What is the legacy of Christianity?

Answer 1

A legacy is something handed down, left to future generations. It is almost impossible to set forth the legacy of Christianity in such a way that would be acceptable to all since there are so many conflicting views on what Christianity is, even amongst those bodies that consider themselves Christian. What makes Christianity so controversial are the paradoxes intrinsic to Its nature: It claims to be a Divine Institution and yet is directed by men, looks to spiritual realities but is very much involved in the world, preaches poverty but has amassed great wealth and power, speaks of unity but exists in literally thousands of conflicting denominations, and stands for love but causes division. This intrinsic paradox is why many look with disfavor on Christianity, calling it hypocrisy, and this is the legacy they believe Christianity has produced, whether Christ willed it so or not. There are, however, those that claim otherwise, Christians mostly, who proclaim Christianity as that which has been a constant boon to society and continues to be the world's only hope of peace and salvation. What Christianity could claim for Its legacy:Christianity would claim It has preserved the legacy of Christ, that is, His revelation to mankind teaching the sole path to heaven and the efficacious means to get there. Christianity eradicated the savage practices of paganism, human sacrifice, mutilation and cannibalism. It developed systems of education, the inception of science and the complex systems of government. Its monks preserved classical literature, history and law, recopying them over and over in their monasteries for posterity when the barbarians swept in and destroyed all. The apex of the humanities was achieved in Christian renaissance art and medieval architecture, in music with Gregorian chant and polyphony. Christianity matured philosophy, metaphysics, cosmology and epistemology. It explored and catalogued the world, reduced savagery and spread civilization. It united nations and races with through Its ideology. It introduced the moral code by which most people today live. The popular concepts of justice and decency, mercy and compassion are all Christian-based and Christian chivalry is so deeply ingrained that people expect others to be polite, charitable and well-mannered, even complete strangers to one another. Christianity aids the poor, protects the dignity of women, builds hospitals, orphanages, schools and services them with religious who work solely for the glory of God. It promotes and provides the seven acts of corporeal and spiritual mercy, which benefit society at every level. Most importantly, It educated people about God and their duties to Him and to each other. Christianity would assert many abuses committed by Christians were done in opposition to Christian teaching, or that many a terrible occurrence was the result of man's frailty.

What opponents of Christianity could claim as Its legacy:Christianity has used its claim on the truth as a sword of intolerance and a shield against enlightenment. Christianity has impeded modern science with its bias for Its own theology and resisted progress with Its religious conservatism. It is power hungry, seeking to be above kings, emperors and rulers, even in their own realms in order to have say in their politics. It has incited wars, invaded countries and killed thousands in the pursuit of lands and titles or just because It sought to destroy those that believed differently than Itself. It has erased indigenous peoples and customs with its missionaries, foisting its beliefs on others. It promotes superstition, introduces illogical biases and dictates to people how they should behave. It is bigoted and disrespects women, teaches inequality and contributes little to modern progress. It is hypocritical, having quarreled amongst Itself for so long that It has become a many splintered thing with anyone packing a Bible and an opinion able to form a new Christian sect at will. Many that look disfavorably upon Christian would assert that Its teachings are unrealistic and cause people to put up fronts when they can no longer sustain such directives while they instead engage in vicious behaviors. Also, It's lack of tolerance empowers people with a dangerous intolerance that can lead to a fanaticism from which have been born terrible crimes against humanity.

Christianity will admit that it has gone on crusades, that it is intolerant to positions that contradict its truths and that it seeks a privileged status in the lives of men and nations. It will admit that Christians do go bad, and can often become the worst of people when they do. The abuses that have happened under Its watch are effects of the paradoxes of Its nature, paradoxes that must be since human beings are not perfect, even if they are members of a Divine institution. A Divine institution that is ruled by men was the way the Church was founded, for men are body and soul, and Christ wished that men play a role in their salvation. But men often fail to live up to the standards they have espoused. Church and state will never be separate, for they will always meet in each individual soul. The same soul that must be saved must also live in a society, hence why the Church strives so doggedly to establish a Christian society, so that the Christian soul may attain salvation within it instead of in spite of it. The wealth the Church has amassed it uses for the upkeep of Itself, to provide services to society and to aid the poor, the wealth is supposed to help provide services that will benefit the soul. The divisions among Christianity can be historically traced and are often the results of pride and a lack of charity. If Christianity is True than it is obvious that only one of these denominations continues to hold the truth, that it is in fact the denominator, while the rest are human enterprises. But that is a separate inquiry. The division caused by a religion that speaks so much of love is because Christianity believes that love involves telling the truth, and people are not always open to the Christian version of the truth. Truth divides countries, families, spouses, even men's hearts. Despite their truth, Christian charity is not reserved for Christians alone, but is open to all humanity. This is the Christian reality, and whether it is viewed as true, good, misguided, or evil will determine what one considers Its legacy.