challenge of secularism questions

• Is Christianity a major cause of personal and social problems: yes

  • patriarchal society narrowly depicting the role of women - Catholic Church - only men have leadership roles
  • prospers unscientific views - Dawkins said it played a role in criminalising homosexuality
  • Absolutist Faith Sytems restricted women - W.Bush saw 1/3 of executions as the governor of Texas by criminalised abortion. St. Teresa of Calcutta - nobel peace prize speech said that abortion was the greatest destroyer of peace
  • Dawkins said religion distorts the truth
• Is Christianity a major cause of personal and social problems: no

  • one sided criticisms of Christianity
  • Anglican Archbishops instrumental in the decriminalisation of homosexuality
  • civil rights activists were mainly Christians
  • Churches opened the first schools in Britain
  • food banks mainly ran by Christians
• Are spiritual values just human values: spiritual values

  • self sacrifice + unconditional love can't be explained through human values
  • Christian values are better because human values are physical, sensual and corrupt
  • humans behave immorally
• Are spiritual values just human values: human values

  • compassion, forgiveness, justice and peace are all human values
  • necessary for humans to overcome failure
  • moral code based on human values keeps us from falling into chaos
• Are spiritual values just human values: alternative view

  Impossible to separate the two types of values. Christianity, God becomes human and encourages people to turn to God. Sin to Salvation. In becoming human, God reasserts the worth of humanity. No contradiction between human and spiritual values.
• Is Christianity a significant contributor to society's culture and values, should it be?

  • regular debate if it is appropriate for BBC Radio 4 to broadcast a daily act of worship on long wave or if the church of England should be attached to the monarch
  • DAWKINS - defended studying the Bible in school in a section of a book called 'Religious Education as a part of literacy culture'. Christianity is a key contributor to society's cultural values
• Do secularism/ secularisation offer Christianity opportunities to develop new ways of thinking + acting:

  • Davide Ford - argued secularism led to important development in the west (idea of state tolerance).30 YRS WAR caused by religious differences. Developed tolerance and a new way of understanding.
  • still challenged - repeated attempts to assert new kinds of religion 'religion' of imperialism fuelled the WW1 and 'religion' of fascism started ww2
  • secularisation = theory proposed that religious institutions would adapt to the secular world and decline although Peter Berger disagrees
• Do secularism/ secularisation offer Christianity opportunities to develop new ways of thinking + acting:

  • David Martin = since the 1980s there has been a steady global upsurge in conservative Protestantism - parallels the upsurge in conservative Islam
  • end of Christdom = secular societies have increase from Christian states. Helps protect religious communities and government. Religion has started to reassert itself