There is the common myth repeated over and over again that Christianity suppresses science and progress. One would think that those who call Christianity “anti-science” would at least use some kind of scientific method to prove their accusations. However, the proofs are sadly and incredibly lacking.
In contradiction to this myth, historians Stanley Jaki and A.C. Crombie affirm that “the rise of modern science, like that of political freedom and economic progress, has been coterminous with Christian-European thought, and for like causes.”
They claim that the biblical worldview contains all the essential elements for science and culture in general to flourish. Thus, at least six good reasons can be cited to support this claim:
1. Christians believed in a harmonious objective order intelligible to man which allowed for what Rodney Stark called “the triumph of reason.”
2. Christians believed in the biblical view that men’s role was to dominate nature and not be subject to it. This allowed them to search for ways to harness nature and make life easier.
3. There was a rejection of pantheistic magic that allowed the Faith to look for the reasons behind things.
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4. The Catholic religion rejected the pagan idea of submission before the deities in nature that lived lives of vice and intrigue often at the expense of man’s progress.
5. The Church condemned superstition which hindered progress by adhering to irrational beliefs and practices.
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6. Christians had a clear and rational understanding of reality which they developed into a philosophy that oriented their lives. This was opposed to the hazy, Gnostic understanding of reality that gave rise to fantasy and false mysticism that enslaved ancient and primitive peoples.
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For these and other reasons, modern science only developed in Christian Europe and nowhere else. The groundwork was clearly laid.