Posted on 07/23/2011 4:02:28 PM PDT by AustralianConservative
One militant atheist strategy is to cling to anti-Christian mythology, with a vengeance, “arguing” that Christians (especially Protestants) are intellectual lightweights. The opposite is true. Indeed, Protestants have led fellow Christians and atheists in numerous fields, for centuries.
[…]
When one is able to calmly sift through the records, there’s a very strong case to be made here, and it relates to Protestant-inspired literacy and sustainable liberation. Consider this. From A Short History of the World by the historian Geoffrey Blainey (pp. 352-53):
Initially, few women were literate. In the English diocese of Norwich in the 17th century, only about 11 percent of women were literate. Even male labourers as a group were slightly more literate than women. On the other hand, 65 per cent of yeomen or male small farmers were literate. Steadily the rate of female literacy began to grow. Prussia, a Lutheran stronghold, made education compulsory for boys and girls in 1717. Scotland and the Netherlands, both of which were Calvinist strongholds, encouraged literacy. In the Dutch city of Amsterdam in 1780, a remarkable 64 per cent of brides signed the register when they married, while the others clumsily drew a cross in the place where their signature of consent was called for. In England, about 1 per cent of women could read in the year 1500, but this had risen to 40 percent by 1750. Belatedly, Catholic countries followed this revolutionary trend.
The improved ability to read and write was a prelude to the extension of the right to vote. If, as late as the year 1900, most western Europeans had been illiterate, the trend towards democracy would not have travelled far.
(Excerpt) Read more at weekendlibertarian.blogspot.com ...
The improved ability to read and write was a prelude to the extension of the right to vote.
Should be #1 in today’s voting. Boy would that eliminate a lot of college leftist.
Just a suggestion. It is interesting to read the history of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and the development of universities in Europe, Asia (esp India), Japan, and South America.
Wonder how many “militant atheists” would be able to pass that famed Harvard exam with the extra-difficult trigonometry problems, the Latin and Greek language quizzes, and the history questions especially (“militant atheists”, read Communists, are fond of destroying history)? And this is back when Harvard was a theological seminary too (another bit of history the “militant atheists” wish they could wipe out).
‘One militant atheist strategy is to cling to anti-Christian mythology, with a vengeance, “arguing” that Christians (especially Protestants) are intellectual lightweights’
Would to God ALL Christians developed a burning passion for reading the likes of CS Lewis!
I am thouroughly convinced there are many unwittingly on the road to Hell, because they are completely ignorant of any sins that aren’t sex, theft, or murder.
Cheers!
Especially that noted autofellator Bart Ehrman.
Cheers!
ping
Anyone who reads some of the classic evang. commentaries, such as by Matthew Henry, or preachers such as Spurgeon, Martin Lloyd Jones, etc,, should realize the depth of moral and intellectual weight.
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