Christianity's contribution to western civilization?

[yalla]

The opening words of "Religious Foundations of Western Civilization -Judaism, Christianity and Islam" Ed. Jacob Neusner, Abingdon Press, Nashville 2006 are:
"Preface
Religion defines the foundations of the West. Christianity, meeting at specific times and places with Judaism and Islam, from ancient times to the present day,
has formed the basis for Western civilization"

But I can't recommend the book.

[Roger Pearse]

While I was reading some of Severus Sebokht's works on astronomy, a footnote pointed out that the arrival of Christianity made a considerable difference to star-gazing. Because the Christians rejected the idea that the planets *were* the gods, or in some sense allied with them, they demythologised the subject and made a more scientific astronomy possible. At all events Severus is very hostile to astrology.

Obviously there is truth in this; but equally the persistence of astrology indicates that this rejection of the supernatural element in the skies only went so far.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

[Thor]

While I was reading some of Severus Sebokht's works on astronomy, a footnote pointed out that the arrival of Christianity made a considerable difference to star-gazing. Because the Christians rejected the idea that the planets *were* the gods, or in some sense allied with them, they demythologised the subject and made a more scientific astronomy possible.

Is there any comment on significant advancements related to the more scientific astronomy made possible by Christianity? To my limited knowledge even Copernicus used the Almagest as foundation for his work - On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. It is no secret how Christianity viewed the heretical pre-christian theories not compatible with the scripture. Something that makes less or little known astronomical advancements related to Christianity even more interesting.

[nijjhar]

[quote="hjalti"][quote]The Phantom Time Hypothesis assumes that some three centuries were inserted deliberately into the records of written history – about a thousand years ago. As a consequence, all events (and their protagonists) between the approximate years 614 AD and 911 AD should be fictitious or dated incorrectly.[/quote]And these have also been added to e.g. Chinese and Indian records? [/quote]

Hi Brethren,

In God, the present counts and not the dead past. Get the nectar from the past. I am from the Punjab, where the Second Coming of Jesus in the name of Christ = Satguru Nanak Dev Ji took place in 1469 in the Punjab and His Apostles Preached Gospel for over 150 years. Then, the sword power was used to subdue the stubborn sons of the most high Satan, Al-Djmar Al-Aksa, the Brood of Vipers.
I have put up over 4000 Youtube Videos channel nijjhar1 and if some one would like to join hands, he is most welcome.

[ficino]

One thing I can point to is that with the loss of a Roman fostered society education died except in closed religious contexts which slowly opened up to the elites and cathedral schools eventually gave birth to universities. Education has generally come out from under the shadow of the religion, but who knows what state western education would be today if it had been left to the Germanic hordes that swept away the Roman west? Christianity slowly educated the Goths and the Franks, laying down a shared heritage that provided the ability to withstand the Muslim intrusion through Spain into France. Church-schooled scholars were the backbone of legal and diplomatic institutions during the dark ages. It's the development of this last fact that I really need to explore for its impact on our institutions. I don't want to run with the education aspect. I've sufficiently covered it and think there is more to be told elsewhere.

Hi spin, I don't know how one deals with the counterfactuality problems that seem to invest the question. We know that church-schooled and church-related people and institutions kept learning alive and gradually promoted it. We don't know, as you say, whether the same would have happened, or even whether education would have been healthier, had a different religion prevailed. Are you trying to gain clarity on the degree to which the Christian ideology can be isolated as a success-making factor in W. civilization, as opposed to documenting the contributions of people and institutions that happened to be Christian?

I suppose one could argue that Christianity's valorization of texts created motives for keeping literacy and a book trade of sorts alive. I don't know whether a different Gentile religion would have accomplished the same. Like you, I think the Francis Schaefer "civilization is owing to a [Calvinist] biblical view of man and nature" thing is bogus.

[Mental flatliner]

I've looked around for a balanced evaluation of christianity's contribution to western civilization and found myself like Jason trying to navigate between the Scylla and Charybdis of the yada-yada of christian mouthpieces and the nada-nada of embittered atheists. Last night I found myself being slowly lobotomized trying to get Zizek's take on the christian legacy.

Can anyone recommend a text, article, or website that addresses the topic in a relatively scholarly, balanced way, perhaps dealing with such things as law and charity, but any other ideas that indicate a significant contribution to today's society?... I have the literary-creative side of it, as well as moral issues, down sufficiently for my interest.

If you have ideas on the topic—that are not sermons to christianity or atheism—by all means let forth! How has christianity contributed positively, negatively or indifferently to western civilization?

56% of the planet believes that the God of Abraham exists and is the only deity.

That's mostly the work of evangelical Christians, even though a large portion are Muslims spreading their version of the Bible. Jews never evangelized, so Muslims picked this up from us.

How's that for impact?

[Andrew]

I've looked around for a balanced evaluation of christianity's contribution to western civilization and found myself like Jason trying to navigate between the Scylla and Charybdis of the yada-yada of christian mouthpieces and the nada-nada of embittered atheists. Last night I found myself being slowly lobotomized trying to get Zizek's take on the christian legacy.

Can anyone recommend a text, article, or website that addresses the topic in a relatively scholarly, balanced way, perhaps dealing with such things as law and charity, but any other ideas that indicate a significant contribution to today's society?... I have the literary-creative side of it, as well as moral issues, down sufficiently for my interest.

If you have ideas on the topic—that are not sermons to christianity or atheism—by all means let forth! How has christianity contributed positively, negatively or indifferently to western civilization?

56% of the planet believes that the God of Abraham exists and is the only deity.

That's mostly the work of evangelical Christians, even though a large portion are Muslims spreading their version of the Bible. Jews never evangelized, so Muslims picked this up from us.

How's that for impact?

First of all, I'm pretty sure that there are only 2.1 billion Christians, roughly 1 billion Muslims, and fewer than 0.1 billion Jews. That brings you up to 3.2 billion out of about 7.1 billion people in total. Not quite 56%, I'm afraid. Islam spread its message mostly by conquering everyone and forcing them to convert. Christians did a bit of that too, but not nearly as much. There wouldn't be nearly as many Muslims if they weren't so violent.

[MrMacSon]

There's not 0.1 billion Jews (100 million); there's ~13 million* ie. 0.013 Billion.

* 6-7m in Israel; 3-4m in USA; ~3m rest of the world.

[Andrew]

I did write "fewer than", but I thought there were more than 13 million. Regardless, my point still stands. Followers of the Abrahamic religions do not make up more than half of the world's population.

[MrMacSon]

sure; my point was not so much a correction as context - there are far fewer than most people realize.