Yes, the Reformation challenged the Catholic Church's supremacy, but only on theological grounds. The "revivals" and associated divisions have markedly undermined its influence.

Wilberforce was central to abolition of slavery in the late 18th century, yet Christianity had allowed it to continue for the preceding 1500 years - seems Wilberforce was atypical.

Atheist Govt killing and torture - you mean by the very religion-aligned Nazis; or the seminary-trained Stalin who exploited Russia's Tsar-messiah cult to install himself and his govt, and who used religion in WW2, and remained personally religious all his life?

The author undermines his own argument against Hitchens' slogan that "religion poisons everything" by conflating Christianity with religion.

I normally do my best , not to respond to the rantings of the Christian Lobby, however seeing God has giving us a nice day today , then I will make an exception.. for today.

The Statement
"The foundations of the modern west owe a huge debt to Christianity. The rise of democracy would not have happened without the Reformation challenging the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and the counter-reformation that followed."... beggars belief!

This is like Modern Germany thanking the Nazi Third Reich or the people of Greece thanking Muslim Turkey for the Modern State of Greece !

In other words, if this is getting quoted as an good example of our debt to our Christian Heritage, I would love to see a bad example !

" Next Quote.
When the unthinkable happened and Rome imploded, Christianity hunkered down for the long-haul with a new civilisation called Christendom emerging in Europe."

Rome imploded ( I like that ..lol ).

Being a typical one eyed follower of WESTERN CHRISTANITY, ( all descendants of ROMAN Catholics or breakaways from them )... Has the writer ever heard of the EASTERN CHRISTIAN Churches.. based in a Place called CONSTANTINOPLE? It didn't finally fall until 1,000 years later when Turkish Islamist invaded it. Christianity flourished in the East, it’s principal Enemy being the Invasions of Islam.

Of course, I am leaving out the invasion and destruction of Constantinople, by the Peace Loving Western European Catholics 300 years earlier. It was an overnight ( well 50 year..OK ) stay on their way to beat up the Muslims in the “ Holy Land” BUT, as we have being told by this Author ..

End Part One

Part Two.

Quote”
In recent centuries as enlightened secularism has tried to create a world where man, as Blainey puts it, "can live by bread alone", the utopian hopes of man's technological and material achievement have been dashed.

Two bloody world wars and the unprecedented systematic genocide of atheistic fascism and communism have seen to this."

....The Author assures us that Secularists cause Wars... we never had any until these pesky Secularists turned up.

It's still a beautiful day outside. If I continue to analgize this rubbish, I am only missing the Day...

Bugger another New Years Resolution gone !

Has this forum become a franchise of the Chasers or similar satirical/comedy shows.
Or perhaps the ACL because the author of yesterday mustard tree essay is also a member of the ACL.

Yesterday we had the low brow children's comic book piece about mustard trees. Today we have this entirely predictable piece from the Oz Christian (loopy) Lobby.
A piece which fits entirely within the world as portrayed in the famous Wizard of Oz film, or a Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post painting.

I was thinking that myself Daffy Duck, Is this Christianity's last spin...We didn't kill half as many people as you think we did, we only did it because we loved you, and if we weren't so hard on you, you wouldn't have turned out like you did.

As other have already noted, the thing that sticks out the most is the racism and hatred for they fellow man. All good things in the world have come from the Christian church, everything bad form somewhere else.
The ACL has been formed to try and corrupt our pollies as the rest of us are no longer listening to these bigots.
The pews are empting but the hypocrisy continues.

There is clearly a how-to guide going around the Christian community, one that describes how to whitewash their history with a careful blend of half-truths and untruths, and how to simultaneously boost their image using a similar mixture.

"Christianity has been the great civilising influence... in opposition to tyrants in the institutional church, nobility and state."

I expect their defence to the antics of Alexander VI (guilty of incest, murder, and adulterer extraordinaire) will be the usual one - "well, he wasn't really a Christian"

Nor, I suppose, was Pope Benedict IX, who actually has the distinction of being the first Pope to put the position up for sale. That we know of.

If Popes don't represent Christian history, who does?

"...intolerance was not confined to the church in an age when precious truths were often defended with brutality."

The defence here being, as I understand it, "everybody was doing it.

Well, that's all right then.

"...a century where atheist government killing and torture made the crusades and the inquisition look tame in comparison"

Apart from the arguability of the relevance of atheism on the "atheist government", we are once again in the realms of "well, they were worse than us". I wonder where the author fits Northern Ireland into the rosy picture?

>>Christianity uniquely fostered higher learning in the so called Dark Ages with the creation of the university.<<

Christianity was not responsible for the creation of the university, a concept that grew naturally from the mediaeval guild system. But I'm sure they must believe will miraculously become true if they repeat it often enough.

One line, I can wholeheartedly agree with:

"Christianity has been massively influential globally."

Not everyone sees that as positive, however.

What I find fascinating is why Christian lobbies find it necessary to defend their position in such a manner. Whom, do they believe, will be convinced? And for how long, given that information is far more freely available today than in previous centuries?