Has Christianity been a force for good in the world?

Vic (No)

Christianity has been the culprit of wars, cultural genocides, and global unrest throughout its history. Even though it remains a source of hope and community for its followers, the consequences of actions in the church's name have invoked irreversible global damage that is still felt worldwide today. 

The spread of Christianity was a form of colonialism that led to numerous deaths across the globe. The crusades that lasted between 1095 and 1291 CE saw the devastation of civilizations throughout Europe and the Middle East in the name of reclaiming sacred Christian sites from non-believers; 1.7 million people were killed. The indiscriminate killing was justified by the church’s belief in one god almighty, condemning any non-believer. This paradigm mutated into a global hierarchy between Christians and non-Christians, further entrenched by the actions of Christian missionaries in Africa and the Americas. The aggressive Christianisation of these regions destroyed civilizations across these continents. Locals were forced to assimilate or die, leading to the loss of numerous unique cultures and belief systems that may have had the potential to understand the world's issues today.

Conflicts fought within the religion have been equally as brutal. The 30-year war between Protestants and Catholics between 1618 and 1648 killed two to four million people. The rivalry between these two Christian groups was also the source of the civil war that recently divided Ireland.

Although the values of Christianity preach acceptance and forgiveness, the beliefs of the religion continue to selectively condemn non-Christian communities. This applies today, as believers around the US use their faith to justify discrimination against other groups, primarily the LGBTQ community. 

Elisa (Yes)

While Americans mostly cite the Declaration of Independence for its equality, by upholding the imago dei of every life, Christianity and the Bible are the source of human rights, defining the West and shaping the world with such high moral standards that demand equal treatment for everyone. Christian missionaries often brought positive changes to local cultures by ending violent pagan practices such as human sacrifice and cannibalism. It has advanced freedom and equality everywhere it's gone, driven by its key principles of agape love, charity, and helping ‘the least of these’ have made this world better. 

Christianity's long history of fighting for ‘social justice' culminated in Christians being the first slavery abolitionists. Likewise, it was the Christian church that played a prominent role in opposing apartheid in South Africa. There are countless more examples to demonstrate how Christianity has brought help to those suffering the most, as Jesus commanded. One of the key tenets of Christianity is agape love and charity. Many charitable foundations are Christian, established for that purpose. Overall, research shows practicing Christians are more generous. 

Christianity has been a deep driving force behind education in America and abroad. Christianity helped spread literacy worldwide, with the first book published by the printing press being Gutenburg’s Bible. According to Biblical principles, all have a right to obtain education, no matter what their status in society. Christianity is also behind many hospitals and the origins of modern medicine. In fact, ‘Christianity built hospitals’, meaning that many of the founders behind hospitals had Christian motives of helping the sick and suffering. Moreover, some of the world’s major scientific discoveries came from Christians like Kepler, Newton, and others.