This is a rhetorical question, of course, but one that I don’t think is taken seriously enough in the West anymore. A lot of this has to do with the fact that factions within Christianity have given this religion a very bad name over the centuries, as has the work of left-wing intellectuals to discredit this good religion’s name and accomplishments.
Without going into too many details, I think it would be good to take a step back and view where most of humanity’s scientific, intellectual, and economic progress has taken place over the last five hundred years.
On top of this remarkable feat, I think it would be safe to assume that Christianity also has provided the room for a vast array of religious sects and altogether different religious beliefs to flourish under its domain. Just think of the influence that Atheism has on today’s Western society. Although I consider Atheism to be a branch off of Judaism (and as such, a fraternal religion to Christianity), it would not have been able to flourish or exert the influence it has today without the extensive influence of Christianity on the thought of the West’s greatest thinkers over the past 800 years.
And just think of the influence that Protestantism has had on not only the West but the whole world over the past 500 years as well.
But what is it specifically about Christianity that makes it so radical? Is it the focus on the individual? Don’t Daoism and Buddhism also stress individual importance? The focus on Jesus of Nazareth’s teachings? Or is it, as I suspect, the fact that Christianity harbors a tone of dissidence about it that is unrivaled among the other large religions of the world? I think that a strong case can be made for a general mood in Christianity’s doctrines that stress the importance of disobedience.
What do y’all think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter!
Notes On Liberty 
Christianity isn’t special, just popular.
My thoughts are that you stopped thinking.
You expose your total stupidity when you claim atheism is a religion and a branch of Judaism to boot. This proves, at best, a willful ignorance on your part.
For as long as mankind has invented gods, there have been those who refused to believe. Since ANCIENT times.
Do. Not. Feed. The. Trolls.
If he mans up and puts a name behind his trolling, I’d be happy to debate him…
And, of course, there are no religious undertones at all in WakeUp’s moniker.
People like WakeUp force me to be a skeptical atheist, rather than a true believer.
I believe it’s radical because it is the only religion where the basis for eternal salvation is not through man’s works, but through *faith* in Christ alone.
Reblogged this on ruthcwriter and commented:
I liked this post a lot and will respond to it.
Your blog post is well worth responding to; I have re-blogged it and will write/post my thoughts shortly.
Thank you Ruth!
In our country if you say something “uncorrect” to believer of christianity, something like “god is dead” or “believers don’t have brains” – he is able to take you to the court and you will pay him a huge fee on “moral satisfaction”. But if he say to you something like “stupid atheist” – you will not be able to do simillar things with him. Except of hitting him to the head, of course 😀 But it’s different story… So in our country church and government in a weird kinf of simbiosis, and it is very bad although.
Really? Can you provide an example of this (the taking to court and awarding of fees)?
For example, I post here a smal quote from our news website (I translate it in Google Translator).
– As reported, on September 26 in the State Duma introduced a bill criminalizing insults believers and desecration providing punishment ranging from fines to years in prison. The same day the media reported that the Orthodox activists are preparing a lawsuit against Lebedev, who, they said, on the eve wrote in his blog the word “God” “in small letters” (they mean “god”). After that Lebedev announced a competition to develop the sign “here may be offended the religious feelings of believers.” As the designer wrote in his blog, it is now marked Movies and signs with age limits, and “our new logo will be used to alert the faithful that their religious feelings may be offended.”
Irina Shcherbak, © News Service «URA.Ru»
Artemiy Lebedev is a well-known and famous russian designer and blogger.