[Christianlady]

Hello,

I have been studying about various Christians who have impacted the world, motivated by their love of God and their desire to follow Jesus' teachings.

I am wondering, for Atheists, do you acknowledge the positive contributions many people of faith in God have done? If not, why? Even though sad to say, there are "Christians" who have hurt and killed and persecuted people, they have not followed Jesus' teachings. Jesus teaches love, to love God, love one's neighbors, even one's enemies.

Below is a list of some wonderful Christians who have rocked the world, showing God's love to others and helping those in need:

Elizabeth Heyrick
Baroness Cox
David Livingstone
Granville Sharp
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Tubman
Olaudah Equiano
Samuel Sharpe
William Wilberforce
Florence Nightingale
Clara Barton
Anthony Benezet
George Williams
Henri Dunant
Martin Luther King
Freddie Shuttlesworth
and many more...

These Christians and many more have rocked the world in a positive way, helping in education, abolition of slavery, equal rights, and the medical field. This is in line with Jesus' teachings of loving God and loving other people. What do you think of these people and why? Thanks.

Peace and God bless you

[pasadi97]

Kiril and Methodius.

[chickenonsteroids]

There are good people of every faith and bad.

I think they're good people. That's it really lol

[yomomalomo]

People who do beneficial things for the whole of humanity are good people, regardless of their faith, race or political alignment.

[justmyopinions]

Keep Jesus at heart and rock the world!

[justmyopinions]

(Original post by yomomalomo)
People who do beneficial things for the whole of humanity are good people, regardless of their faith, race or political alignment.

He wasn't saying only Christians do good things...

[.eXe]

(Original post by yomomalomo)
People who do beneficial things for the whole of humanity are good people, regardless of their faith, race or political alignment.

Go read the OP again...

[McMurdo]

(Original post by Christianlady)
Hello,

I have been studying about various Christians who have impacted the world, motivated by their love of God and their desire to follow Jesus' teachings.

I am wondering, for Atheists, do you acknowledge the positive contributions many people of faith in God have done? If not, why? Even though sad to say, there are "Christians" who have hurt and killed and persecuted people, they have not followed Jesus' teachings. Jesus teaches love, to love God, love one's neighbors, even one's enemies.

Below is a list of some wonderful Christians who have rocked the world, showing God's love to others and helping those in need:

Elizabeth Heyrick
Baroness Cox
David Livingstone
Granville Sharp
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Tubman
Olaudah Equiano
Samuel Sharpe
William Wilberforce
Florence Nightingale
Clara Barton
Anthony Benezet
George Williams
Henri Dunant
Martin Luther King
Freddie Shuttlesworth
and many more...

These Christians and many more have rocked the world in a positive way, helping in education, abolition of slavery, equal rights, and the medical field. This is in line with Jesus' teachings of loving God and loving other people. What do you think of these people and why? Thanks.

Peace and God bless you

There's no doubting the fact that many Christians have done good deeds because of their belief in God. However, that doesn't detract from the argument atheists actually make, which is: that doesn't make it true. No amount of inspired good deeds will make religion anymore credible.
Moreover, I have more respect for people who do amazing things WITHOUT the belief in God. Doing something because a book dictates so and because you do not want to go to hell is not as noble as someone who does good thing just because they're good.

[Gofre]

(Original post by Christianlady)
I am wondering, for Atheists, do you acknowledge the positive contributions many people of faith in God have done?

No, I base my life around the premise that all christians spend their days kicking puppies and eat children for breakfast...

[yomomalomo]

(Original post by justmyopinions)
He wasn't saying only Christians do good things...

(Original post by .eXe)
Go read the OP again...

I know that, I can't fathom why you didn't comprehend my post properly.

I am stating that I acknowledge the beneficial actions of any human, regardles of their faith, race or political alignment. I do not refuse to acknowledge good people who are Christians, even though I am not a Christian myself. Equally, I do not only acknowledge good people who are Christians.

[justmyopinions]

Anyway, yeah in Papa New Gineu cannabis ism was widespread until the arrival of Christian missionaries

[PeterOkenla11]

(Original post by McMurdo)
There's no doubting the fact that many Christians have done good deeds because of their belief in God. However, that doesn't detract from the argument atheists actually make, which is: that doesn't make it true. No amount of inspired good deeds will make religion anymore credible.
Moreover, I have more respect for people who do amazing things WITHOUT the belief in God. Doing something because a book dictates so and because you do not want to go to hell is not as noble as someone who does good thing just because they're good.

True, but i reckon without christianity there would be much more murderers, rapists in todays world than with it. :/
Atleast wether its because there trying to avoid hell or not. Athiest should atleast be grateful :/

[PierceBrosnan]

:O How could you forget Ozzy Osbourne from that list! ROCK THE WORLD! Sweet Jesus!

[TheHansa]

These people literally rock the world

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ian_rock_bands

[Popppppy]

Elizabeth Fry. She did a lot of good work in prison reforms, and she's on our money!

[lessthan0]

(Original post by McMurdo)
There's no doubting the fact that many Christians have done good deeds because of their belief in God. However, that doesn't detract from the argument atheists actually make, which is: that doesn't make it true. No amount of inspired good deeds will make religion anymore credible.
Moreover, I have more respect for people who do amazing things WITHOUT the belief in God. Doing something because a book dictates so and because you do not want to go to hell is not as noble as someone who does good thing just because they're good.

This is not why Christians do good things, or rather, Christianity doesn't teach that you should do good things to get into Heaven/avoid Hell.

The Christian attitude to good works is that they are a product of a living faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour of the World. When you realise the incredible love that God has for us, and how that love necessitates a response of love, then how could you not pass that love on to others?

Christian good works are acts of love rooted in the love of and for God; they're not to try and get into heaven, they're because God has set us free - how could one live against his will knowing the great wonder and brilliance of his love and mercy? We love him, and live as he showed us, because of his great example on the Cross.

[Gofre]

(Original post by PeterOkenla11)
True, but i reckon without christianity there would be much more murderers, rapists in todays world than with it. :/
Atleast wether its because there trying to avoid hell or not. Athiest should atleast be grateful :/

Sorry, but statistics from every corner of study contradict this. Atheist majority countries like Norway consistently have the lowest crime rates, and figures published by the UK government this year found that non-religious people account for less than a third of the country's prison population despite comprising 50% of the overall population, while Christians accounted for 49% of the prison population (In Scotland, it's 36% non-religious and 58% Christian). The idea that Christianity is somehow responsible for keeping people in check is absurd.

[TheHistoryStudent]

(Original post by Christianlady)
Hello,

I have been studying about various Christians who have impacted the world, motivated by their love of God and their desire to follow Jesus' teachings.

I am wondering, for Atheists, do you acknowledge the positive contributions many people of faith in God have done? If not, why? Even though sad to say, there are "Christians" who have hurt and killed and persecuted people, they have not followed Jesus' teachings. Jesus teaches love, to love God, love one's neighbors, even one's enemies.

Below is a list of some wonderful Christians who have rocked the world, showing God's love to others and helping those in need:

Elizabeth Heyrick
Baroness Cox
David Livingstone
Granville Sharp
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Tubman
Olaudah Equiano
Samuel Sharpe
William Wilberforce
Florence Nightingale
Clara Barton
Anthony Benezet
George Williams
Henri Dunant
Martin Luther King
Freddie Shuttlesworth
and many more...

These Christians and many more have rocked the world in a positive way, helping in education, abolition of slavery, equal rights, and the medical field. This is in line with Jesus' teachings of loving God and loving other people. What do you think of these people and why? Thanks.

Peace and God bless you

I happily acknowledge the positive contributions Christians have made to modern society, as whether or not it was done out of a desire to please God, follow Jesus or what have you, if they made positive changes to society then that is something to commend.

However I would argue that it is not possible to say that people who identified themself as Christian and then used what they believed to be the true form of Christianity to inflict great evil upon the world were not Christian, as in my view if you truly believe you are, and your actions are motivated by that belief, then to say that they are not because of what they did begins to get into "No True Scotsman fallacy" territory. Faith is a very personal thing, and who is anyone to claim that X person who commited an atrocity who truly believed they were doing God's work is not a true believer? - Exactly the same can be said of examples of medieval Christian persecution, such as the Albiginsian Crusade which crushed the Cathar Heresy - the people who ordered the crusade truly believed they were doing a good and necessary thing in order to save souls, with similar, if not the same motivations, behind acts of great good by other Christian activists...

All religion is a double edged sword - and can be used to do good or evil, however thankfully I believe that (despite what militant atheists claim...) on the whole it does do more good than bad.

[PeterOkenla11]

(Original post by Gofre)
Sorry, but statistics from every corner of study contradict this. Atheist majority countries like Norway consistently have the lowest crime rates, and figures published by the UK government this year found that non-religious people account for less than a third of the country's prison population despite comprising 50% of the overall population, while Christians accounted for 49% of the prison population (In Scotland, it's 36% non-religious and 58% Christian). The idea that Christianity is somehow responsible for keeping people in check is absurd.

Im sorry but you are completeley and utterly wrong. Yes religion does keep people in check. No its not absurd. Perhaps you've misunderstood me? How can you deny the fact that If the current christains in this world were to turn athiest tomorrow, There would be more, not less, criminals. Your infering that 49% of people being convicted are christains! LOL.
Use your brain, It does not mean that 49% of those convicted were chirstains BUT very likeley they converted to a faith while in prison! PFFFT.

[Stiff Little Fingers]

(Original post by PeterOkenla11)
Im sorry but you are completeley and utterly wrong. Yes religion does keep people in check. No its not absurd. Perhaps you've misunderstood me? How can you deny the fact that If the current Christians in this world were to turn athiest tomorrow, There would be more, not less, criminals. Your infering that 49% of people being convicted are Christians! LOL.
Use your brain, It does not mean that 49% of those convicted were Christians BUT very likeley they converted to a faith while in prison! PFFFT.

Except, he's not (necessarily). Again - reference Norway, more atheists, lower crime rate, less criminals per head than the UK. Is it a co-incidence? possibly but it kind of flies in the face of the religion prevents crime idea doesn't it.