I really hate this notion that if there was no Christianity, there would have been no Dark Ages, and humans would be much more advanced than we are today.
Well, if you don’t count non-Europeans, it could be true. That image above represents a huge problem in Western thinking; only the West exists and has ever influenced anything.
There was a world outside of Europe after 476 CE. I was fortunate enough to learn in High School that western learning was preserved in the Eastern Roman Empire (The Byzantine Empire). Then around 670 CE, Islam appeared and spread across the Arab Peninsula, North Africa, Spain, and Asia Minor. They preserved and expanded upon western ideas and gave us our modern numbers, the knowledge of blood circulation, and too much stuff to write.
Oh and let us not forget China. The Tang, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties gave us A LOT when Europe was trying to not die.
It didn’t matter to science that Europe was in the Dark Ages. It was flourishing around the world. To think that science is behind because Europe didn’t progress for a thousand years is highly insulting to Non-European Cultures. I think we as humans are on track.
Were the Dark Ages really the fault of Christianity? Rome was in decline long before Christianity became the state religion. Various "Barbarian" invasions? No strong Central Authority (besides the Church)? Lack of education? De-urbanization?
The problem is that some people just really hate Christianity and religion in general, but mostly Christianity. They just want to find any reason to bash it and so, they make these horrible overgeneralizations. I’m not surprised that this belief was in a Family Guy episode.
Anti-Religion assholes are just as bad as the Religious assholes. They are just as intolerant and arrogant as any Fundamentalist Christian. They need the same passion and devotion to a belief as any other Religious Zealot.
If being religious makes you an idiot, than being anti-religion makes you just as big of an idiot.
There was a poster in response to the first one from above, but I can’t see it. The page doesn’t exist and it is only available in a small size, so I can’t read the caption. I think it makes the same point that I do, but shorter.
Christianity ushered in the fall of the Roman Empire and rained supreme during the Dark Ages. The Roman Empire was responsible for creating the Christian myth that toppled their Empire and the unleashing the ruthless rule by the Christians. To believe that the Christians had noting to do with it is just denying the historical record. Your post reflects your ignorance and unwillingness to question your own pathetic superstition.
ReplyDeleteI never said I was a Christian. I have no idea what I am. But trust me, I have questioned A LOT of what I was raised with. I enjoyed learning the history of early Christianity and how the New Testament came to be. I don't blindly believe everything in the Bible. Do you think you could get to know me before making that kind of a generalization?
DeleteBut yes, Rome was in decline long before Christianity became the official religion, or was even tolerated. I don't know how large of a scale it played, but it wasn't the sole cause.
My main point is this, the world as a whole is not behind just because Europe fell behind. The world continued to progress and when Europe finally got their heads out of their asses, they could pick up the knowledge surrounding them in the world and continue to progress. I hate the Euro-centric view of history that minimizes the role that non-Europeans played.