Quote:
Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy
I am not an atheist, but religious regimes are not lily white. The Spanish Inquisition, for one. The rule of the Church thoughout the Middle Ages, for another. The rise of Islamic extremism, yet another. Nazi Germany, still another.
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There is an element of truth in every thing you wrote; yet, it is not the complete story. There are at least the following mitigating factors to consider.
The Spanish Inquisition was a political tool of the Spanish monarchy; thus, institutionally separate from the Church in Rome. In many ways, it was not unlike the modern, political use of the IRS to intimidate high profile, "recalcitrant" citizens. While many were imprisoned, very few were actually tortured and executed. Of course, things like that –
e.g., the coercive, intimidating use of government force and execution without a civil trial – don’t happen in our modern society today: except maybe in Waco and maybe perhaps at Ruby Ridge,
etc.
The Nazis similarly
used "religion" to enforce conformity. When priests and preachers spoke against the regime, their churches were closed and the men were imprisoned, executed or "disappeared". Read @
http://www.leics.gov.uk/the_nazi_master_plan.pdf
The Church inherited the “Roman Empire”, it didn’t conquer it and bring it down (unless you believe Gibbons - LOL). After Odoacer kicked down the gates of Rome in 476, the Roman Church was the only Roman institution left standing in Western Europe. Its hierarchy was modeled on Rome’s secular institutions; hence, it stood ready to rule – though weakly – in the absence of secular, imperial government.
During the intervening centuries, it provided charity to those in need. To a large degree, it helped preserve the knowledge from the ancient world, such as Plato and Aristotle. Christian philosophy is highly derivative of one the ancient world’s great scientists and philosophers: Aristotle.
Furthermore, the Church did not develop the geocentric theory of the universe that it dogmatically defended in the 17th century. The Church adopted that theory from another ancient man of learning: Ptolemy, who was a mathematician, astronomer and geographer. And Copernicus, the man credited with proving the heliocentric universe and overthrowing the Ptolemaic theory, was in the employ of the Church when he made his discoveries. The university in Poland where he studied was licensed by the Pope. While there, Copernicus studied Aristotle as preserved by the Church, and his principal teacher held a degree in theology.
So it wasn’t the Church that brought about the “perceived stagnation” of the Dark Ages. It was the absence of civil government (public works: roads, sewers and clean water) and public safety (rampant pillage, rape, murder and packs of highwaymen and medieval robber barons).
And here are two prominent atheists who charitably sought to provide equally for all by making all equal in misery . . . except for those who were in charge of redistributing the wealth –
