Christianity has the support of experience

[Mary Naeem]

Christianity has the support of experience

It’s important, at least for the sake of argument, to consider what happens when people actually apply a particular philosophy in the real world. Naturally, no two people have exactly the same understanding of how to live out a specific idea. And people often do things completely contradictory to their stated beliefs. Yet it’s possible to look at world history and see which ideas seem to work and which do not.

Beliefs have consequences. Atheism, like most worldviews, has no particular reason to consider human beings valuable, equal, or meaningful. Just as modern science owes its existence to theism, so too do the concepts of morality, democracy, and human rights. The positive impact of Christianity is clearly seen in history and in current events. The ideas of equality, self-governance, social welfare, and so forth are all rooted in Christian heritage. Even today, cultures with a Christian background are overwhelmingly ahead of non-Christian cultures in the various moral issues most atheists find meaningful.

Popular culture frequently takes the position that Christianity is a philosophy of abuse. Consider the claim that “religion causes war.” According to secular scholars such as Charles Phillips, Gordon Martel, and Alan Axelrod, religious motivations only factor into about 6 or 7 percent of all the wars in human history. Remove Islam from consideration, and that number drops by more than half. In truth, Christianity’s emphasis on compassion and peace has done far more to prevent and soften violence than it has to inspire it.

If you’re an atheist who rejects Christianity on the grounds that it’s anti-science, blind faith, or abusive, please reconsider the evidence. Those accusations are based on false narratives and caricatures. Comedians and celebrities can repeat them ad nauseam, but that doesn’t make them true.