It’s a basic truth that our society is founded on Christianity and Christian principles. This includes the whole notion of freedom. If you are a regular watcher of news (or reader of this blog) you will note that in the name of freedom, our civic elites, are seeking to remove the foundation. If the root is removed what makes them think that the fruit will remain. In the name of freedom they are destroying freedom. Here is a two minute answer to the question – What can we say to people who think Christianity is against freedom?
“Modern, Western notions of freedom, equality, and so on stem from Christianity. If you remove the root of Christianity, you will eventually lose the fruit.”
I would also highly recommend Mangalwadi’s The Book That Made Your World.
The Christian Ghetto Mentality
What Have the Christians Ever Done for Us? Apologetics 101 No.13
In the Market with Janet Parshall – The Collapse of Western Civilisation
Can recommend also The Death of Western Christianity by ex-Muslim Patrick Sookhdeo and also humbly mention kindle ebook Magna Carta R.I.P? Religious Freedom and the Church.
Direct, right to the point !!
What sort of values do you suggest society lived by before Christianity?
David, I agree with a lot of what you say but history is more complicated. Freedom doesn’t depend on just Christianity but lots of factors – history cannot be reduced so simply to a single factor – why did democracy in Christian France fail before 1789, democracy fail in Christian Russia before 1917, in Christian Germany before 1918, in Christian Spain before 1975, in Christian Italy before 1945, and so on?
Where does the Bible speak about liberty, democracy, freedom of speech or any of the ideas of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
If Christianity is the source of freedom and Britain was Christian since Roman times:
Why did it take until 1660 for feudalism to come to an end?
Why did it take until 1708 for torture in Scotland to be abolished?
Why did it take until 1807 for the slave trade to be abolished?
Why did it take until 1829 for Britain to have freedom of religion with Catholic emancipation?
Why did it take until 1832 for Britain to become even semi-democratic?
Why did it take until 1833 for slavery in the Empire to be abolished?
Why were Jews not allowed to become MPs until the Christian oath to a non-denominational one with the Jews Relief Act 1858?
Why did it take until 1918 for all men to get the vote?
Why did it take until 1928 for all women to get the vote?
Why did it take until 1966 for the decolonization of the Empire?
Why did it take until 1967 for decriminalization of homosexuality?
Why did it take until 2008 for freedom of speech to be established with the end of blasphemy laws?
And the list goes on
Steve – thanks but I don’t have the time to go through the whole of your list – which seems to be based on a whole series of unproven presuppositions. But just to being with your first lot. In pre-revolutionary France, pre 1917 Russia, Germany, Spain Italy etc – it is precisely because these countries rejected Biblical Christianity that the gap was filled by Fascists and communists. I suspect there is an important lesson for us to learn for today. One other point – the Bible speaks a great deal about liberty and what a human being is….where do you think human rights come from? Are they self-evident? What makes them rights?
I think the immense contribution of Greco-Latin culture to the formation of Europe ought not to be overlooked. Gilbert Highet’s book “The Classical Tradition” is a mine of information.
What I’d like to know is how approved in Greco-Roman culture were Christian virtues like humility, self-effacement, sacrificial love, meekness, non-retaliation, gentleness, mercy etc.
How did these ‘god’s’ balance love and righteousness?
In Christianity, frustration at personal injustice does not build up because final justice is left to God. How does modern society avoid a culture of vengeance.
Christians can be gracious and gentle (while being direct) because they believe that aggression, intimidation, drowning out tactics are unnecessary. They believe an all powerful God will take their frail words and use them as he sees fit. If you have behind you only self surely social Darwinism is the obvious way forward. Yet that is the way of disintegration.
I’ve read really only snippets of what Neitzsche wrote but his superman concept must make sense to those with no God. It did to Nazi Germany. I suspect in some ways it is even more dominant an impulse today.
Incidentally David, it was surprising that Question Time had no question about the Sri Lankan murders. Perhaps not enough people raised it. Perhaps it’s implications for Islam make it an uncomfortable topic.