical-impact-of-christianity/

The Impact of Christianity on the World

https://americanvision.org/1403/impact-of-christianity-on-world/

Role of Christianity in civilization

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_Christianity_in_civilization

6 CHRISTIANS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD

www.summit.org/resources/articles/essays/6-christians-who-changed-the-world/

Also, as to whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation, check the videos at this link:

Christianity And America

www.faithofourfathers.net

Was America Founded to Be Secular?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm8oGUXomHc

Was America founded on Christian principles?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m40r1KeOjX8

Were the Founders Religious?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDFsG4xzfDw

Why the United States Is a Christian Nation (David Wood)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDZcvG1yeHc

Next Page:  What About The Crusades?

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