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10.13.2005
Kevin, a commenter at Streak's Blog recently made this comment:: "Christianity (real Christianity - not the domesticated, ideological brand touted by the Religious Right, which is not Christianity at all) for all it's historic and contemporary flaws, has, at its core, a fundamental love for the world and has, on the whole, been a force for good in the world." Which illicited a few thoughts. 1) Christianity, of the variety that is practiced by Streak and Kevin is in the minority amongst religious believers. There are, in fact, many christians in the world that are tolerant of other faiths, respectful of other people's rights and mindful of their place in this world, but the trend seems to tilt in the other direction. Reading through their remarks I can't help but feel that their Christian faith is just one of many factors that they consider when deciding what is right. While religious faith may be important, it never overrides common sense or other equally influential ideas. It is this moderation of faith, putting it on equal footing with other beliefs, that some religious people consider "lukewarm", or not sufficiently religious at all. Fundamentalism will always appeal to people that wish to ascend the pecking order of religiousity. 2) Christianity, as a religious faith, still suffers from the fundamental flaws of all religious faiths, in particular, a reliance on irrational beliefs. As long as a believer limits their willingness to believe in that which can neither be proven or seen to a basic belief in a divine entity, things can stay relatively sane. But all too often, once they've crossed that treshhold into accepting that which must be taken on faith, people can and will be manipulated into them believing a whole host of irrational things. Thus, religious faith becomes the small opening through which the larger institution of religion enters. In the modern age, it has been other institutions, government, law etc.. that has kept the more dangerous tendencies of religion in check. 3) Christianity is the dominant religious faith of most of the advanced countries in the world. But I have to wonder whether Christianity has been a contributer to modern progress, or whether it has benefited from merely being in the right place at the right time? Has Christianity been, in Kevin's words "a force for good" or has it just been less of an impedment than other religions? The religious right in America likes to argue that Christianity plays a crucial role in our society in terms of maintaining civility and morality; that without a strong Christian tradition a whole host of evils would pervade our culture. I wonder what a nation like Japan, with less than 1% Christian population, thinks of this argument? It would seem to me at least that Christinity has not ben the determinant factor in a country's success, other institutions, such as representative government, free markets, etc have been more influential by far. Just some thoughts. |
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