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EDIT: wahern's reply above is far better than mine. Read that one instead. I'm removing most of what I originally wrote except for this bit: ----------- I wou

EDIT: wahern's reply above is far better than mine. Read that one instead. I'm removing most of what I originally wrote except for this bit: ----------- I would argue that Christianity has influenced western culture far less than western culture has influenced Christianity. And that the key benefit attributable to Christianity—insofar as it was the lucky religion which happened be closest to the people who built western civilisation—is arguably its adaptable and relatively non-invasive nature compared to many of its contemporaries.

wahern 8y ago
We do have a parallel universe. Christianity and "the West" are not co-extensive. Christianity was and is much more widespread. The West emerged from a corner of the Christian universe, and what made that corner unique is readily distinguishable from Christianity. At best one could say that the Christian universe was relatively more conducive to the emergence of Western values. For example, Christianity is tolerant of the concept that God primarily operates indirectly through physical laws, a concept which was normatively rejected early in Islam (circa 1100). Thus, Christianity was relatively more conducive to the emergence of science. But, Christianity is hardly the only religion so tolerant, so it's not like it deserves special credit in that regard. Indeed, this tolerance is sort of a fluke and really a vestige of Roman and Greek influence--influence that Muslim scholars were deliberately rejecting.