Christianity Positive Effects Essay

Since its origin, Christianity has had an unquestionable overwhelming impact on the world from ancient to modern times. Although the impact that Christianity has had on the world is highly debatable, seeing as it has had both a negative and positive effect on the world. Some groups and individuals have used their Christian values and beliefs for their own secular gains both leading to negative and positive effects on the world. Over the last 2000 years, from the crusades in the 11th to 13th centuries to the abolishment of slavery, from William Wilberforce to the negative impacts of the KKK in the 19th century, Christianity has been having a significant impact on the history of the world with both positive and negative impacts.

The religion of Christianity as a whole is neither positive or negative, but influential on impacting peoples and groups opinions and decisions. Which subsequently are both negative and positive. These groups or individuals can give the religion a negative reputation from the way

that they, a minority of the religion, has acted.
A leading example of a minority group influencing the public’s opinion on Christianity would be the KKK. The KKK was a Christian minority group with extremest “Christian” members, who swore to uphold Christian principles, however practically every Christian group has condemned their practises and categorised them as Christian terrorists.
Another group that is almost identical to the KKK’s movement today is ISIS. ISIS is similar to the KKK for the reason that both of these religious group’s are of a minority of a considerably large religion. These minority group’s have interpreted their religion’s teachings to justify violence, while the religion’s message is hidden behind the minority group’s secular beliefs.
Although Christianity is a religion of peace, love and compassion, individuals have attempted to act out a certain way because of the way they interpret its teachings. And the way they voice their opinions with violence rather than with compassion and understanding.
And despite the fact that these individuals and groups are in the minority, they are often depicted to be representing Christianity and so it seems like Christianity is in favour of these groups and their ideals. This emits the impression that Christianity is a religion that impacts the world negatively.

Apart from the “Christian” extremist group, the KKK, another influential impact that can be connected to the rise of the idea East vs. the West is the crusades in middle ages. Where Christianity had a big role in influencing the religions of the middle east. The Crusades were a series of invades in the middle east to “liberate” the holy land and Jerusalem from Muslim rulers.
Following the arrival of the crusades, the Islamic world only deemed the Crusades as a inconvenience rather than a true threat to their culture, and unsurprisingly, following this, Muslims remember the 200 years of un-provoked attacks on the middle east out of religious extremism and eagerness for blood.

To most Christians, they feel unsettled by these events because of the religious extremism defining the general impression that Muslims have on Christianity as a whole.

Leading on with the idea that a religion can have a monumental impact on society and can be involved in the treatment between two different classes of people. The slave trade would be a prime example of this in the 18th century, where William Wilberforce, who was an English member of parliament and also was a social revolutionist who worked endlessly for the abolishment of the slave trade.

Wilberforce's Christian faith influenced him in becoming the voice in parliament for the abolishment of

slavery.
Before he was a part of the anti-slavery movement Wilberforce wondered; “Can one serve God and one’s nation in parliament?”. He became to question how he could achieve both of these goals in unison. From talking to John Newton, the songwriter of “Amazing Grace” he learnt of the unjustness of slaves. William Wilberforce met with some reformists who needed someone who could bring an Inquiry into the Slave trade. These reformists felt that he was the man for the job and Wilberforce knew that God was calling him to this, to use his position of power to help those who needed God’s help. “True Christians consider themselves not as satisfying some rigorous creditor, but as discharging a debt of gratitude” This was quoted by William Wilberforce and it depicts his devotion and loyalty to the movement. Eventually after 20 years straight of campaigning, even whilst William Wilberforce was fighting another fight against a life threatening illness, his abolition bill got passed and the capturing, transporting and selling of enslaved Africans was illegal. Without William Wilberforce's strength from God to persevere throughout his sickness, slavery would of still been legal. This incredible achievement that William Wilberforce managed shows how much of an impact that Christianity can have on individuals to achieve the hardest of tasks such as the abolishment of the slave trade. The Emancipation of the slaves has had a monumental impact that had been an issue for hundreds of years.

In Conclusion, Christianity has been recognised by both Christian and non-Christians as an influential religion that has shaped the world over the last 2000 years, though it is still debated today if the impact of Christianity was a positive effect or a negative effect. We can see throughout the Christianity’s history the impacts of Christianity from events such as the crusades to the terrorism of the KKK. And although these events can be classified to be Christian motives they quite possibly could be done by secular groups or individuals.