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bouzane on 19 March 2012
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andersonalex said:
Runa216 said:
sperrico87 said:

I understand your clause, and frankly I agree with you.  My point, though, is that more than half of the earth's population DOES believe in God and his teachings, and so I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to say their beliefs are any more or less valid than my own. We may be wrong, they may be wrong. It's impossible to know.

and therein lies the problem: we have entirely too many people letting something that is a big theoretical 'maybe' dictate their lives, ...


Wait though. It's only really a problem if:

1. the theory is incorrect, and

2. It doesn't benefit society.

Critics like to point to periods of time where Christianity has led to people seizing power and abusing it. But it has also forced people to live by moral standards which benefit our culture, especially in more recent, applicable times. For the most part, living a Christian life forces a person to be considerate, hard working and unselfish. Even if the basis for belief turned out to be faulty, the benefit to society is real.

The last 50 years have seen a huge drop in the percentage of Americans who consider themselves active Christians. Over that same time we've seen higher divorce rates, increased crime, expanded drug use, and a reduction of personal happiness (according to studies). Now that COULD be a coincidence, but it can't be argued that when people no longer believe that they are being held accountable by a higher power, that is, at the very least, one less motivation for them to live up to expectations. Certainly, a number of Christians will tell you that the reason they forgo certain activities is because they believe it is against their religion. 

And that can be a good thing, no matter how you slice it.


If the problem isn't divorce it's domestic abuse. Also, what's wrong with drug use, many people use drugs recreationally, I do so on a regular basis. I know many people who call themselves Christian and they are hardly considerate, hard working or selfless. I can name the good Christians I know on one hand so a Christian lifestyle doesn't exactly force anybody to do anything. As far as I see it, the secularization of our culture is a very, very good thing indeed.