Mota Boy
03-14-2006, 04:28 PM
Christianity is a terribly interesting creature in this day and age. A once all-powerful (dare I say omnipotent) beast who has slowly seen its monopoly on thought eroded through the ages.
Now, don't get me wrong here. I don't mean to say that religion is the opiate of the masses - that it dulls the senses and sedates the people - quite often it can, in fact, have the exact oppostie effects. Instead, I mean to say that once all categories of modern thought - the scientific, philosophical, economic, political, cultural, legal, social and historic - all once existed under the scope of religion (and, in many parts of the Muslim world, still do).
The secession occured all within a rather short period of time - the Enlightenment wrested philosophy from Christianity's arms. Galileo sketched out rough procedures for the observation of the natural world that operated independently from Biblical passages. Governments were decided not by divine right, but by the people, using principles derived from a serious study of the proper way to rule, not by consulting the word of God.
And yet, today, centuries after the initial split, Christianity exists still, surprisingly resilient and unchanged. While politics now exists in its own realm, while philosophy is now independent, while science has become the primary institution for the advancement of civilization, Christianity has remained. For some, it has evolved, still answering the questions science will never be able to answer, still providing a personal guidance that philosophy will never be able substitute, still providing a touchstone for deciding tough political disputes. For others, however, it remains the primary tool for understanding the world around us. Science presents a false self-confidence, philosophy lacking a religious core is dangerous and amoral, politics without God... well, we know how middle America feels about Communism. And many of these modern-day crusaders wish to reclaim each of these schools of thought for Christianity. Has the religion really become marginalized or is it as potent as ever? Is its power waning, in stasis or merely in a temporary state of remission? Christianity today is a strange beast; it's journey will be a fascinating one.
Now, don't get me wrong here. I don't mean to say that religion is the opiate of the masses - that it dulls the senses and sedates the people - quite often it can, in fact, have the exact oppostie effects. Instead, I mean to say that once all categories of modern thought - the scientific, philosophical, economic, political, cultural, legal, social and historic - all once existed under the scope of religion (and, in many parts of the Muslim world, still do).
The secession occured all within a rather short period of time - the Enlightenment wrested philosophy from Christianity's arms. Galileo sketched out rough procedures for the observation of the natural world that operated independently from Biblical passages. Governments were decided not by divine right, but by the people, using principles derived from a serious study of the proper way to rule, not by consulting the word of God.
And yet, today, centuries after the initial split, Christianity exists still, surprisingly resilient and unchanged. While politics now exists in its own realm, while philosophy is now independent, while science has become the primary institution for the advancement of civilization, Christianity has remained. For some, it has evolved, still answering the questions science will never be able to answer, still providing a personal guidance that philosophy will never be able substitute, still providing a touchstone for deciding tough political disputes. For others, however, it remains the primary tool for understanding the world around us. Science presents a false self-confidence, philosophy lacking a religious core is dangerous and amoral, politics without God... well, we know how middle America feels about Communism. And many of these modern-day crusaders wish to reclaim each of these schools of thought for Christianity. Has the religion really become marginalized or is it as potent as ever? Is its power waning, in stasis or merely in a temporary state of remission? Christianity today is a strange beast; it's journey will be a fascinating one.