The Triumph of Christianity

[Ben Kenobi]

It's the globalization of religion: where we used to have thousands of different religions and even more deities, now the world's getting steamrolled by a few number of one-god religions.

Darn those Buddhists and Hindus! Spreading their faith all around the world. Crushing the multitudes of native religions in their wake, with their voluptuous Vedas.

[Barinthus]

Well, yes Christianity is on rise in Third World but it's not neccessarily the Christianity you would recongize. Most of the time, 3rd World people would take the religion and twist it to fit their local customs and culture.

Take Uganda's Army of the Lord or whatever they are called - they kidnap children and use them as sex slaves and soldiers. Very Christian, indeed.

[Seeker]

or the koreans...many korean protestants perform the chusok ancestor duties, believe in magical semi-religion asian customs like feng shui, etc.

[Jon Miller]

so it is not only catholicism that mixes well with other religions

JM

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by Barinthus
Most of the time, 3rd World people would take the religion and twist it to fit their local customs and culture.

Only 3rd World people? What happened to the basics of Christianity, "Turn the other cheak" in America (and elsewhere)?

[Heresson]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
Ethiopia went from Christian minority in 1900 to majority in 2000? Shouldn't that be the other way round?

Not necessarily;
Aethiopia is a state of Christian tradition, but it conquered a lot during XIX century it seems.
Of course, there are a lot of Muslims there, and it seems they are (going to be) a majority there, but also pagans, which may have been Christianised.

Christianity always looks good to people who have little hope of improving there present condition or world they live in

Nah, nah, not only to them.

Many churches discourage the use of condoms.]

But they order no marriage except for in marriage too...

It's the globalization of religion: where we used to have thousands of different religions and even more deities, now the world's getting steamrolled by a few number of one-god religions.

And when we'll have no pagans left, we'll have a clash of civilisations

[Ben Kenobi]

Well, yes Christianity is on rise in Third World but it's not neccessarily the Christianity you would recongize. Most of the time, 3rd World people would take the religion and twist it to fit their local customs and culture.

Actually, the inverse is true. All the innovations to Christianity you are seeing here in the West. The secular West is trying to change Christianity to fit their culture. I have no hesitation in saying that these Africans have a more Christian culture, than we do.

That's why all these African Anglicans are refusing to send their priests to train in the West.

Take Uganda's Army of the Lord or whatever they are called - they kidnap children and use them as sex slaves and soldiers. Very Christian, indeed.

That's like calling the Branch Dravidians a Christian commune.

They are in no ways, Christian.

[alva]

Originally posted by Chemical Ollie


Only 3rd World people? What happened to the basics of Christianity, "Turn the other cheak" in America (and elsewhere)?

Every culture has done so.
--
I rather have them go christian than muslim. Better the enemy you know sort of thing.

[Ben Kenobi]

Alva, Christianity has really impoverished Europe over the years, eh?

[alva]

Hmm, not sure what you're hinting at, but I'll give it a go.

Yes indeed, maybe not in a financial way, but it has (or had) in other ways.
It took us 2000 years to get to the same level of science that was known to the Greeks.

[:) Smiley]

Only 3rd World people? What happened to the basics of Christianity, "Turn the other cheak" in America (and elsewhere)?

Besides its high technology, a lot of America is 3rd world

[Ben Kenobi]

It took us 2000 years to get to the same level of science that was known to the Greeks.

I thought they reached comparable levels around the Renaissance times. So around 1400 years.

What I was getting at, is that Europe has benefitted greatly from Christianity, that it surprises me someone could consider them to be a hindrance.

[Heresson]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


I thought they reached comparable levels around the Renaissance times. So around 1400 years

That's one.
Two is that the scientific backwardness in middle Ages had more to do with barbarian invasions than with introducing Christianity.
The problems didn't start in IV century, when majority of former RE became Christian, but later on.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi

I thought they reached comparable levels around the Renaissance times. So around 1400 years.

What I was getting at, is that Europe has benefitted greatly from Christianity, that it surprises me someone could consider them to be a hindrance.

If you compare muslim and christian kingdoms from that time you would find out,
that the muslims at this time were more open minded and scientifically more developed than their christian counterparts.
The steep rise of the european countries began only after the church lost its power (and the strict control it had over the christian science and society)
(whereas in the muslim countries the religious factions gained more power within the society and they became more narrow minded and more xenophobe)

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
That's like calling the Branch Dravidians a Christian commune.

Or calling Stalin an atheist.