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I would, and I suspect many of my conservative friends would, too.This concept is discriminatory against men and is based on a wage gap that does not actually exist.The first problem with this idea is that men are being punished for something over which they have no control.People get their gender when the sperm meets the egg and forms the gamete that eventually becomes a fully grown person. If the sperm has an X chromosome, the child will become a woman. If the sperm has a Y chromosome, the child will become a man.[1]None of this is within anyone’s control. I could not control whether or not the sperm that created me had an X or a Y chromosome. My dad could not control that, either. We cannot morally punish people for actions over which they had no control.Further, this idea assumes that men are the reason that a wage gap exists. If we assume that women do get paid less than men for the same work (which is something I will discuss later), that still does not make men culpable. I have no control over the salaries of my co-workers. If my female co-workers make less than me, that’s on the HR staff, not me.Creating a punitive tax policy to close the gender wage gap would unfairly punish men for things over which they have no control.The wage gap is a concept presented by progressive activists as evidence that women are victims of systemic sexism in the workplace.They argue that women make less money in the workplace based solely on their gender. Most calculations put the wage gap at 18%.[2] These statistics are used to bolster the arguments for the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would outlaw paying women less than men.[3]This would be a laudable goal if it wasn’t misguided.First, pay discrimination is already illegal. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 says the following:[4](1) No employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex in such establishment for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions, except where such payment is made pursuant to (i) a seniority system; (ii) a merit system; (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production; or (iv) a differential based on any other factor other than sex: Provided, That an employer who is paying a wage rate differential in violation of this subsection shall not, in order to comply with the provisions of this subsection, reduce the wage rate of any employee.In other words, you cannot pay women less than men.If this was a systemic problem, it would be common to see people sue companies under the Equal Pay Act and win.This, however, is not the case.Only about 4–6% of people who file equal pay claims are found to have reasonable cause for such an action. Conversely, almost 60% of cases are dismissed for lacking reasonable grounds.[5] Pay discrimination is the exception and not the rule.Furthermore, the wage gap is calculated using a weak methodology.The claim that women are paid 18% less than men comes from a generic average of the median salaries for women working full time and men working full time.[6] It ignores a couple of critical variables.Men work more than women.An average man will spend almost an entire hour more at work per day than women. This translations to over 250 hours per year. Men work more than women when controlling for hours worked and when controlling for number of weekend days worked.[7] If we were to start paying women exactly as much as men, then it would be unfair to the men because they spend so much more time at work.Men also tend to work in higher paying professions* than women.The highest paying professions are:[8]Anesthesiology (about 75% male)[9]Surgery (about 80% male)[10]Oral Surgery (94% male)[11]The lowest paying professions are:[12]Journalism (about 70 % male)[13]Social Work and Counseling (83% female[14] and 90% female, respectively[15])Teaching (about 76% female)[16]It is natural for men to make more money if they work, on average, in more lucrative careers.When you control for any significant factor in determining how much you make, the wage gap decreases to 2 cents per dollar.[17]If there really was a systemic wage gap between men and women, there would be a wage gap that is much larger than a mere statistical anomaly.I’m in opposition to the wage gap tax because it is based on a concept that does not exist and it unfairly punishes people for things over which they have no control.*A profession for this analysis is defined as a skilled field of work that allows people of both genders to participate. One of the lowest paying professions is ministry, but many religions ban female ministers.[18]Relaxed. Researched. Respectful. War Elephant.Footnotes[1] Boy or girl? It's in the father's genes[2] Quick Facts About the Gender Wage Gap - Center for American Progress[3] Equal Pay for Equal Work: Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act[4] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission[5] Equal Pay Act Charges (Charges filed with EEOC) (includes concurrent charges with Title VII, ADEA, ADA, and GINA) FY 1997 - FY 2019[6] Quick Facts About the Gender Wage Gap - Center for American Progress[7] Time spent working by full- and part-time status, gender, and location in 2014[8] 25 Highest Paid Occupations in the U.S. for 2019[9] Pay, But Not Equity, Improves For Female Anesthesiologists[10] The More Women In The Operating Room, The Better For Doctors And Patients[11] Contour August 2018 [12] Careers to Avoid: Lowest-Paying Professional Jobs[13] The Status of Women in U.S. Media 2019 - Women’s Media Center[14] The Social Work Gender Gap[15] Women Outnumber Men in Mental Health Profession - GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog[16] Characteristics of Public School Teachers[17] Gender Pay Gap Statistics for 2020 | PayScale[18] Ordination of women - Wikipedia

The positive cultural influence of the Christian Church is too vast to enumerate in detail in less than a series of books. Its influence is not limited to the West, as it spread beyond the Western Empire in the days of Rome, in its first centuries, and has continued to spread around the world in the centuries since. For the most part, its influence has been more good than not wherever it has gone, and attempting to even list it all would be a very long list indeed.However, in answer to this question, I have chosen to limit a sampling of examples to the West, and to the limited time period of Early Christianity up to the Middle Ages. I have picked a few examples of influence I see as the paradigm altering, watershed, kind.The Christian church has continued, to this day, to be a cultural influence for good all around the world, but the history from the 1400s on is even more extensive—and complex—than what preceded it, so please accept—these limitations I have imposed are my limitations—and not the limitations of the church.Christianity altered the paradigm concerning:SexWomenCharityPreservation of literacyMonks and NunsBenedict’s RuleSkills and EducationSocial StructureCharles Martel Stopped IslamScienceArts and HumanitiesPainting, sculpture and architectureMusicLawHuman ValueHuman RightsSlaveryDemocracyFirst to Fourth Century (30–500)Sex — Let’s talk about sex—not just because it’s fun—but because changes here are among the most powerful, yet most overlooked, of all the many positive changes Christianity brought.“The gradual transformation of the Roman world from polytheistic to Christian marks one of the most sweeping ideological changes of premodern history. At the center of it all was sex.”[1]Historian Kyle Harper says:"...the triumph of Christianity not only drove profound cultural change, it created a new relationship between sexual morality and society...The legacy of Christianity lies in the dissolution of an ancient system where social and political status, power, and social reproduction (passing on social inequality to the next generation) scripted the terms of sexual morality."That ancient system was built on status and used shame to enforce itself. Shame was not personal guilt so much as a social concept: breaking the rules had profound and far-reaching social consequences. Aristocratic men had status; women had little, and slaves had no status at all, therefore, as far as the Romans were concerned, slaves had no internal ethical life and were incapable of shame. This permitted Roman society to find both a husband's control of a wife's sexual behavior as a matter of intense importance, and at the same time, see his live-in mistress and sex with young slave boys as of little concern.Paul wrote that the body was a consecrated space, a point of mediation between the individual and the divine. His over-riding sense that gender—rather than status or power or wealth or position—was the prime determinant in the propriety of the sex act was momentous. It was a transformation in the deep logic of sexual morality.The Greeks and Romans said our morality depends upon our social position which is given to us by fate; that there is inequity in that is not a moral issue that concerned them. Christianity "preached a liberating message of freedom.” It was a revolution in the very image of the human being as a sexual being, free to choose, and personally responsible for that choice to God alone. It created a revolution between society and the individual, limiting society’s rights and claims on the individual as a moral agent.Whether or not Paul’s particular teaching on gender is still agreed with or not, the historical facts show that the Christian view that the powerful should be held to the same standards of sexual accountability as those without power has since become the norm of a just society.Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena (1835) by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov.Women [2]Early Christianity — Some historians hold that the Church played a considerable part in fostering the inferior status of women by providing a "moral justification" for male superiority. However, the Church has also made enough positive contributions toward women that, on balance, I am going to say the overall impact has been more positive than negative.Understanding that involves understanding context—what was there before, and without, Christianity.In antiquity, there were no Near Eastern societies that were not patriarchal, so patriarchalism and male superiority were not unique to the Old Testament. All around the Mediterranean, patriarchy was established as the norm in all of the multiple different societies before 3000 BC and they did not change for millennia—until Christianity.[3]Women were seen as intellectually and physically inferior to men and as "naturally dependent" by Sumerians, and Babylonians, by the Hittites, the Greeks and the Romans—all of them. Some philosophers speculated that women were a different race not fully human like men. Athenian women were legally classified as children regardless of age and were the "legal property of a man at all stages in her life." Women everywhere, including the Roman Empire, had limited legal rights and could not enter professions.It was common in the Greco-Roman world to expose female infants because of the low status of women in society. Many exposed children died, but many were taken by speculators who raised them to be slaves or prostitutes. Female infanticide and abortion were practiced by all classes. The church forbade these practices to its members.Christians did not believe in cohabitation, so if a Christian man wanted to live with a woman, the church required marriage; the pagan double standard of allowing married men to have extramarital sex and mistresses was forbidden. This gave women far greater security.It was not rare for pagan women to be married before the age of puberty and then forced to consummate the marriage with her often much older husband. Christianity established a minimum age for marriage.Husbands could divorce their wives at any time simply by telling the wife to leave; wives could not. In the code of Hammurabi, a woman could sue for divorce, but if she couldn’t prove she had been an exemplary wife, she was drowned for making the request.Roman law required a widow to remarry; 1 Timothy says a woman is better off if she remains unmarried. Widows in Greco-Roman society could not inherit their husband's estate and could find themselves in desperate circumstances, but almost from the beginning the church offered widows support.Women were an important part of Jesus’ inner circle, and there is no record of him ever treating a woman with less than respect. He spoke to women in public, assumed they had responsibility for their own choices, taught Mary of Bethany, admired, forgave, accepted and approved them. Christianity never fully lost sight of this as a fulfillment of God creating humans in His image as both “male and female.” Along with Paul declaring a Christian is a Christian, male or female, in Galatians 3:28, this produced a kind of “metaphysical” equality found only in Christianity at this point in history. [4]The church started out trying to practice this at first. The extra-biblical evidence is strong that women played vital roles in Christianity’s beginnings. Many women began choosing to stay single and celibate, and they spread the word, but this “female initiative” stirred up vehement opposition from the Romans.According to Margaret MacDonald, accusations that Christianity undermined the Roman family, which was built upon male authority, were used to stir up hatred of Christianity. Along with many other rumors and accusations, this led to the persecution of the early church.[5]Some of the later New Testament texts reasserting traditional roles for women are seen by many scholars as an accommodation to the danger involved with this Roman response.Within the church of the second and third century, tensions between the existing fact of women's leadership in Christian communities, and traditional Greco-Roman and patriarchal biblical views about gender roles, combined with persecution, produced controversy and challenges to women’s roles within the new church. Several apocryphal and gnostic texts provide evidence of such a controversy.Middle Ages — Once the early days of Christianity were past, the status of women declined. Women were routinely excluded from scholastic, political and mercantile life in society, however, women were not fully excluded from service in the church. [6]Medieval abbesses and female superiors of female monastic houses were powerful figures whose influence could rival that of male bishops and abbots: “They treated with kings, bishops, and the greatest lords on terms of perfect equality;... they were present at all great religious and national solemnities, at the dedication of churches, and even, like the queens, took part in the deliberation of the national assemblies...” Such powers had never been, as a rule, available to ordinary women in previous Roman or Germanic societies.[7]There was a rite for the ordination of women deacons in the Roman Pontifical, (a liturgical book), up through the 12th century. (But by the 13th-century Roman Pontifical, the prayer for ordaining women was removed, and ordination was redefined as applicable only to male Priests.) [8]The popularity of the Virgin Mary secured maternal virtue as a central cultural theme of Europe in the middle ages and helped form the concept of chivalry. Kenneth Clarke wrote that the 'Cult of the Virgin' in the early 12th century "taught a race of tough and ruthless barbarians the virtues of tenderness and compassion".Woman-as-witch became a stereotype in the 1400s until it was codified in 1487 by Pope Innocent VIII who declared "most witches are female."The European witch stereotype embodies two apparent paradoxes: first, it was not produced by the "barbaric Dark Ages," but during the progressive Renaissance and the early modern period; secondly, Western Christianity did not recognize the reality of witches for centuries, or criminalize them until around 1400. Sociologist Don Swenson says the explanation for this may lay in the nature of Medieval society as heirocratic which led to violence and the use of coercion to force conformity."There has been much debate ...as to how many women were executed...[and estimates vary wildly, but numbers] small and large do little to portray the horror and dishonor inflicted upon these women. This treatment provides [dramatic] contrast to the respect given to women during the early era of Christianity..."Women under the Law —Church teaching heavily influenced the legal concept of marriage. In a departure from societal norms, Church law required the consent of both parties before a marriage could be performed. No more kidnapping and forced marriages.The elevation of marriage to a sacrament made the union a binding contract. The Church abandoned established tradition by allowing women the same rights as men to dissolve a marriage. (However, in practice, men have been granted dissolutions more frequently than women.)Women, in Conclusion[9]The church’s behavior toward women has been both positive and negative, but all in all, Christianity’s contribution has been more positive than negative.If nothing else could ever be said, Christianity’s treatment of women was a big improvement over what existed before it, and its belief in the spiritual equality of both genders before God, altered the paradigm for women forever.Historian of hospitals Guenter Risse says the Church spearheaded the development of a hospital system geared towards the marginalized.Charity/Hospitals — Prior to Christianity, there is little to no trace of any organized charitable effort anywhere in the ancient world. After centuries of Christian influence, charity has become a universal practice.[10]Albert Jonsen, historian of medicine, says:“the second great sweep of medical history begins at the end of the fourth century, with the founding of the first hospital at Caesarea in Cappadocia, and concludes at the end of the fourteenth century, with medicine well ensconced in the universities and in the public life of the emerging nations of Europe.” [11]That hospital was founded by Basil, Bishop of Caesarea. He established the first formal soup kitchen, hospital, homeless shelter, hospice, poorhouse, orphanage, reform center for thieves, women’s center for those leaving prostitution, and many other ministries. He was personally involved in the projects and process, and gave all his personal wealth to fund the ministries.Basil himself would put on an apron and work in the soup kitchen. These ministries were given freely regardless of religious affiliation. Basil refused to make any discrimination when it came to people who needed help saying that “the digestive systems of the Jew and the Christian are indistinguishable.”His example spread throughout Christianity continuing to the modern day.In the modern day, across the world, various Christian denominations are still the ones largely responsible for the establishment of medical clinics, hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens, and schools of all kinds.The Catholic Church maintains a massive network of health care providers. In 2009, Catholic hospitals in the USA received approximately one of every six patients. Catholic Health Australia is the largest non-government provider of group-health, community care, and aged-care services, representing about 10% of the health sector.Women have played a vital role in running and staffing these Christian care institutions. In Methodist hospitals, deaconnesses who trained as nurses staffed the hospitals, and in Catholic hospitals, religious like the Sisters of Mercy, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the Sisters of St.Mary kept their hospitals focused on serving the needy. The New York Times noted that nuns were trained to "see Jesus in the face of every patient."In the West, these institutions are increasingly run by lay-people after centuries of being run by priests, nuns and brothers, and while the profit motive has stepped in, it does mean more people are taking responsibility for caring for the poor than ever before. In Western nations, governments have increasingly taken up funding and organization of health services for the poor. In 1968, nuns or priests were the chief executives of 770 of America's 796 Catholic hospitals. By 2011, they presided over 8 of 636 hospitals.[12]All over the West, charity is now a societal standard that simply didn’t exist prior to Christianity’s existence.[13]"After the Battle of Gravelotte. The French Sisters of Mercy of St. Borromeo arriving on the battle field to succor the wounded." Unsigned lithograph, 1870 or 1871.Dark Ages and the Early Middle Ages (500–800) [14]Preservation of Literacy — After the Fall of Rome, culture in the west returned to a subsistence agrarian form of life. Church scholars preserved literacy in Western Europe at this time, saving and copying Greek and Roman texts in their scriptoriums. For centuries following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, small monastic communities were practically the only outposts of literacy in all of Western Europe.…all through Europe, matted, unwashed, barbarians descended on the Roman cities, looting artifacts and burning books, when the Irish, who were just learning to read and write, took up the great labor of copying all western literature – everything they could lay their hands on. These scribes then served as conduits through which the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian cultures were transmitted to the tribes of Europe, newly settled amid the rubble and ruined vineyards of the civilization they had overwhelmed. Without this Service of the Scribes, everything that happened subsequently would be unthinkable.[15]Monks and Nuns [16]Benedict’s Rule — The period between 500 and 700, often referred to as the "Dark Ages," could also be designated the "Age of the Monk." Christian aesthetes, like St.Benedict (480–543) vowed a life of chastity, obedience, and poverty, and after rigorous intellectual training and self-denial, lived by the principles ‘work and pray’ following the “Rule of Benedict.” This “Rule” became the foundation of thousands of monasteries that spread across what is modern day Europe; "...certainly there will be no demur in recognizing that St.Benedict's Rule has been one of the great facts in the history of western Europe, and that its influence and effects are with us to this day."[17]Spread Skills and Provided Education— Monasteries were self-supporting models of productivity and economic resourcefulness teaching their local communities animal husbandry, cheese making, wine making and various other skills. They were havens for the poor, hospitals, hospices for the dying, and schools. Medical practice was highly important in medieval monasteries, and they are best known for their contributions to medical tradition, but they also made some advances in other sciences such as astronomy. These monks had impact on every level of society both directly and indirectly since all leaders of this period were educated by monks.[18]Changed Social Structure — The monastic movement also changed our social structure in ways that continue to affect us today. The formation of these organized bodies of believers, free from the political authority and familial authority that normally had the power to control an individual’s choices, gradually carved out a series of social spaces with some amount of independence and autonomy, thereby revolutionizing social history.Charles Martel Stopped Islam — (c. 457-751 CE) and his family played a crucial role in Western Europe’s transition from “ancient” to “medieval.”[19]By 727, Charles — “the Hammer”—has become King of what will one day become the nation of France. Charles wages long campaigns against the pagan Germanic tribes who constantly raid his northern and eastern borders - Frisians, Saxons and Bavarians. He also lends strong support to the missionary activities of St. Boniface hoping that conversion to Christianity will tame the heathens enough to stop this raiding. It is not fully effective, but it sets the stage for his grandson’s actions that do change the landscape of Europe.The Hammer’s main positive role involves the Arabs who, since their arrival in 711, have gained a toehold on the European continent in the Spanish peninsula. The Arabs advanced rapidly northwards in their planned takeover of the continent and were soon beyond the Pyrenees. Narbonne was taken in 720 and an extended raid in 725 brought the Arabs briefly into Burgundy. There was a lull until 732 when a Muslim army took Bordeaux, destroyed a church near Poitiers and rode on towards Tours. Here the Arabs were confronted by an army of Franks led by Charles Martel and were stopped.It was a turning point in the attempted Muslim takeover of Europe.The Middle AgesSet of pictures of notable Scientists who self-identified as Christians: Isaac Newton (top left), Robert Boyle (top right), Francis Bacon (bottom left) and Johannes Kepler (bottom right).Science [20]Early in the eleventh century, the full writings of Aristotle were reclaimed in the West by intrepid monks who traveled to Spain to work with the Jews there translating Aristotle’s writings into Latin. (These writings had been mostly lost in the West but not in the East, and when the Muslims came to Europe, they brought their books.) The church’s study of these texts laid the foundation for the beginnings of modern science as well as our modern university system.Historians of science, including J.L.Heilbron, A.C.Crombie, David Lindberg, Edward Grant, Thomas Goldstein, and Ted Davis, have argued that the church promoted learning and science during the Middle Ages. Critics will raise the Church's condemnations of Copernicus, Galileo, and Johannes Kepler as evidence to the contrary— which is a valid criticism—but it should also be considered that these same men all considered themselves Christian, were influenced by their faith in their work, and were originally sponsored by their respective churches.The sheer number of scientists and the amount of scientific work and discovery done by Christians, (many of them funded and supported by the church), supports the assertion that, taking its failures into consideration, the church’s overall impact on science has still been positive.Saint Thomas Aquinas was one of the great scholars of the Medieval period.Thomas Aquinas—the friar—opened the door for the church’s promotion of scientific and intellectual development by arguing that reason is in harmony with faith, and that reason can contribute to a deeper understanding of revelation.[21] The church put that into practice. Churchmen such as the Augustinian abbot Gregor Mendel (pioneer in the study of genetics), the monk William of Ockham who developed Ockham’s Razor, Roger Bacon, (a Franciscan friar who was one of the early advocates of the scientific method), and the modern Belgian priest George Lemaître who was the first to propose the Big Bang theory, and others, have been among the leaders in astronomy, genetics, geomagnetism, meteorology, seismology, and solar physics, with many becoming the "fathers" of these sciences.Christians who influenced Western science include such notables as Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle, Albertus Magnus, Robert Grosseteste, Nicholas Steno, Francesco Grimaldi, Giambattista Riccioli, Roger Boscovich and Athanasius Kircher.[22]Henri Becquerel, discovered radioactivity; Galvani, Volta, Ampere, and Marconi, are pioneers in electricity and telecommunications; Lavoisier is the "father of modern chemistry"; Vesalius is the founder of the modern study of human anatomy; and Cauchy, is one of the mathematicians who laid the rigorous foundations of modern calculus.According to 100 Years of Nobel Prize (2005), (which is a review of Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000), 65.4% of all Nobel Prize Laureates have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference (423 prizes). Overall, Christians have won a total of 78.3% of all the Nobel Prizes in Peace, 72.5% in Chemistry, 65.3% in Physics, 62% in Medicine, 54% in Economics and 49.5% of all Literature awards.[23]It is not too much to say that modern science may never have begun without the influence and support of the Christian church, and it most certainly would not be what it is today without it.[24]Universities - The church of the middle ages helped found and build the university system, which grew rapidly in Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries. Today, there are more universities in the West than any other part of the world and almost all of them were founded as Christian institutions.[25]Map of mediaeval universities established by Catholic students, faculty, monarchs, or priestsArts and Humanities [26]Painting, Sculpture and Architecture — Artists like Michaelangelo, Da Vinci and Raphael produced some of the most celebrated works of art in history sponsored and supported by the church.[In the West] with a single exception, the great artists of the time were all sincere, conforming Christians. Guercino spent much of his mornings in prayer; Bernini frequently went into retreats and practised the Spiritual Exercizes of St.Ignatius; Rubens attended Mass every morning before beginning work. The exception was Caravaggio, who was like the hero of a modern play, except that he happened to paint very well. This conformism was not based on fear, but on the perfectly simple belief that the faith which had inspired the great saints of the preceding generations was something by which a man should regulate his life.The cathedrals of the Late Middle Ages are among the most iconic feats of architecture ever produced by Western civilization.Music — Catholic monks developed the first forms of modern Western musical notation; there would be no modern music as we know it without this.An enormous body of religious music has been composed for the church, with its support, and this sacred music led directly to the emergence and development of European classical music, and its many derivatives.Ludwig van Beethoven, composed many Masses and religious works, including his Ninth Symphony Ode to Joy.Law and Human Rights [27]Church laws were the single Universal Law common to the different jurisdictions and peoples throughout Europe for much of European history.Human Value[28]If we turn to the roots of our western tradition, we find that in Greek and Roman times not all human life was regarded as inviolable and worthy of protection. Slaves and 'barbarians' did not have a full right to life and human sacrifices and gladiatorial combat were acceptable... Spartan Law required that deformed infants be put to death; for Plato, infanticide is one of the regular institutions of the ideal State; Aristotle regards abortion as a desirable option; and the Stoic philosopher Seneca writes unapologetically: "Unnatural progeny we destroy; we drown even children who at birth are weakly and abnormal.” And whilst there were deviations from these views..., it is probably correct to say that such practices...were less proscribed in ancient times. Most historians of western morals agree that the rise of ...Christianity contributed greatly to the general feeling that human life is valuable and worthy of respect.[29]Human Rights — Christian theology has strongly influenced Western philosophers and political activists in many ways, but nowhere more than in the area of human rights. Howard Tumber says, "human rights is not a universal doctrine, but is the descendent of one particular religion (Christianity).""...one cannot and need not deny that Human Rights are of Western Origin. It cannot be denied, because they are morally based on the Judeo-Christian tradition and Graeco-Roman philosophy; they were codified in the West over many centuries, they have secured an established position in the national declarations of western democracies, and they have been enshrined in the constitutions of those democracies." [30]Saint Peter Claver worked for the alleviation of the suffering of African slaves brought to South America.Slavery — The Church initially accepted slavery as part of the social structure of society, campaigning primarily for humane treatment of slaves but also admonishing slaves to behave appropriately towards their masters.[31] However, historian Glenn Sunshine says,Christians were the first people in history to oppose slavery systematically. Early Christians purchased slaves in the markets simply to set them free.Later, in the seventh century, the Franks..., under the influence of its Christian queen, Bathilde, became the first kingdom in history to begin the process of outlawing slavery....In the 1200's, Thomas Aquinas declared slavery a sin.When the African slave trade began in the 1400's, it was condemned numerous times by the papacy.[32]The British became involved in the slave trade in the late 1500s, and by the 1700s, most people accepted slavery as a fact of life, until gradually, from the mid-1700s onwards, a Christian abolitionist movement began to take shape. It began with American Quakers.Slavery was also coming under attack from Enlightenment philosophers like Montesquieu and Rousseau, but it was Christian activists who initiated and organised an abolitionist movement.By the 1770s, Evangelicals were waking up to the seriousness of the issue – the British Methodist John Wesley and the American Presbyterian Benjamin Rush denounced the slave trade in influential pamphlets. Once the British Abolition Committee was established in 1787, abolitionism quickly became a mass movement. Within twenty years, the slave trade had been abolished throughout the British Empire. [33][34]Christianity was instrumental in stopping slavery. If you don’t think it was Christianity that made the difference, read this: John Dewar Gleissner's answer to What are some mind-blowing facts about slavery?Consistent with Calvin's political ideas, Protestants helped create both the English and the American democracies.Christianity is criticized for many things, some of them justly. David Gushee says Christianity has a "tragically mixed legacy" when it comes to the application of its own ethics, using the examples of three cases of "Christendom divided against itself": the crusades, and Frances of Assissi’s attempt at peacemaking with Muslims; Spanish conquerors and the killing of indigenous peoples, and the Christian protests and fights for Native rights; and the on-again, off-again, persecution and protection of Jews. [85]But we have also gotten a few things right here and there.I have borrowed from the article Role of Christianity in civilization - Wikipedia but I did attempt to limit myself to those sections of the article I wrote myself. Here are some of my references:Footnotes[1] From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity (Revealing Antiquity): Kyle Harper: 9780674072770: Amazon.com: Books[2] A Short History of Christianity: Geoffrey Blainey: 9781442225893: Amazon.com: Books[3] Amazon.com: Sexual Morality in Ancient Rome (9780521859431): Rebecca Langlands: Books[4] The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism: Timothy Keller: 9780525950493: Amazon.com: Books[5] Early Christian Women and Pagan Opinion[6] Amazon.com: Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages) (9780415969444): Margaret C. Schaus: Books[7] CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Abbess[8] Get the facts in order: A history of women's leadership[9] Society, Spirituality, and the Sacred: A Social Scientific Introduction, Second Edition: Donald S. Swenson: 9780802096807: Amazon.com: Books[10] Christian Charity in the Ancient Church - Kindle edition by Gerhard Uhlhorn. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.[11] A Short History of Medical Ethics: 9780195134551: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com[12] Nuns, a ‘Dying Breed,’ Fade From Leadership Roles at Catholic Hospitals[13] Giving: Charity and Philanthropy in History: Robert H. Bremner: 9781560008842: Amazon.com: Books[14] A History of Orthodox, Islamic, and Western Christian Political Values: Dennis J. Dunn: 9783319325668: Amazon.com: Books[15] Amazon.com: How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History Book 1) eBook: Thomas Cahill: Kindle Store[16] Amazon.com: 9783319325668: Books[17] Benedictine Monachism[18] Christian Community in History: Volume 1: Historical Ecclesiology: Roger D. Haight: 9780826416308: Amazon.com: Books[19] Charles Martel : the Military Leader and Frankish Defender: History and Civilization Collection: 9782366593624: Amazon.com: Books[20] 100 Scientists Who Shaped World History[21] St. Thomas Aquinas and the Natural Law Tradition: Contemporary Perspectives: John Goyette, Mark S. Latkovic, Richard S. Myers: 9780813213781: Amazon.com: Books[22] Faithful to Science[23] 100 Years of Nobel Prizes: Baruch Aba Shalev: 9780935047370: Amazon.com: Books[24] 50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God[25] Amazon.com: A History of the University in Europe: Volume 1, Universities in the Middle Ages (9780521361057): Hilde de Ridder-Symoens: Books[26] The Western Humanities: The Complete Edition: Roy T. Matthews, F. Dewitt Platt: 9780874847857: Amazon.com: Books[27] Amazon.com: The Routledge Companion to Early Christian Thought (Routledge Religion Companions) (9780415442251): D. Jeffrey Bingham: Books[28] The Sacredness of Human Life: Why an Ancient Biblical Vision Is Key to the World's Future: David P. Gushee: 9780802844200: Amazon.com: Books[29] Text, Cases and Materials on Medical Law and Ethics: Marc Stauch, Kay Wheat: 9781138024021: Amazon.com: Books[30] The Routledge Companion to Media and Human Rights[31] The Truth About the Catholic Church and Slavery[32] Why You Think the Way You Do[33] The abolition of the slave trade: Christian conscience and political action by John Coffey - Jubilee Centre[34] The Abolitionists

*Notice - My answer to the question, I consider this a too huge subject to write about my country, so let me write down the things I only have seen, known, or heard about its characteristics.As a Japanese national living in Japan for almost my entire time so far, I can show you what I think that my country can give you the edge over the world.Infrastructure - train/bus services are punctual and on the schedule overall; clean traffic roads that cannot almost be found roughness and unevenness; an extremely purified water technology that people can drink safely from the tap.Assembled lines of Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen. “The Bullet Trains” are rested at the train depot that operates its running from Tokyo (the capital city of Japan) to Hakata (the entrance of Kyushu Mainland, the West part of Japan) - in about 5 hours. - courtesy by Shinkansen0-n700 - Shinkansen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Culture of People, Places, etc 2 | Pinterest | Train, Japan train and Train stationTrains are a common means of transport for Japan’s infrastructure in big cities. While highways take on conveying people and goods from place to place.Above is a snapshot of local trains and subways that are crisscrossing symbolizes Tokyo’s railway scene; while the below shows back-and-forth busy traffic expressways heading each other for opposite destinations. - a picture above, courtesy by http://www.hottm.info/MT-5.2.9/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=3%2C7%2C9%2C2%2C8%2C4%2C1%2C5&search=%E4%B8%B8%E3%83%8E%E5%86%85%E7%B7%9A; and a picture below, courtesy by How To: Transportation List of articles - LIVE JAPAN“The Rainbow Bridge” was established in 1987 to connect office and waterfront areas in the south of Tokyo where people make towards the newly expansive hub of transportation, upscale living in a slew of high-rise condominiums, events, and science, etc. - courtesy by ALL-IN-ONE WALLPAPERS505km per hour! A super-fast train called MAGLEV (MAGnetic LEVitation), the latest technology that an object can run with acceleration by floating a little bit from the rail is said to be launched in around 2027 from Tokyo to Nagoya in 40 minutes, now conducting its test phase. The current service runs the distance for 90 minutes, which sounds even faster for me! - courtesy by First Passengers Ride on Japan's 311mph 'Floating' Maglev Train!Culture - Culture in Japan encompasses many and a lot of things to enjoy and appreciate - old and new, from quaint traditional Shinto/Buddhist temples; Noh, Kabuki; seasonal and regional festivities to ubiquitous vending machines; world-renowned, various, savory, scrumptious, and nutritious food - from small diners to upscale dining establishments; multitudes of colorful landscapes from agricultural fields; traditional to modern houses; public buildings to cutting-edge skyscrapers; as well as scores of world heritage sites across the country.Breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji - looking over from Arakurayama-Sengen Park, is a famous tourist spot to include the tallest mountain in Japan, full-bloomed cherry trees as well as a traditional temple of five-storied-pagoda, invoking a symbol of the early spring season of Japan.The mountain has been revered as a "deity" of its presence from a long time ago. The increasing numbers of Japanese, as well as foreign tourists, are trying to climb the mountain to honor and glorify its grandeur from atop the mountain at 3,376m. - courtesy by Japanese Dance FestivalThe twilight landscape of Tokyo Sky is about to transform from busyness to a nightly lifestyle.Tokyo Skytree, in the center, is Japan's and the world’s tallest electronic tower stood at 634 meters (2080 inches) high, presents a new landmark of Tokyo since 2012, is one of the spectators' hotspots.Tokyo is the capital city of Japan. It is a hub for politics, economy, culture, academy, diplomacy, and multitudes of means since 1868, to proclaim Japan's opening to the world. Its city celebrated 2018 for marking the 150th anniversary.Its megalopolis and outskirts of Tokyo cover approximately 34,000,000 people account for the largest populace in the world. - courtesy by https://jetair-japan.com/2018/07/22/what-are-things-to-do-in-tokyo-5-places-to-visit-in-tokyo-selected-by-a-japanese-university-student/A view from “Yanaka Ginza,” a quaint downtown area in the metropolitan part of Tokyo. The picture toward the center overlooks brick-and-mortar stores, and shops that connect local humane bonds with friendliness and affordability.This kind of time-honored shopping street, you can find almost anywhere near railway stations in Japan. - courtesy by Yanaka Tokyo PantipCutting-edge-looking buildings are dotted with many big cities. “Omotesando and Harajuku” in central Tokyo, represent one of the fashion trendsetting scenes in Japan: (from left to right) WeWork Harajuku, PRADA, and Dior buildings. - courtesy by The Architectural Grandeur of Omotesando, Tokyo“It’s a SONY!” It was a familiar slogan during the 1980s to 1990s in a Japanese TV commercial. Now, the company changed its hands what the picture above tells us.Not only the company mentioned, Japan still has been an instrumental figure for producing electronic products to the world - digital TVs, cameras, refrigerators, semiconductors, cars, and space products as well - are a key economic powerhouse of the country.What they “make” and “believe,” is to deliver their “precision” and “efficiency” to the world. - courtesy by Electronics firms need to act fast | The Japan TimesOn the other hand, Glittering, flamboyant night-life in Tokyo. female dancers with an electrified design car entertain foreign tourists in “The Robot Restaurant” in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo, one of the largest nightlife entertainment districts in Japan. - courtesy by Shinjuku“Hello, Mr. President, my name is ASIMO, nice to meet you.” A humanoid robot spoke to and welcomed a former US President Barack Obama, by opening its arms; and the President looked impressed to follow the gesture.After that, ASIMO played a catch of soccer ball toward President Obama, making him say, “Hey, good job! Excellent.” upon catching a ball from a robot - gripped his visit to Nihon Mirai Kagaku Kan (Japan Future Science Museum) in the bay area of Tokyo, in spare moments of the Japan-US Summit, in Tokyo, April 2016. - courtesy by https://www.topsimages.com/images/president-obama-japan-4e.html“Kimono,” is a traditional and colorfully designed dress mainly worn by women. Like the garments in which two people on the picture left, are manufactured by craftspeople. They deftly sew high-end cotton materials mixed with many colors of threads into elaborate, and decorated designs, which its dress is usually worn in this country for ceremonial occasions.As the dress is very expensive, yet time-consuming, they usually borrow materials from Kimono rental shops and prepare for setting up themselves from casual clothes into formal, and traditional Japanese attire.The photo above was taken at a “Coming of The Age Day - Seijin no Hi,” which is held every 10th of January in the cold winter season to celebrate the mark of people becoming adulthood of 20-years-of-age.Girls virtually become Women, which on that day, they almost all dress up themselves in gorgeous Kimonos, and some wear formal suits. While boys turn to themselves as men, they wear “Hakama,” traditional men’s clothing, which was worn in the feudal period, or modern suits. The men tend to prefer the latter ones, overall.The law for the day was revamped that adulthood is changed as current “20 years old” to “18 years old” from 2022. - courtesy by Coming-of-Age Day incites rite of passage | Stripes JapanThis is another ceremonial scene in Kimono and Hakama with dozens of people and looks rather serious. This is a traditional marriage ceremony that taken place at Meiji Jingu, one of the largest Shinto shrines in central Tokyo.Bridesmaid in black and grey attire represents “nobility,” and “joyousness” for grey; while women’s kimono, called “Shiromuku,” means “pure whiteness.”Nowadays, many Japanese couples tend to choose Western Wedding Style on their preference, while small portions of the Western bridegroom in Japan, tend to opt for Japanese Style. - courtesy by En traditionell japansk bröllopsceremoninRice cultivation in Japan is said to have started, say, about 3,000 years ago or so, which rice grain is the staple food for the Japanese as well as people of the north and southeast Asia.Farmers plant rice seedlings around early to late April on their paddies with an adequately soft mud state. Rice grows through spring and summer in the warm and hot season, then it is cultivated around late September to early October.With its round, a sticky quality called “Japonica Rice,” is cultivated mainly in East Asian regions of approximately 15% production share in the world, which amount fulfills the sufficient provision in the country, and export some quality rice outside of Japan.In addition to ordinary use in the consumption of rice, it is used for multiple forms.The rice can transform into “sake,” Japanese wine by fermenting it; “senbei” as rice cake to bake it; “bifun” as rice vermicelli which is to boil and fry it; a quantity of ground rice powder mixed with water makes “dango” as dumplings, etc.- courtesy by 収穫の秋～米の収穫はじまる～ | 北海道上ノ国町So much snow has been covered with traditional Japanese inns. This is a winter season in "Ginzan (Silver Mountain) Onsen (hot springs )" in Yamagata Prefecture of Tohoku Region, which is northeast of Japan.In the 2000s, there was a famous Caucasian American Okami (female inn master) who was covered in the Japanese media who would welcome customers in kimono style with Japanese hospitality, “Omotenashi.”Believe it or not, Japan is actually the heaviest snowfall country in the world where many foreign tourists enjoy skiing as well as snow sightseeing especially from southern countries, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Australia alike. - courtesy by http://the.trip-u.com/18641What are you putting up a resort place in Key West - Florida, Bermuda in the Caribbean Sea, or the Maldives? The picture has nothing to do with Japan!Nope, you’re in the wrong! This super-crystal beach is located in the southernmost prefecture in Japan, Okinawa. It is one of the most tropical destinations in the country which is the closest place to Taiwan. This region is almost always tropical with its unique Okinawan culture, which seldom seems to welcome winter as almost all other regions of Japan brace for the bleak climate.The size of Japan ranks at the 62nd among 194 UN registered nations, but its ocean size has immense 10-folds, with the official 6,852 islands. - courtesy by https://taiken.co/single/special-coverage-on-kume-island-kumejima-one-of-the-outlying-islands-of-okinawa-only-30-minute-flight-away-from-naha-okinawa/Food - Japanese cuisine is so diverse that one cannot tell what it is all about in single words, which renders you to be pleasing to the eye, delicious, yet makes you healthy with low calories.The Japanese cuisine, called “Washoku,’' was enlisted in UNESCO’s intangible cultural assets in 2013.The picture is a typical Japanese cuisine that is served at traditional inns, like the snow-capped lodge in Yamagata I described in the picture a little above.In which food is served with rice, vegetables, soybean soup, and fish are eye-catching, delectable, yet nutritious which contributes to the well-balanced diet as well as the longevity of this country. - courtesy by http://www.japan-kyushu-tourist.com/blog-00043156/The picture above is “ramen,” a noodle that can be mistaken for Chinese food; but it’s actually not. It did come from China, but someone Japanese in the olden days applied the style to the Japanese palate.Now, it is Japan’s one of the most common casual foods eaten at noodle stands and restaurants, and so on.While a cup noodle, a noodle-set manufactured at noodle factories is usually eaten at home, in-and-out workplaces, etc., is also well-known for its convenience.The difference is that the former one, noodle masters, stick to their philosophy. For the taste is delivered to customers for their hand-made/machine-made forms of noodle, their invented soup, and with the owners’ choice of assorted kinds of toppings - be it eggs, fish, seaweed, pork, and vegetables; others take on fruits, cheese, and even, chocolate and caviar(!) - is becoming an avant-garde ramen trend in big cities in Japan.Not only in Japan but also in Southeast Asian regions, the Americas and Europe overall, ramen in addition to other Japanese foods, have been drawn on in mainly big cities of the world. - courtesy by Ramen Muku | Restaurants | Time Out Frankfurt“Trick or treat!” Some Japanese parents or artists conversely might scare children by making foods in the style of Halloween. No, this is a surprise from adults’ love for their kids to show how elaborately they make it into lunch, which we call “Kyara-ben,” as “character bento[lunch],” a unique idea of food likened by some symbolic objects. - courtesy by Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas Fab Motherhood tMedical technology and treatment - Like other European nations, Japan adopts Universal Healthcare System in which patients can have affordable health treatments with class medical treatment as well as technology.(*The image shown might be somewhat graphic) A surgery scene in a general hospital. Some surgeons are conducting an indirect surgical operation, called laparoscopic surgery by using metal-stick appliances to remove an ailment.Here in Japan, numerous hospitals and clinics can almost be found everywhere under the UHS; and some private clinics allow cosmetic practices that are not within its coverage.Japan’s life expectancy in such a medical environment along with its food culture, ranks as one of the highest in the world. - courtesy by 杏林大学 ： ８K軽量カメラを用いた内視鏡外科手術を実施A Japanese medical researcher, Shinya Yamanaka, and John Gurdon in the United Kingdom were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for the discovery of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, known as iPS cells.This groundbreaking, world-acclaimed technique is to reprogram human cells into its initial stage, in which many kinds of incurable diseases could be cured what had been thought impossible.While several clinical trials have been conducted for patients since 2014, some of their intractable symptoms have been somewhat improved by iPS Cell treatment, such as eye disease called Macular Degeneration, heart disease, and so on.On November 9th, 2018, it was announced that the world’s first clinical trial on “Parkinson’s Disease” was conducted successfully at the University of Kyoto Hospital in Japan. - courtesy by Induced pluripotent stem cells could serve as cancerFurther iPS Cells treatment will be expected to advance in its way to cure unmet medical needs in the days to come.Safety - Crimes occasionally happen here, but here in Japan—it is basically safe. The great thing is that you don’t almost have to worry about walking in the night by yourself.Several Japanese police officers, are standing firmly to prevent pedestrians from heading towards?Well, this picture could be the scene that they are gathering to control a heavy influx of party-goers in Shibuya Halloween in central Tokyo (the capital city of Japan) in the evening to watch over that everyone can be safe and sound. - courtesy by https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00068/Hope my answer will work out for you.