Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
There isn't anything suggesting that it would be either, which is why suggesting that "it might" is a really odd and kind of islamophobic thing to say.
It's kind of like saying "if women ruled the world we'd have no wars". Worthless speculation based on nasty implications.
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I agree, there is no way to know how things would have turned out. But we do know how things are now in the West compared to the alternative, and you either like it or you don't. For all its faults, the Christian Church has played a big roll on how life is in the West, even if it is now passed its best-before date.
A big part of the wealth and secular advancement has roots in colonialism. It fueled the industrial revolution which in turn created our privileged lifestyles. Yet from an academic point of view, it's easy to see the bad side effects as well as the good ones. I view Christianity in Europe in a similar light. We shouldn't forget the transgressions, but we also shouldn't try to erase or diminish the positive effects.