What has Christianity truly contributed to humanity

[Belacqua]

When I use the term "basic human morality" I'm referring to viewing other people as equal, and seeing they should have the same rights as everyone else. 

Understood. That's certainly a widely-held view of morality today. I'm not sure how we could prove that it's "basic" in other times and places. 

Such as in most cases of slavery, the "masters" have seen their slaves as inferior (mentally and/or physically) to them, so therefore they should not have the same rights, this can also be used in some cases of infanticide. 

Well I think it's obvious that according to lots of different measures, certain people are better at certain things than others. 

I am inferior to many many other people in athletics, musical talent, organizational leadership ability, financial acumen, etc. etc. many etc. 

The question of why people of different degrees of ability are assumed to have equal rights, or equal value in a society, is the question to me. How did we decide this? What makes us believe that regardless of, say, intellectual capacity, we are all equal? 

Please notice that I am NOT saying equal rights are bad. I'm FOR equal rights. But how we got from, say, the Roman Empire, which didn't believe these things, to today, in which they are widely believed, is a historical question. I don't believe it's "just obvious." 

I get that for years, outdated science has told people that others are inferior to them, so that slavery is justified. However, even then people were stating how they were all equal 
(ex; The Constitution stating everyone is equal, while slavery was legal.)

What science did the Ancient Greeks or Egyptians use to justify slavery?

The Constitution was a revolutionary document, and, as you point out, inconsistent in its application of equality. 

And for infanticide, this is built-in human morality. Our brain tells us to care for our newborns, and to protect them.

If infanticide is so clearly against human nature, why was it practiced so widely and for so long? Has human nature changed?

[Nishant Xavier]

Christianity is to be judged on its Two Great Commandments. (1) Love God with your whole heart, which virtually everyone other than Atheists agree with, i.e. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, many others etc, then (2) Love your neighbor as you love yourself, which even Atheists and Humanists generally agree with,

If those Commandments are Good Commandments, then Christianity is a Good Religion. It's that simple. If this or that Christian doesn't live up to those Commandments, then that's his own personal sin according to our holy Religion. But when Christians do live up to Christ's Commandments, then they do great things such as those I and others mentioned earlier, including abolishing infancticide, slavery, establishig charities, hospitals, orphanages and more.

Of course, we can all work together to build a better world for ourselves and our descendants. It doesn't have to be a fight to the death or anything, although it is an ideological debate about which Ideology is better for the future of humanity, Christianity or Atheism. Atheism of course has no Great Commandments, as its own adherents will admit. Some Atheists will agree Love of Neighbor is the Greatest Thing of all. Others may or may not agree.

But if you're a Christian, you're bound to agree and believe and practice that according to your own Faith, since that's the Teaching of Jesus Christ the Lord. The Savior also said, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. For this is the Law and the Prophets", i.e. to say all of Christianity is summed up by this Maxim or Golden Rule. He also said, "Love your enemies, Pray for those who Persecute you, Bless those who curse you, and then you will be True Children of your Father in Heaven; for He makes His Sun Rise on the Good and the Evil alike, and gives Rain to the Righteous and Wicked alike". Finally, He said, "Whatever you did to one of the least of these (the Poor), that you did unto Me". in Matthew 25. Those divine words have given an impetus to such an outgrowth of charitable activity across 2000 years as would never have happened otherwise. Every Non-Christian knows we Christians love Christ. Well, so imagine then, and this is what motivated, St. Mother Theresa, St. Vincent De Paul, St. Catherine de Sienna, St. Francis of Assisi, as well as many Rich Queens and Kings, to love the Poor so much: because One Extra-ordinary Man with no Equal before or since 2000 years ago dared to teach the Amazing Truth that love and service to the Poor is service to God.

[Bucky Ball]

Christianity is to be judged on ibla bla bla
Well, so imagine then, and this is what motivated, St. Mother Theresa, St. Vincent De Paul, St. Catherine de Sienna, St. Francis of Assisi, as well as many Rich Queens and Kings, to love the Poor so much: because One Extra-ordinary Man with no Equal before or since 2000 years ago dared to teach the Amazing Truth that love and service to the Poor is service to God.

Yes dear. Whatever you say. Be sure the nurse knows where you are. Time for bedtime pills.
ETA: I do have a question though. Are you a rich Queen ?

[The Valkyrie]

Problems being:

1. There's no evidence for god so no need for love for an imaginary being.

2. Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc., love their own gods, or their versions of your god, but not the god as depicted in the bible.

3. The version christians adhere to, and promoted by the bible seems to be, "Love your neighbour as yourself, unless they're from a different religion than you, they're a woman, they're gay or trans, they look different from you, or are a different denomination of your own religion!"

[Nishant Xavier]

Well, yes, if this or that Christian believed that or lived like that, and failed in loving his neighbor, the Lord God would bring that up at the Divine Judgment, and thus that Christian would probably would have to spend at least a little time in Purgatory. God is holy and each and every sin a Christian commits will either have to be repented off and washed away by faith and contrition and in the Sacraments, or will have to be penalized at least in Purgatory if venial etc. That's what Catholic Christians believe and imo anyone can see it's a Holy Doctrine that leads those who really believe and practice it to a Good Life of avoiding evil/sin and doing many Good Works here on Earth. The greater Good Works one does, the less time in Purgatory. Not to mention a Higher Reward in Heaven, hence the Lord Jesus Christ also taught to store up Treasures in Heaven by Alms-giving etc. Now, that Teaching of Christ greatly advances the Good of the Present World also, as is obvious. Hence, the Teaching of Christ is Good, even from a Secular Perspective.

At any rate, St. John the Apostle says, virtually every one of us will fall into some sin or the other. It's important to confess or repent of those sins and then strive to love God and one another again, from the Christian perspective. But Christ's Teaching itself is absolutely clear: Love of Neighbor with no exceptions beyond the boundaries of Race and Religion, as He made also amply clear in His Good Samaritan Parable. Love for all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether pagans or Tax Collectors, whether prostitutes or Pharisees, as He amply demonstrated by Word and example in His Life. He also not only taught to love and forgive one's enemies - which no one else ever has IIRC - but also did the same on the Cross Himself.

1 Jn 1:"Fellowship with Him and One Another

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

If a Christian makes no effort to walk in righteousness according to Christ's Light, then he is living in darkness according to the above. If however he or she does make such efforts, but falls from time to time into this or that sin, the Blood of Christ washes those sins away when they are confessed, either in Baptism, or in Confession, or indeed in Holy Communion (which takes away venial sins), which is the Blood of Christ Himself.

While non-Christians don't agree with Christian claims, they can see, I believe, that the doctrine of Christ is a holy Doctrine vastly different from that of, say, Mohammed. Some think Christ and Mohammed taught the same because both taught Religion. That's like saying, Adam Smith and Marx taught the same because both taught Economics imo. Clearly off. Yes, both Christ and Mohammed taught about Religion. But very differently.

[arewethereyet]

When I use the term "basic human morality" I'm referring to viewing other people as equal, and seeing they should have the same rights as everyone else. 

Understood. That's certainly a widely-held view of morality today. I'm not sure how we could prove that it's "basic" in other times and places. 

Such as in most cases of slavery, the "masters" have seen their slaves as inferior (mentally and/or physically) to them, so therefore they should not have the same rights, this can also be used in some cases of infanticide. 

Well I think it's obvious that according to lots of different measures, certain people are better at certain things than others. 

I am inferior to many many other people in athletics, musical talent, organizational leadership ability, financial acumen, etc. etc. many etc. 

The question of why people of different degrees of ability are assumed to have equal rights, or equal value in a society, is the question to me. How did we decide this? What makes us believe that regardless of, say, intellectual capacity, we are all equal? 

Please notice that I am NOT saying equal rights are bad. I'm FOR equal rights. But how we got from, say, the Roman Empire, which didn't believe these things, to today, in which they are widely believed, is a historical question. I don't believe it's "just obvious." 

I get that for years, outdated science has told people that others are inferior to them, so that slavery is justified. However, even then people were stating how they were all equal 
(ex; The Constitution stating everyone is equal, while slavery was legal.)

What science did the Ancient Greeks or Egyptians use to justify slavery?

The Constitution was a revolutionary document, and, as you point out, inconsistent in its application of equality. 

And for infanticide, this is built-in human morality. Our brain tells us to care for our newborns, and to protect them.

If infanticide is so clearly against human nature, why was it practiced so widely and for so long? Has human nature changed?

Bold mine - 
Equality is about not relegating a person to being lesser due to things such as skin color, genitalia, sexual orientation, etc.  It doesn't have anything to do with who can run faster and jump higher or who can play the piano and who can't.

This has to be one of your worst responses.  Kind of up there with - the book would have been better if it had cost more and wasn't geared toward the unwashed masses.

[Nishant Xavier]

Christians love our Homosexual and Transsexual Friends, and want them to be Happy in this Life and the Next. We just disagree with some behaviors like men sodomizing other men for e.g. which hardly seems possibly genetic. Anyway, it's their personal choice to do so and Christians will love them regardless. If this or that Christian doesn't, then he's not practicing the Teaching of Jesus Christ the Lord. And the same applies to Transsexual Friends. If someone is genuinely convinced changing their Sex will make them Happy, and they're adults, then that's their decision. We are called to love them regardless. But we also do believe, in this case, gender or sexuality is fixed at birth. Some will say sex and gender are different, but if that's so, what's the definition of gender then? Anything a person identifies as? Ok, if even if so, let it be. In that case, sex is fixed at birth. Gender would then be fluid, I suppose. But it's up to the person, once he or she is an adult, as to what he or she will do in life. Christians are called to love them regardless and those who don't do so are not walking in the Light according to Teaching of Jesus Christ and Saint John the Apostle above.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I mean to be fair, The Bible has several moments where both slavery and infanticide are approved of by God. Sure, Christians in the past have abolished slavery, same with Jews in the Old Testament, but was it because of what God said? Or because of basic human morality?
https://www.evilbible.com/evil-bible-hom...-pro-life/
https://www.evilbible.com/evil-bible-home-page/slavery/

Interesting question! 

I'm curious about the term "basic human morality." Is there such a thing? How do we know what it is? 

The fact that people have so frequently behaved badly seems to argue against such a thing. Or maybe the fact that we can so easily act against it means that it has little influence.

I've seen people claim that all morality is based on empathy, but I'm skeptical about this. It seems to me that morality varies quite a bit with the age, and may have very little about it which is "basic" to the unchangeable human operating system. 

So for example you and I take slavery and infanticide to be bad, but in vast regions of time and space they were normal.

Or perhaps this concatenation of history implies that morality is both subjective and relative, and therefore subject to changing mores.

[Nishant Xavier]

We also believe Child Genital Mutilation at least is something clearly wrong, something on which many Atheist Friends also agree with us on, even otherwise Fairly Liberal ones.

[Thumpalumpacus]

We also believe Child Genital Mutilation at least is something clearly wrong, something on which many Atheist Friends also agree with us on, even otherwise Fairly Liberal ones.

We have a lot of moral overlap. The difference is that your morality is dictated to you, while mine arises from consideration. Your morality is derived from commandments. Mine is from consideration of my fellow human. Mine also understands that in some instances, what I would normally regard as immoral might really be moral in the bigger picture.