Needing that sort of thing.

I had a conversation with my older sister the other day. We're pretty close and when we talk on the phone, it can go on for a while. A bit too much on the gossipy side, I admit, but we do get into discussions about the world and the way people are.

We sometimes complain about how dogmatic and hypocritical people can be of any religion. I agree that religion shouldn't be shoved down some one's throat. I also agree that atheism shouldn't be shoved down any one's throat.

My sister is an atheist but for the most part, we respect each other's differing beliefs. However, during our conversation, she said something that made me pause. She said it's fine if us believers need that sort of thing. On the other hand, she didn't need that "sort of thing." as if to say us believers are clinging to something like it's some sort of drug or security blanket.

Here's the thing. My sister is a considerate person. She will rescue stray animals and she hates to see injustices in the world as much as I do. When I was going through postpartum depression, she called every single day until I was feeling better and my outlook on life wasn't so bleak. She defends the underdog and gets angry at those who have plenty and continue to hoard more for themselves. She's rails against the bullies of the world and stands up for the weak. She always tries to be respectful of others. Whether she knows it or not, this is Christianity's influence on her and on society as a whole. We take this for granted. When Christianity spread throughout the world, things started to change for the human race. It became less and less o.k. to brutally kill people for whatever reason. It became less and less every man for himself. Certain human ethics that we take for granted weren't always the norm. This isn't to say that everything turned into paradise or that Christians never participated in brutal acts and immoral behavior. But if you look at where Christianity spread and how society evolved afterward you'll notice a difference in basic fundamental human rights.

One example out of many is Mexico. The Aztec Indian culture would sacrifice children and other innocents in horrific ways. Yearly estimates of 20,000 to 40,000 people were killed in these rituals. The most recent estimate by a leading authority on Mexican demographics put that number up to 250,000 a year.
After the Conquistadors came, their were already Catholic missions set up for over a generation but only a handful of Indians converted to the Christian faith. Then in 1531, Our Lady appeared to a poor Indian, Juan Diego. She requested that a temple be built in her honor. The bishop demanded a sign when Diego told him of Our Lady's request. She provided several such as healing Juan's gravely ill uncle, Castilla roses in December and the famous image of Our Lady on Juan's tilma. Suddenly, Christianity exploded and within five years almost 6 million Indians converted to Catholicism. Sacrificing babies and other humans ceased. As a result, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness for the unborn.

This is one of the more extreme examples of how drastically a culture was changed because of Christianity. However, much of our basic moral principles are a result of the Christian faith. My mom often refers to us with our Italian heritage as "culturally Catholic."  These basic principles of the Catholic faith that much of our ancestry was immersed in was passed down from generation to generation and so now we take it for granted. We think those that are believers are just doing it to get greater meaning in life but otherwise, it isn't a necessary part of life.

The fact is, it is a necessary part of life and civilization does needs that sort of thing.