MY SIDE:- In response to C Roy Reynolds THE EDITOR, Sir; I SINCERELY ask for a space in your newspaper to respond to Mr. C. Roy Renolds' declarations that Christianity has done nothing but to contribute generously to evil by the crusades, intolerance by the inquisition and promotion of plain backwardness throughout history by their opposition to science (The Gleaner, March 26, 2001). Undoubtedly, there is a lot to be desired when the sins of the Church are to be examined. The crusades were an incorrect response to the many Christian pilgrims that were being forced to convert to Muslim or be killed, and to the destruction of the sanctuaries and sacred places of the Christians by the Muslims during their occupation of Jerusalem. Interestingly, while the Muslims were being consistent with the Koran, which sanctions the use of force (Koran 9:29), the Christians were not being consistent with this kind of fighting. Similarly, the inquisition represents one of the darkest moments in church history, which was set up to root out heresy by force. It is a reminder of the church's attempts at forbidding the translation of the Bible to the ordinary vernacular and putting to stake persons who translated or disbelieved the Bible. Further, the opposition by the church to Galileo's theory of the earth being round is another reminder that the church or the Bible does not provide all the answers to life. However, this does not mean that the church is a promoter of backwardness. One of the greatest organisations that helped to propel science and scientific advances was the Royal Society of London for Improving Knowledge. This organisation was comprised mostly of Christians, and was formed in a Christian college, Gersham College of London. Some of the greatest pioneer of science were committed Christians such as Blaise Pascal (computer, hydrostatics), Isaac Newton (calculus), Michael Faraday (electromagnetics), Robert Boyle (chemistry), Joseph Lister (antiseptic surgery), Louis Pasteur (bacteriology), James Simpson (gynaecology), and Charles Babbage (computer science) to name a few. Tell me Mr. Reynolds, where is the promotion of backwardness throughout history you so vehemently articulated? Throughout history, Christianity has contributed significantly to education. Many of the world's languages were first set to writing by Christian missionaries, in order for people to read the Bible for themselves. This is still true today, as the Wycliffe Bible Translators and others are carrying out this work in obscure areas of the world. The evangelical Christian John A. Comenius is known as the "father of modern education" and as the person who wrote the first textbook applying pictures as a teaching aid (The World in Pictures - 1657). Lower education is not the only gift of Christianity to the world, as the phenomenon of universities came from the Christian church. All universities go back to the prototypes of the medieval church, namely Oxford, Paris and Bologna. Throughout history, Christianity has made significant contributions in the realm of health and medicine. Hospitals as we know them began through the influence of Christianity. Saint Basil of Caesarea is credited with founding the first hospital, after the Christian Council of Nicea (325) declared that wherever the church was established hospitals were to be set up as well. Henry Dunant, a Christian, who was instrumental in the establishment of the YMCA, started the greatest humanitarian movement. The International Red Cross. Today we live with the positive effects of the work of the Christian man Dr. Louise Pasteur whose research gave rise to sterilisation, vaccines and pasteurisation. It would seem to me that Mr. Reynolds sweeping generalisations has done nothing more than to demonstrate his lack of knowledge and scholarly investigations concerning Christianity's contributing throughout history. Further, Mr. Reynolds' penmanship has shown his own "religious intolerance" for which he so desperately accuses the church. With respect to the church's opposition of Galileo's theory, I see this as quite natural for persons to express fear for the unknown in the form of opposition. However, I do not conclude that this fear makes an individual backward. Are we to say that oppositions to the idea of a Caribbean Court of Justice are a demonstration of backwardness by whoever does so? I think not. I am, etc ANTHONY WHITE email: whitelogos@hotmail.com PLEASE can send your articles, letters, suggestions and personal requests directly to the Religion Feature at: religion@gleanerjm.com or write us at Religion Feature, The Gleaner Company, 7 North Street, Kgn
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