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William Temple was an important player in the foundation of the welfare state and Wilberforce's attitude to slavery was directly motivated by a faith based on equality and freedom...
Two men who happened to be Christian and whose faith - as they interpreted it - lined up against the regressive behaviour of most Christian churches and most Christians. Not much evidence for anything.
There have been several minority break-away movements over the centuries with an interest in social justice (e.g. during the English Civil War, John Wesley) but since everybody was Christian (or said so, to avoid painful death), you can't use them as evidence of Christian charity. Since those sects were consistently persecuted by the majority, I'd argue their progressive beliefs had fuck all to do with their faith, frankly. They found ways to align what they were doing with scripture because that was how you a) persuaded people to accept those beliefs, b) tried to avoid persecution for heresy. If you were born and raised Christian and decided that something was a good idea, since you also believed God was good, clearly you'd find a way to show why God would support it. Doesn't mean the idea had the slightest connection with a mystery cult that became the official faith of a bloodthirsty empire.
itsbruce-
(e.g. during the English Civil War, John Wesley) but since everybody was Christian (or said so, to avoid painful death)
Hang about. John Wesley wasn't even born until more than fifty years after the end of the Civil War and well after the abolition of the death penalty for blasphemy. And he wasn't just a Christian because everyone was, he was explicitly motivated by religion to do good and kind things when, apparently, 'spiritual life was at a very low ebb in Oxford.'
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They found ways to align what they were doing with scripture because that was how you a) persuaded people to accept those beliefs, b) tried to avoid persecution for heresy.
If you were born and raised Christian and decided that something was a good idea, since you also believed God was good, clearly you'd find a way to show why God would support it. Doesn't mean the idea had the slightest connection with a mystery cult that became the official faith of a bloodthirsty empire.Fair enough - I guess I'd argue that these progressive people had a clear understanding of the central redemptive message of Christ and that the rotters were using a religious framework to serve their own ends ("fuck all to do with faith" to use your terminology)
Malaconotus
Rik_Van_Looy
Not entirely sure I agree.
William Temple was an important player in the foundation of the welfare state and Wilberforce's attitude to slavery was directly motivated by a faith based on equality and freedom...
Where Christianity and politics gets messy is when personal morality gets confused with policy making. Sadly, this seems to be the reason that followers of a religion that preaches tolerance equality and liberty end up with such a poor voting record