Christianity inhibits US advancement

Thank you for accepting, greatly appreciated. I am not experienced in debates nor an expert of the matter, but I am truly interested in what may come of this! You've stated in your acceptance that you believe I imply other religions benefit US advancement; this is actually not what I mean to say at all. Quite the contrary, I believe that religion in general has a negative impact on US advancement. Our Founding Fathers knew that religion complicated things, Benjamin Franklin stated in Poor Richard's Almanac "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." I singled out Christianity because it is the most prominent religion in the US today, with 77% of the adult population identifying with a Christian religion. [1] I believe this stems from our nation's beginning when (mostly Protestant) settlers fled Europe to escape religious persecution. You can find evidence of this influence in the religion clauses (freedom of religion) of the First Amendment of the US Constitution, but I digress... 1. Education I will begin with education: I believe that Christianity has a negative impact on education in the US. The majority of the population follows the Christian faith and as such, approximately half of Americans believe the account of creation as presented in the Bible's book of Genesis. [2] This is problematic because it teaches that the Earth is ~6000 years old [3] and that God created all the animals in one day. [4] This is quite different from the views held by modern scientists that claim the Earth to be ~4.5 billion years old [5] giving ample time for current species to develop via evolution. This creates a major disconnect between education and religion as they quite bluntly contradict each other. As a nation, I believe we should embrace new knowledge on a large scale so that our next generation will be more intelligent and better equipped in the future world. Holding on to outdated beliefs will only harm our future. Science has given us a multitude of technological advances that have benefited us greatly, and by hindering the spread of knowledge I assert that Christianity (as well as other religions) impairs educational and scientific growth. 2. Politics Christianity also makes the political scene more difficult to navigate, with religion clouding politics on a regular basis. Issues of little significance in the grand scheme are blown out of proportion if they touch on subjects that are important to Christian views. This is clearly evident in a prime example: gay marriage. For quite some time, gay marriage has been a focal issue of the US. It's getting continuous media coverage, while in reality, it's not that important. Yes, there are some issues that need to be addressed but we run into problems very quickly as we try to figure out which is more important: to uphold Christian beliefs that homosexuality is sin (and therefore gay marriage should be illegal) - OR - the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution which grants equal rights and banishes racism/sexism (also extended to gays/lesbians [6]) This much focus and attention on something as superficial as the difference between 'marriage' and 'civil union' seriously detracts from the amount of time we could be focusing on more important (in the grand scheme) issues like global warming, world hunger, poverty, diseases, etc. There are numerous examples, but another one that stands apart in the sheer amount of attention it's gained is employee contraceptives. While everyone is focused on arguing that condoms are against their beliefs, children die of starvation and diseases that we could cure! So not only does it have a detrimental effect here at home, but the political aftermath of Christianity's influence is hurting people in other parts of the globe as well. I assert that the US political scene would be simpler and more productive if Christianity did not exist. The problems posed above have obvious trickle-down effects on finance and society in general. I certainly did not make the best case possible, but as I've stated I have no experience in debates. I apologize for my lack of eloquence, and greatly anticipate your response. Thanks again =) [1] http://www.gallup.com... [2] http://www.gallup.com... [3] http://creation.com... [4] Genesis 1:25 [5] http://pubs.usgs.gov... [6] Fricke v. Lynch, 491 F. Supp. 381 (1980)