I have been thinking alot about a medieval history course I took when I was 19. It was one of the most shocking experiences of my youth, and it really propelled me towards my atheism. I have decided to revisit this, and I am going to post a series about the Inquisition. There are so many Christians out there who no knowledge of the depths of the Christian evil that proliferated during this time. Time to go back, and I will use this quote to begin the journey. More to follow.
"The Christian resolve to find the world evil and ugly, has made the world evil and ugly."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
I don't know your background, so I don't mean to come across as if I'm talking down at you. If you do a church history class, like the one I took a couple of years ago, and read a good church history text, you'll find that none of this bad stuff you describe is glossed over. For example, I wrote a paper on the church's complicity in the Third Reich. Here's a link:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/ycqe4gq
Hello Ross-
ReplyDeleteI actually am privileged enough to have a very good education. I have taken many history courses on a post secondary level, many of which were highly focused on religion. I agree, that at this level, this type of information is readily available. And, I took a medieval history course and some of the sickest things that I have ever heard were at this time. So, on the one hand, I do agree with what you are saying.
But, I would encourage you to ask yourself this.... Do you feel that the majority of Christians are aware of this? Do you think that when they go to church on Sunday the "dark side" of this is being openly discussed. I hate to generalize, but the majority of people that I know who personally identify as being Christian are blatantly ignorant of the basic tenets of their religious history. Or, if they do have some conception of it, it is not fairly balanced by objective or secular information.
Hate to be blunt, but you are speaking from a position of privilege. You have higher education. Many people do not.