Russell Chapman wrote:
>
> Doug Pensinger wrote:
>
> > Would it have made much difference?
> >
> > Doug
> >
> > Who doesn't believe it would have.
>
> My understanding is that the religion itself has many tenets which
> inhibit both socialogical and scientific change. Not that Christianity
> didn't have some of those same characteristics at various times, but...
> It's fairly easy to abandon Christianity and continue to live in a
> Christian society, whereas this is harder in a muslim society, combined
> with the very act of abandoning Christian thinking often provokes
> mindsets and tangential thinking which can lead to advancements. I don't
> think it's a coincidence that muslim countries generally seem to have
> advanced about 300 years of our advances in the last 1300 years or so,
> and that's being generous in how the time is scaled...
It's a lot easier to abandon Christianity in a largely Christian society
than it was 400 years ago. But there's been a lot of discussion about
what it is to be a Christian, at least in Europe and in European
colonies, since the Reformation, making it gradually easier. (Being
able to literally walk away and then to be able to find someplace else
to live didn't hurt, when there was still a lot of frontier.)
Julia
_______________________________________________
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
