christianity is a force for good in the world

I will begin by putting forward my initial arguments and will address my opponent"s points in the following round. Christianity is the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, (1) so to verify if Christianity is a force for good we must first refer to the teachings of Jesus Christ to determine if these teachings will result in favourable outcomes for the population at large. Some of the core doctrines that Jesus taught on were: - The Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you - The care of the sick, lonely, poor and destitute - Forgiveness (turn the other cheek) - Mercy - Non-judgement of others (plank in your eye) - Charity - loving your enemy (2) There were individuals and groups that Jesus did not hesitate to criticize and these were the Pharisees and Sadducees that myopically kept to the "law" but had lost sight of the people that it was meant to serve. Christians who fall short of Jesus's teachings are still "true" Christians, but humans are apt to sin and do incredibly stupid and cruel things to their brothers and sisters both intestinally and unintentionally - even sometimes in the mistaken belief they are doing so in the name of their God, just as the Pharisees once did. When one looks back over two thousand years of history it is inevitable that there will be many examples of humans falling well short of the bar that their appointed saviour has set. Christians look to Jesus as the finest example of how they should live their lives and attempt to do so in their day to day interactions with others. With this as motivation, Christianity established an organised Health and Education system well before the governments and rulers of the relevant countries had an inkling to do so. (3) (4) Even today 26 per cent of all world-wide health care facilities are managed by the Catholic Church whilst in Australia 21 per cent of secondary school children attend schools run by Christian churches. (5) (6) The following Humanitarian organisations are only some that have been established by Christians: International Committee of the Red Cross Compassion International Food for the Hungry World Vision Samaritans Purse St Vincent de Paul Society Salvation Army William Wilberforce and his colleagues successfully brought the Trans-Atlantic slave trade to a halt as a result of their Christian convictions, whilst also being a founding members of the RSPCA. Orphanages, maternity care, supplying food and clothing to the sick and homeless, are all callings that both the clergy and their congregation have undertaken through the ages as a result of them emulating the example set by Jesus. Of late there has been much Church vs Science debate and discussion, to the point that those that are not inclined to theism blindly believe that Christianity is a road block to scientific progress. History shows us that the lexicon of scientists is absolutely awash with Christians who try to understand the world around us. Christianity and scientific discovery are not two mutually exclusive concepts, and routinely they are bed fellows as Christians have sought to explain the mysteries of their God's creation. (7) One of the core reasons the Western Hemisphere enjoys such prosperity is that we have legislated these core values into our laws and statutes for all to receive benefit from, no matter what their religious persuasion. (8) Despite their large atheist populations, countries in Scandinavia have a thriving and happy population as they actively assist those less well off. They treat their prison population with mercy and forgiveness that can go against the grain of our natural human tendencies. (9) Such countries are held as shining secular examples - as they rightly are. But this is due to them enshrining the same concepts that Jesus taught into their laws and social structures. When humans put more faith in other doctrines, such as economic rationalisation, the infallibility of the market and forget about the little people, as what occurs in the United States we would expect outcomes that would be at odds with the Christianity of its population. Despite the human failings of its members, Christianity is indeed a force for good. 1.http://www.oxforddictionaries.com... 2. The Bible, New Testament 3. http://en.wikipedia.org... 4. http://en.wikipedia.org... 5. http://en.wikipedia.org... 6. http://en.wikipedia.org... 7. http://en.wikipedia.org... 8. http://www.telegraph.co.uk... 9. http://www.businessinsider.com.au...