Has the record of Christianity been perfect? Unfortunately, we have our shameful events as well. But when we have acted in accordance with the teachings of the Bible, no other group can compare with our record of bringing peace, prosperity, health, freedom, strong families, charity for the needy, educational opportunity, and elevation of the dignity of all people than have Christians.
Well, let's break these claims down:
1. Peace: History is littered with denominational Christian wars, torture, witch burnings, crusades, etc. I see no relation.
2. Prosperity: The poorest nations in the world are the most Christian or religious, and the most wealthy are the most secular. Jesus said to give away all your possessions in order to achieve salvation.
3. Health: JW's refuse blood transfusions, the most religious people in the US are currently refusing vaccinations, and again, the healthiest nations in the world are also the most secular.
4. Freedom: What? The Bible allows slavery. The tenets of Christianity hold that we all will be tortured unless we obey and praise a powerful being. Many Christians refer to themselves as "slaves of god." I don't understand how this is freedom.
5. Strong families: I don't consider a family with a subservient wife to be "strong." I don't consider families that disown their gay children "strong." I don't consider families that discipline children with physical violence to be "strong." As has been previously stated, teen pregnancy/birth and divorce rates are highest in the most religious states in the US, and I believe this trend plays out among the nations of the world.
6. Charity for the needy: Who knows? Religious charities are not required to open their books for outside scrutiny, so there is no way to verify how much money goes to the charitable cause, versus administrative costs and bonuses for the boards of directors. And donations spent on converting new people to Christianity is not charity.
7. Educational opportunity: I have heard from Christian women who were pressured to marry instead of going to college. Christian education teaches "facts" that are observably, demonstrable false, and such graduates are distinctly unqualified for a range of professions. Abstinence-only education is a provably ineffective, dangerous, and misleading curriculum. Professors at Christian colleges sign statements of faith that forbid them from publishing ideas outside a set of preapproved religious conclusions, on threat of being fired.
8. Elevation of the dignity of all people: Is this satire? Christianity elevates people? While it claims we are all depraved, dirty humans who deserve infinite suffering by default because of our natural thoughts and desires?
Most forms of Christianity sound like living as an battered spouse. The lifestyle to me sounds like one of fear, shame, guilt, and constant self-doubt and self-recrimination, all while living under a threat of extreme violence that you're told is a punishment that will be your own fault. It encourages people to view others judgmentally, to separate "us" and "them" with the brightest line possible, and it devalues our one human life we each know we have in favor of a hypothetical eternal life later on.
Secular humanism has no dogma. It simply acknowledges that we as humans value ourselves and each other. It is open to any reliable method that can advance the goal of human wellbeing and human flourishing. It is absolutely superior to Christianity in every way, and the data we glean from reality confirms this.
