Everything You Know Is Wrong pt6

There were things about Christianity that I initially discovered in much the same way that most other people did.
I heard from people on the radio who discussed it either directly or indirectly, and I didn't miss the sarcasm or derision in their tone. I watched television programs that gave me information about the church, and I heard opinions from friends, teachers and acquaintances, all of whom added to the picture of what the Christian religion was all about. Much of it made sense, and most of the arguments against Christianity were appealing to my non-conformist side, and I found it all to be a most excellent view on religious things, except for one small detail; none of it was true. As often as it happens, there are few things as unfortunate as a compelling argument that happens to be false.

Let me give some examples to illustrate this.
Firstly the claims that were made were as follows.
1. Christianity is irrelevant in today's world and to today's modern person.
2. If the church had its way it would take us back to the Dark Ages of ignorance.
3. Religion is the cause of the majority of the world's bloodshed.
4. Church is full of pious hypocrites singing boring hymns.

These claims made sense considering the arguments and evidence that seemed to support them. Unfortunately for the proponents of these claims, they are not true.
1. Christianity is very relevant to today. Have you ever read any of the Bible? Everywhere there are pieces of wisdom that provide cultural and sociological answers to our current problems that are the root of our unhappiness. The sermons of Christ alone if applied to modern life would transform the world through every person that lived in such a way as Christ suggests. Of course there are many things not mentioned in the bible, such as mobile phones, and computers, but all these things are just stuff. How we deal with stuff, and people for that matter is what is important, and the Bible covers these topics comprehensively.
2. The church was actually responsible for the world coming out of the Dark Ages. It was the Christians who built up libraries of books, and the Monks who were almost solely responsible for the preservation of ancient documents. When I look at how many brilliant people throughout history have contributed to the progress of society, science, and humanity in general, I find that overwhelmingly they are born out of a Christian framework of thinking. The majority of great scientists over the years were Christians or believed in a biblical framework of the world. A ranking of the 100 most influential scientists can be found at http://www.adherents.com/people/100_scientists.html which contains a clear majority of believers in God. To name just a few: Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Galileo, and Copernicus. In fact, in the top ten of the most influential Scientists of all time, 9 out of the 10 are theists with possibly 8 of them Bible believing Christians.
3. Again, has anyone of these people who say these things actually read the Bible? Christianity is the antithesis of war and bloodshed. Every doctrine and belief is the opposite to that which creates war and bloodshed. The truth is that men in their foolish thinking create wars, and even the Crusades could not have possibly been supported from biblical teaching no matter how obtuse. There may however, be a valid claim against Islam for inciting war and bloodshed, because their scriptures, the Koran, actually supports violence and murder against unbelievers, and promises eternal glory for those who die in such an endeavour. Christianity on the other hand with its "turn the other cheek" and "love your enemies" attitudes is peace promoting and reconciliatory.
4. The church is not full of hypocrites, in fact there is plenty of room for more. Jokes aside however, the truth is that people who understand the basic doctrine of Christianity never claim to be perfect, and in fact honest believers will say that they are poor representatives of the beliefs that they hold, but they are daily being transformed into the people that they ought to be. True Christians are not pious in the negative sense that most people think, rather they are humble about their abilities, and honest about their shortcomings. Most of the churches I have been to have had very modern up-tempo music, some to the extent of being almost like rock concerts. Just do a search for contemporary Christian music and you will find all styles of music represented, some of it every bit as good as their secular counterparts. Of course you will find some churches echoing with ancient hymns, strange chants, and legalistic rituals, but that is the beauty of the diversity of God. Even people with bad taste in music can find a church that suits them.

There are plenty of other claims about Christianity out there, and easily as many refutations of these false claims. So where do you stand?
Is everything you know about Christianity wrong? Or have you never bothered to check the facts for yourself?