What is a "Christian Country"?

[@magicvibrations5180]

It's so weird. Here in Denmark most people get baptized, confirmed, wedded, and buried in Christian churches, sing Christian psalms at christmas and teach the contents of the bible in schools. Yet no one really seems to believe in it? I feel like I was always told about Adam and Eve, Noahs ark, etc., as myths akin to Greek myths, whereas it seems many Christians around the world actually believe those stories happened in real life.

[@JJMcCullough]

When I was in Holland, I noticed that this was a big part of their secular culture as well. I wonder why some western Europeans can compartmentalize in this way?

[@magicvibrations5180]

@@JJMcCullough No idea, but I have a theory. I've heard many North American expats talk about the fact that religion is much more personal and taboo here. I think that leads to many people leaning to the status quo, which is to participate in traditions while neither supporting nor opposing them.

[@sempersuffragium9951]

I guess this was always the way Christianity evolved. When science progressed certain religious claims became untenable and were dumped in the "metaphor" category. It's no wonder then, that the most advanced countries seem to have purged their religion of all the untrue claims, and only keep the stories and the rituals. Which I happen to think is the best of both worlds. I come from a former socialist country, which did a lot to purge Christianity from the culture. This now results in a divide, whereby there are a lot of very definitely atheist people (even if they never deeply thought about these matters) and all (or at least a large number) of the believers are very definitely believers in the material claims of religion (probably because, when religion was under fire from the communists, those who only practiced it culturally were more likely to give it up). This now leaves someone like me - an atheist, with great respect for tradition, and community, and a shared ethic based on the texts which underpinned our civilisation for so long - in a rather uninhabited middle-ground position.

[@Extinctanimals22]

As an American living in rural Missouri most people here are biblical literalists if they are a Christian. Noah's Flood was an actual global flood that had all land based animals on the ark with 8 humans. Goliath was an actual giant that David killed. The Earth is only 6,000 years old, etc. It might get fuzzy depending on the person, but most people take it literally.

[@defaultkoala2922]

@@JJMcCullough It isn't just Europe, Japan has similar practice where Shintoism and Buddhism make for the most practiced religious traditions and aspects of it such as Shrine visits are common while the number of people who identify as these religions is very low.

[@randommodnar7141]

10:34 im sure somebody is gonna mention it, but theres the classic story about someone from ireland getting confronted and asked whether theyre protestant or catholic, they reply theyre atheist and they then ask " are you a protestant atheist or catholic atheist?" Cultural identity supercedes individual conviction

[@achmedaan]

I think Ireland is somewhat of a unique case in this sense though. Because replying "catholic" would imply that that person is likely descendant of native Irish people, whereas replying "protestant" would imply that that person is likely the descendant of Scottish settlers. So it is a question more about the cultural background, which would influence the person's view on the UK, Ireland, etc. I don't think this logic can be applied to "Christians" in other countries that don't have this historical background.

[@TankEngine75]

I saw that comment in WonderWhy's Northern Ireland video

[@wendyleeconnelly2939]

@@achmedaan Or Anglo Irish. But... there are Irish Methodists and Irish Quakers and the Plymouth Brethren and Irish Baptists... Those populations are not necessarily of Scots or English extraction. Ireland is more denominationally diverse than often implied.

[@RobertMProductions]

The late journalist Christoper Hitchens told an anecdote of being in Ireland (sometime after discovering he had Jewish ancestry) when he was pulled out of his car by a man in a balaclava and asked if he was "a Protestant or Catholic?!" Hitch responded "Atheist Jew" to which the man replied after a moment "...are you a PROTESTANT Atheist Jew?"

[@cfcreative1]

How about talk about Bill 36 since you care about politics or seem too and British Columbia or maybe you are just a distraction... hmmmm....

[@mjr_schneider]

Visiting my relatives in Germany, it struck me how their society is somehow both more secular and more Christian than ours. People seemed much more open about sex, irreverence and mockery of religion and yet even irreligious people constantly used religious expressions, every city and town is filled with crosses and Christian imagery and they celebrate many more Christian holidays than we do, like Pentecost and Corpus Christi. Goes to show you just how deep these influences go even when people have nominally ceased to believe.

[@LiveFreeOrDieDH]

A few years ago, I was surprised to learn that most Germans pay Kirchensteuer (Church Tax) that is withheld from their paychecks, based on what religion they were baptized or otherwise born into. It is collected by the government and distributed to the various religious organizations. Apparently, to stop paying the Kirchensteuer you must formally leave the church.

[@thetrashman3129]

by curiosity where is "ours" in your case?

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

And/Or it shows just how shallow nominal faith becomes when it’s imposed on people by the government or society.

[@jaymzx0]

@@LiveFreeOrDieDH A decidedly atheist German friend once told me he has no large concern paying the Kirchensteuer as by not paying it and (thereby) formally leaving the church could limit his job prospects. I understand there are a lot of 'religious' places of employment in Germany that aren't 'non-profit' such as typically found here in the US. I feel that this dichotomy is largely influenced by advantageous tax status in the US, and the lack of separation between the church and the state in Germany, however that is purely speculation on my part.

[@mjr_schneider]

@@thetrashman3129 Canada. I’m a third generation immigrant but we still have connections to our family in Germany.

[@scottodhonnchu5034]

I have had so many conversations with people here in Ireland where they'll readily admit, "I don't believe in any of it... But I'm still a Catholic". Which always seemed to me to confirm the cultural, and in the case of Ireland, ethnic nature of religious identity, above actually believing

[@michaelodonnell824]

I'm also Irish and I think the "Cultural Catholicism" would include specific Catholic practices like Church Baptisms, Communions, Weddings and funerals (including the way we Irish attend Everyone's funeral). That's quite different from what happens in the UK or US.

[@thefourthwall6839]

My dad was born catholic, got a theology degree, and then became an agnostic.

[@Blech-h9z]

I despise the Catholic church, but I will always be Catholic, because it's my heritage. So, yeah, culture. My love and respect for my ancestors is bound with it.

[@kiwiSTV]

@@michaelodonnell824 Yep it’s very similar for most Catholics here in the UK, I think because of a kind of half-joking snobbery towards protestants and a sense of responsibility to maintain and pass down Catholic rituals considering most of us are descendants of Irish immigrants.

[@jarrettlowery2802]

@@michaelodonnell824 yeah my grandfather was raised catholic in Northern Ireland and even though he attends Pentecostal services he still refers to himself as an "Irish Catholic"

[@thomasmartins2402]

It should be noted that Greek and Roman philosophy also had a great impact on the development of Western sociopolitical systems during the Age of Enlightenment and many of those pre-Christian teachings merged with Christian teachings.

[@juancristobalrojas9212]

Yes and that was thanks to St. Paul the Apostle

[@notabot5464]

Thank you! Let us not forget that for every religious scholar digging through the classics, there was another scientist excommunicated for suggesting the earth rotated around the sun. To suggest it was Christianity that led us to modernity, when it was so often used as a cudgel to prevent free thinking (and often still is) is an insult to our secular ancestors who risked everything to examine the world beyond the church's dogma.

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

This was happening before the Age of Enlightenment though. St Augustus was heavily influenced by neo-Platonic schools. Later St. Aquinas based a lot of his philosophy directly on Aristotle and merged them togther, to name but one example..

[@friedkeenan]

Yeah to say that Christianity created Western civilization is on the face of it absurd, surely ancient Greece and Rome count as "Western civilization", predating Christianity by centuries. That is not to say that Christianity did not play its part, it surely did, being wrapped up in very many parts of European life and culture for millennia, but to say that it is the originator of Western culture is horridly obtuse. And as you say, much of what those guys pointed towards Christianity as the originator of, i.e. individual rights, the scientific method, etc., comes from the Enlightenment, a byproduct of/a late stage of the Renaissance, when Europeans were looking back at ancient Greece and Rome. In fact, many Enlightenment philosophers (and indeed many US founding fathers) had a non-standard belief in God, deism being a prominent example. Christianity surely played a role in that process (of which the printing press is an obvious aspect), but to point to it as THE cause is too reductive to count as correct.

[@XenfareSpades]

Yeah the claim that Christianity revolutionized humanism turns my stomach

[@Jose-xf7kq]

Mexican-American here. I find it interesting that in the USA religious communities, church communities, often behave exactly the same as religious communities in Mexico. In the USA and Mexico, after mass, people I hardly know will ask me incredibly personal questions that, I feel, they have no right to be asking. In secular communities, this either doesn’t happen or happens less frequently. I fee that American Christian culture has more in common with Mexican Christian culture than it does with American secular culture, at least inasmuch as mannerisms and “friendliness” is concerned.

[@akay_2]

Just wanted to ask; What do you mean by "incredibly personal questions"?

[@WasatchWind]

I can't say I've really experienced this sort of thing - but of course, I am a Latter-day Saint, and we are quite an anomaly among religious people.

[@mrbukater2794]

In Mexico when you go to church it's usually a less personal less close knit community than in the USA. Here churches have mass all day every day and attendees vary from beggars outside to old ladies you see praying 24/7 to families that keep to themselves and you'll never see again that chose to go to that one church cause they were in the vicinity. Whereas in the USA church going involves a whole experience that often involves food events and intimate communities. I'm a devout Catholic and go to church every single sunday and holy days of obligation . I don't know a single person I go to church with they certainly don't talk to me at all.

[@rustydowd879]

I'm a New Englander and we are known as cold, unfriendly people. No one talks after mass here. We all just go home lol. Our pastor is Latin American and it drives him crazy.

[@Jose-xf7kq]

@@mrbukater2794 I’m also Catholic, and while you’re right about the begging and the general lack of community, I have been to a few churches in Mexico where after mass they sell tamales, tortas, and coffee beside the church and all of the parishioners stay and chat. I’ve also experienced American churches with no community. I guess a better of wording my experience is, “when there is church community in Mexico and the USA, the communities are similar in my experience when it comes to how people approach boundaries.”

[@cjthorp4805]

I'm a practicing Christian and have been one all my life. In college I had a boyfriend of Mexican descent who I assumed to be Christian for many reasons: he had a cross hung on his wall, he decorated an ofrenda with flowers and rosaries for Dia de los Muertos, he hung out with a youth group. I felt comfortable talking to him about my faith because I thought he quite obviously was on the same page. He was not. I found out a few months after we started dating and was heartbroken. I felt like he had quite literally lied to me. Where I had grown up (majority white Oregon), if you had crosses and Bibles and such, that meant you were a fully believing, practicing Christian. If you were not one, then you did not partake in any church services at all. It was more cleanly divided. I realize now he was just deeply attached to the faith-related traditions of Mexican culture and perhaps was not purposefully deceiving me.

[@SeasideDetective2]

Mexican doesn't seem to be that Catholic Christian to me. When I saw the movie COCO, I was shocked to see that when the characters died and crossed over into the afterlife, they were still skeletons for eternity! That goes directly against what most Christians teach about the soul's immortality and about bodily resurrection at the end of time. (Also, I couldn't help noticing that, in the movie, only Mexicans went to the afterlife. I thought Heaven was for everyone! Where were all the other races of people?) But then I researched the topic some more and learned that the more ghoulish aspects of Day of the Dead come from Aztec traditions, not European ones. The Aztec people did not share our revulsion toward corpses, and did not consider death to be scary or sad.

[@wendyleeconnelly2939]

@@SeasideDetective2 An example of the original culture shaping how Catholicism is understood and expressed, rather than Catholic theology fully taking over.

[@cute_axolotl]

@@SeasideDetective2 Yes, Day of the Dead is an indigenous tradition. Some people mistakenly think it's a Christian tradition due to the fact that it's practiced around the same time as All Saints' Day (which is due to Spanish influence).

[@cfcreative1]

How about talk about Bill 36 since you care about politics or seem too and British Columbia or maybe you are just a distraction... hmmmm....

[@whathell6t]

@@cute_axolotl Nevertheless, Day of the Dead is becoming more popular holiday in the USA, especially in the Southwest region; and slowly treading into Northeast.

[@videosefilmes22]

Can't believe Spiderman wrote a book about the history of Christianity

[@WasatchWind]

"Mr Stark - have you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior?"

[@thatpersonsmusic]

I was looking for this comment

[@masenformen]

After a book literally written by Mr. Stark himself

[@cfcreative1]

How about talk about Bill 36 since you care about politics or seem too and British Columbia or maybe you are just a distraction... hmmmm....

[@videosefilmes22]

@@cfcreative1 why are you responding to my comment with this?

[@LucasBenderChannel]

For a while, the conservative premier of my state had this recurring sentence about our culture: "We are christian-occidental-shaped with Jewish-humanist roots" ...and no, it's not easier to understand or less convoluted in the original German 😅

[@neillore7332]

Haha until you said "German" I was like, "Oh come ON, what State would elect a person who could put those words together into a sentence?"

[@LucasBenderChannel]

@@neillore7332 Haha. Yeah, it was my homestate of Bavaria. 😅

[@theoriginaledi]

As an evangelical Christian who heartily does NOT agree with the type of politics commonly associated with that group, I must say this title made me a little nervous at first. But I've never once seen JJ disrespect Christianity in itself (separately from the aforementioned political activity) even when he disagrees with it, so I felt like the topic was in pretty good hands. And of course I was right. This is, as always, a fantastic video. Well researched, well reasoned, well organized, well spoken, and extremely interesting. I cannot fully express how much I appreciate it.

[@JJMcCullough]

Thank you so much my friend

[@nickc.44]

Same

[@Arqane]

As the old, probably misattributed or inaccurate quote by Ghandi went: "I like your Christ, I don't like your Christians." Whether or not the quote is accurate, it's a useful sentiment. Very few people dislike any of what is known about Jesus. He was a nice guy who also taught others to think about how they treated others and to be kind to them. He was also persecuted for supposedly those simple, kind views. So he's an ultimate underdog story. Therefore, most people respect the simple basis of Christianity. Of course, that's the same for pretty much all religions. If people ever say something bad about a religion, it's usually because of how the practitioners act. It's not great to generalize that to the whole religion and others in it, but is a common human trait.

[@ianmaclarke1]

As a Christian I feel like I have to say of other faiths “I like your practitioners, I just don’t like what you believe”. Christian’s are broken failures of people. It’s God who is good.

[@AncientMiracle]

@@JJMcCullough you did a great job not hurting Christian feelings, but you did a horrible job actually challenging some of the asinine things you quoted.

[@canwegetashoutouttoworking2002]

A lot of people forget that Christianity is an eastern religion. When someone says Christian country, we all think of countries like Spain, Italy or Greece and forget countries like Ethiopia and Armenia.

[@jtgd]

I tend to refer to it as a mid east religion. Though the main regions of power today that practice it are in Europe, Jesus and biblical figures were mainly in the Middle East

[@Celtahye]

Thank you for pointing this out! Armenia was one of the most influential countries in the beginning of Christianity, im proud of my country 🇦🇲

[@FIVEBASKET]

True

[@videosefilmes22]

Armenia was actually the first Christian country

[@coop_cap]

As someone raised Catholic, I’d say … “maybe?” On the one hand, Christianity undeniably stems from Jewish thought (specifically the House of Hillel from the old Sanhedrin) and incorporates concepts from Zoroastrianism, etc. on the other hand, Hellenic and Germanic civilizations that later adopted civilizations are better understood as fear-based tribal societies where individualism could never have cropped up as much as it did without the unique ideas of Christianity infused with the unique ideas of Germanic and Hellenic civs. I do agree however that we need to credit nations like Armenia and Ethiopia with their own unique role in Christendom. Tl;Dr Christianity originates from the ‘East’ as in not Europe, but we should remember that it is a universal religion who’s ability to discern truth from other civilizations ultimately made the West what it is.

[@snaxolotl548]

the fact that 2 of the books used had a "stark" and a "tom holland" as their authors is hillarious to me

[@rowansamoilov5572]

I live in Czechia, which is seen as the most secular country of Europe with an overwhelming majority of citizens identifying as atheist or non-believers. However, culturally this country is very Christian, which I notice a lot as an outsider. The main holidays and traditions are Christian, there are expressions in the language that allude to Christianity and a lot of values that are considered Christian are very present.

[@jgee8421]

Well the biggest religion (2nd biggest belief system ) is Christianity

[@bnbcraft6666]

I always found it interesting that Czechia and Slovakia are very similar and different on one side Czechia is more secular and liberal and Slovakia is more Christian and conservative despite being very similar and share a lot of history

[@cfcreative1]

How about talk about Bill 36 since you care about politics or seem too and British Columbia or maybe you are just a distraction... hmmmm....

[@putnamreiter6809]

Is the Czech Republic not Czechia

[@WobstaCat]

​@@putnamreiter6809both are correct. You need only read the first line or so on Wikipedia to see this.

[@FairyCRat]

This sort of dilemma definitely applies to other religions. I remember some of my Turkish friends would react to other people calling Turkey a "Muslim country", by saying that they're actually secular, meaning their definition of a Muslim country is more political rather than cultural. Places they consider to be "Muslim countries" include many Arabic-speaking countries, Iran, Afghanistan, or Pakistan.

[@SethTheOrigin]

I think this is more due to Turks always having a chip on their shoulder. Their current authoritarian ruler has referenced his Muslim beliefs many times in trying to back up his questionable actions; together with the majority of people being Muslim and authorities favouring Muslims over atheists, I think it’s hard to argue.

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

Given that these countries have a theocratic bent to them, it can't really be helped. They are Muslim countries because of how much Islamic values directly inform their politics. Where as in Secular Western counties (not all of them) people usually try to leave religion outside of legislation. Conservative parties are the exception to this obviously.

[@shahesfelazi8549]

A muslim country may just mean it is a muslim majorité country the problem is a when it is an Islamic country with sharia law. A more extreme Islamic country is one that says it is based on AlAquran and Sunnah.

[@jellene4eva]

Definition of Muslim country means that the laws are based on the holy books. Many in malaysia are also fighting to keep Malaysia a secular country despite the majority Muslim because of the unaccountable law that will be implemented in a Muslim country

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

That's standard rational logic. The balkans, where nations balkanize, are full of NATIONALISTS. USA is a federation trying to ride the "nationalism is good" talking point and only carrying it out with deep miseducation of their population, in basic English. NATIONALISM would seek to separate each STATE from the Federal oversight, taxation, and warmongering. Melting pot is not NATIONALISM, a "country" is not nationalism. "Nation of believers" is an international excuse to put 2 week old boys under the knife. This US corruption of nationalism only exists to keep democratic voters disdainful of "politics", so the overseers can handle all that, as if by herding livestock.

[@marcossilveira6571]

I remember once having a discussion with a professor who happened to be Jewish about how we should be “humbled” in what we do not know. Without missing a beat he said that “Humble” was a word with heavy Christian connotations usually denoting an acceptance of all regardless of rank or privilege (in this case those in the know and those not in the know). Makes you think of how we use other words including “regret” “shame” “forgiveness” in daily conversations and don’t think about their religious connotations

[@FriedEgg101]

While I would agree that "humble" is a word with Christian connotations, it raises the question of whether the concept of humility can exist separately from it. My personal guess is yes of course it can, because to say otherwise would be to suggest that it's uniquely Christian. If the concept/practice of humility can exist on its own, then pointing out that it has heavy Christian connotations is unfair and disingenuous. Do the concepts of unfairness and disingenuity also have heavy Christian connotations? As people living in historically Christian influenced nations, when are we allowed to express ourselves? Those are the words we have, do we need to come up with new ones?

[@arturocevallossoto5203]

@@FriedEgg101 I agree these concepts can exist on their own. However, the cultural "history" of the concept or the word that denotes the concept may introduce certain variations to said concept. This reminds me of the differences between the words "priority" and "prioridad" in English and Spanish. They essentially mean the same thing, but their use in conversations and academic writing are different and you would expect a different tone in the conversation in which they are used. And I feel this is something you get to understand by living in the places and using the words yourself after so many years.

[@marcossilveira6571]

@@FriedEgg101 You make a great point and I enjoyed reading you comment. I also believe that we are capable of distinguishing between “humbleness” from its Christian foundations and that the act of being humble can exist separate from that religion. What I’ve seen to found is that since the Christian definition of it is so ingrained within Western societies that it becomes difficult to separate it from its religious origins. Even those who do not follow Christianity may inadvertently still reinforce that aspect of the religion.

[@LiveFreeOrDieDH]

As someone born and raised in the United States, and not raised with any particular faith, I never thought of those words as having a particularly religious connotation (though I can see how they could). Not sure if that means these concepts are so ingrained in Western culture that they now transcend religion altogether, or if they were originally neutral and people of faith have attached additional meaning or connotation to them. Or perhaps, the histories of language and religion are so intertwined it's impossible or meaningless to say which it is.

[@ifeeltiredsleepy]

@@arturocevallossoto5203 The individualistic elements of Western Christianity to an extent are also intertwined with the inherited legacy of Roman and Greek philosophy. Moreover, even major Christian figures like Saint Augustine started their lives with influences from Zoroastrianism and North African culture, so it's a bit weird to suggest anything is uniquely of one culture. For example, I think it unlikely without the Greek and Roman obsession with emulation and logic that Christianity would have developed the individualistic moralism that it did.

[@superiorbean7932]

Honestly these videos are truly like no other, no one else on the internet will speak of such topic in such a great and informative and educational manner, absolutely love learning from you JJ keep up these amazing vids 👍

[@JJMcCullough]

Thank you so much friend!

[@ZT3G]

Agreed 💯

[@uriber71]

I live in a Jewish Country (guess which!) and views here about what it means for the country to be Jewish are as diverse as (and surprisingly similar to) those you present regarding Christian Countries.

[@k-techpl7222]

Two things to note: - Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism both having their origins in Second-Temple Judaism. -Many of the Jews in Israel are 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation migrants from diasporas in Jewish countries, so would be influenced by Christian culture.

[@bnbcraft6666]

Either Israel or Manhattan

[@LangThoughts]

Huh. As an ʀelɨgious American Jeɯ, I've had recent discussions with other ʀelɨgious American Jeɯs about how to view that Country's claɨm to be a "Jeɯish Country" and I've found three takes: 1. Such a claim is by definition impossible, and possibly quite Aɾɾogant, if the Mashiach has not come. 2. A ʜaɾdline definition that also says that the Country can lose that status if the Goveɾnment does not hold of the ʜaɾdline definition for a long enough time and/or is eχtɾemily ɦostɨle to that definition. 3. The same ʜaɾdline definition as 2, but says it the claim is true as long as that ʜaɾdline definition is a Player in the Country's Polɨtɨcal Discourse.

[@k-techpl7222]

@@LangThoughts Why are you using letters not from the Roman alphabet?

[@LangThoughts]

@@k-techpl7222 YT likes to Autoçensor comments about tricky subjects, but the AI is ɗumb, and so I've had tottally unproblɛmatic comments get deleted, and I don't want to spend time typing something out only for that to happen, so this is my workaround.

[@unshiba]

I always love how much work he puts into his videos

[@otto_jk]

That's why they're award winning

[@Gueroizquierda]

@@DrownedinDesignerGood

[@nouidle]

@@DrownedinDesigner I don't think that's true. All the things that you might not like about Western countries is just an evolution of Christian ideas.

[@cfcreative1]

How about talk about Bill 36 since you care about politics or seem too and British Columbia or maybe you are just a distraction... hmmmm....

[@ALuimes]

@@cfcreative1 Enough already!

[@forrestl5982]

Catholic American here. I recently came back to the church after a very lukewarm and largely secular upbringing. I definitely see the US as a Protestant country, in particular. I think that background even impacts American Catholics’ ways of thinking about our own faith. I find even among the very-conservative “rad trads” there tends to be a distrust of the hierarchy especially when it becomes more liberal. There is a desire to elect “one of our own” as Pope or local bishop, and if there was one that represented their views then the church would be a better place. I think the rise of republicanism (in the European sense) was the result of first the Protestant reformation which then led to the Enlightenment and the idea of “self governance”. The hierarchy in the church and the way the virtue of obedience to authority (even when unjust) is thought of in the Catholic Church is more akin to monarchy. People wouldn’t have considered they had any such “right” to a representation in the way the country is governed. It was just about respecting the office of the monarchy for good or bad and trusting in God’s providence.

[@SirBojo4]

France?

[@AlphaSections]

I see what you mean! I've been a Catholic until they chose that God awful Pope Francis. He has contradicted so many parts of the bible, and reserved so many tenets, and to see people blindly still follow him, I just couldn't stay. Right now I'm liking the Baptist, they understand my position and are a warm and welcoming people, at least down here in Florida. I think you are right to see that many of the protestant branches like the Lutherans and Baptist understood the dangers of having a hierarchy in the church. Hierarchies are easy to fall to corruption, it's better for religious communities to study the bible themselves rather than listen to so called "authorities" on the subject.

[@yucol5661]

As a foreigner who visited the US. YES. American Catholics, and I’d guess Catholics across the world (culture and history and stuff) are different than the ones in my home country and not the same as in other places. They are more intense. I heard someone say that they are that way because they had to adapt and compete against Protestants. I guess since they where a minority, being catholic, insular, and extra traditional was a big part of their personal identity and culture. Or maybe it’s because of Irish or specific European traditions of immigrant Catholicism? Not saying it in a bad way. Just interesting that they are so “American catholic”, instead of just plain “catholic” with some local traditions.

[@AlphaSections]

@@yucol5661 Interesting! I didn't think of that! Wow! I was definitely a minority religiously, but never felt any kind of repression or discrimination. Everyone just follow Christ in their own way and respected others who did the same. Maybe that's why I never felt any animosity towards most protestant branches. A mutual respect for followers of Christ!

[@zoomerpastor]

Oh man I really hoped you would have talked about the "WEIRDEST people in the World" by Joseph Henrich a Harvard evolutionary biologist who highlights many unique and strange psychological differences that western/Christian countries developed over the thousands of years of Christian upbrininging, and how that differs from all other cultures that came before it and are in the world now. It has helped me come to grasp how different I am, with my western upbringing, to my family across the sea in Asia. I hope you give it a read!

[@cieproject2888]

Christendom is "WEIRD" - Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic

[@chucklebutt4470]

Just an fyi, WEIRD is an acronym for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic.

[@peterjohnson11655]

@@chucklebutt4470 yes, this person most likely already knows this, considering theyve read the book why did you feel the need to state this?

[@chucklebutt4470]

@@peterjohnson11655 for anyone else lol.

[@peterjohnson11655]

@@chucklebutt4470 oh i see, sorry for misunderstanding

[@benjaminshore3441]

As a Christian, usually when I hear any sort of content creators make a video on something "Christian", I kind of brace for a lot of (deserved) critique and (often too far) bashing. I appreciate your balanced approach JJ, focusing on a complex question with a respectable tone.

[@FIVEBASKET]

How did you watched this video fully after 2 minutes after oupload

[@IAmTheDawn]

I don't think bashing of christians/christianity ever goes too far. Your religion is responsible for some of the most heinous act of violence and destruction ever seen in the world - yet always claims moral superiority. Christianity is mostly a disease, and I wouldn't ever say bashing of a disease goes "too far".

[@benjaminshore3441]

Doesn't take a whole video to figure out he isn't bashing and is respectful

[@FIVEBASKET]

@@benjaminshore3441 yea

[@benjaminshore3441]

@@IAmTheDawn it's comments like this that makes actual conversation impossible. Which is probably something that isn't helpful. People use that kind of logic to hate people, places and entire systems so they don't actually have to engage in it. Hense bashing. You can't call a set of beliefs and practices a disease and label a whole group of people and expect any sort of helpful conversation to follow

[@AnonYmous-bb7tl]

I was born and raised in the American South. Now I live in Japan. Even the way we think of religion and what being "of" a certain religion IS is a an idea deeply rooted in the Christian idea of faith. People in Japan go to shrines for ceremonies and rituals, and priests oversee major events in peoples' lives. But when you ask Japanese people about these things, the answers can be puzzling. "Do you believe in all this stuff?" "Yes." "So you're a Shintoist?" "No." "Buddhist?" "No." "Irreligious?" "No." "What are you then?" "Japanese."

[@SantaFe19484]

I am an evangelical Christian from the USA, and I really like your third definition of what a "Christian country". I just read a book called "Myth of a Christian Nation" written by a Christian and explains how wrong people are for wanting a "Christian country" based on your first definition.

[@Goodguy507]

To argue that christianity produced modern Western values and political systems such as democracy and secularism and other values, completely ignores the fact those values were mainly adopted after the renaissance and after Greek and roman literature started being more widely translated and read, from which ideas of democracy and republicanism and elections and so on were discovered and adopted, of course its always more complicated, but to credit those values to christianity instead of the more obvious pre-christian cultural heritage of Greece and Rome is a very odd thing to do, and if that's truly the case, why didn't values of democracy, freedom and equality not exist in christian Europe for 1500 years? Why exactly did those values start being spread and adopted after the renaissance and enlightenment, if anything, one could argue christianity, or more specifically, the catholic church, held back the development of these ideas, rather than be the cause for them

[@RandPersonn]

Yeah, as a former Muslim nonreligious person, I agree. Until the foundation of the USA, vast majority of the Christian countries were non-democratic theocratic monarchies which had active blasphemy laws against people who criticize Christianity..

[@battlerushiromiya651]

The greek and roman works that inspired those were preserved by christians. Secondly the differences between democracy as practised in athens and as is practised in the modern west is due to the development of natural rights, property rights and parliaments that occured in christian europe during the middle ages. This is why christianity is credited with these ideas as the societies following the christian religion added these necessary fixtures to create democracy as we know it today. Also ROme and Greece was not secular, the state and religion were one and the same and the idea that these should be seperate come from christian churches and kings fighting with each other to protect their own spheres of influence.

[@gabrielferreira6427]

In Brazil it is very ironic how we try to be a "secular" society when in reality much of what is within the very organization of the state is closely linked to Christianity and, in particular, to Catholicism. I think the clearest example of this is in the constitution itself, which being the same text that guarantees the "secularity of the Brazilian state" is also "protected by God" right in its first lines. In the legislative houses and public offices themselves, where you supposedly should not be able to profess your faith out of respect for this same secularity, there is almost always a crucifix hanging somewhere and the representatives of the people even say prayers at the end of legislative sessions.

[@waynejohnson1786]

I find it weird people consider Muslim majority countries with secular governments to be “Muslim countries” but the same people don’t consider Christian majority countries with secular governments to be “Christian countries”. You gotta pick one or the other, in my opinion. If Turkey is a “Muslim country” than America is a “Christian country” or vice versa.

[@spartanx9293]

Islam and Christianity are kind of different Islam has stated ways of how to run a country

[@waynejohnson1786]

@@spartanx9293 Yes but many Muslim majority countries (if not the majority of them) are secular. Saudi Arabia strictly runs their country based on the sharia while Turkey has absolutely no sharia.

[@FIVEBASKET]

Because the culture is still largely based on Muslim and most still hold Islamic values it may be weird and people may still do things that are haram or a contradiction beacuse of Muslim being non native

[@KingArthur39]

It's even weirder when you consider that Turkey used to be one of the most secular countries in the world. The emergence of Islamic identity only took place after Erdogan came to power

[@Pazuzu4All]

Ataturk founded Turkey with the explicit idea of it being a secular nation. Enough so that he persecuted those he saw as zealots.

[@wgamer5221]

The argument that all modernization that occurred outside Christendom was imported from the west is bad because of eastern innovation and philosophy, it's also a very western centric view.

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

That was the first thing I thought too. Christian scholars have a real chip on their shoulders. If they get to claim all the benefits of modernisation, then it's only fair that they also lay claim to all the downsides to it as well; capitalism, exploitation, imperialism, colonialism, and the climate crisis.

[@RandPersonn]

It is really weird to argue that "Democracy, secularism, freedom of speech etc" are "Christian" values since up until the foundation of the USA at the end 18th century, vast majority of the countries which had Christian-majority populations(such as Middle Age monarchies in Europe) were not democratic or republican, they were not secular(they had theocracies) and almost all of them had active blasphemy laws

[@veggiedawg14]

I’m a Christian studying theology and Church history, and I have honestly never heard such a succinct and well-rounded presentation of this concept. Thank you, J.J., for always presenting your research thoughtfully and respectfully. You truly inspire me to become a better researcher and communicator.

[@Jimthousand]

Interesting video, thanks JJ. There’s an excellent book called “The Air We Breathe” by Glen Scrivener which is all about how all western countries are “Christian” in much more fundamental ways than we realise. He has a good line about how in our political debates we’re all shouting bible verses at each other, we’ve just forgotten the references. Scrivener is a big fan of Tom Holland, and he’s referred to his book as “Dominion for dummies”! Tom Holland has another book about the rise of Islam called “In the Shadow of the Sword” - it might be interesting for you to do a sequel video on “what does it mean to be a Muslim country?”

[@yokelengleng]

Tom Holland? The guy from Spiderman?

[@גיאאשר-ד4נ]

@@yokelengleng a historian with the same name

[@oscarwind4266]

Oh! That guy. I read Shadow of The Sowrd a while back and liked it. Bit too flowery but the conclusions were interesting.

[@cfcreative1]

How about talk about Bill 36 since you care about politics or seem too and British Columbia or maybe you are just a distraction... hmmmm....

[@aronkatona1132]

Another interesting thing to consider is the difference between catholic and protestant christianity. They of course share most of the values and cultural effects, but there are significant differences, particularly in regards to capitalism, which was studied as early as Max Webers time. Its also notable that in America, the nationalistic, 'right wing' branch of christianity is, as you said, mainly the protestant one, and catholicism, especially in Latin-America, has more 'left wing' infuences (eg Emancipation theology). Here in Europe catholicism is the more nationalistic and conservative (eg Poland), and in historically protestant countries like Switzerland or the Netherlands, you experience much less of this.

[@WasatchWind]

And during the video (and other discussions about how religion impacts worldview) I as a Latter-day Saint have thought a lot about how I view the world differently - and as time has passed, I've noticed a lot. One example is that we believe in a lot more doctrine about the afterlife, and so while we feel grief upon the death of loved ones like everyone, especially when someone dies young, I feel like we take it better than others, because we don't see death as mysteriously. I watch movies and TV where a funeral happens, and to use a phrase, it looks like everyone is going through literal hell. I cannot understand how people can cope with death when they do not know the state of their deceased family and friends.

[@Ravie1]

​@@WasatchWind I grew up LDS (I'm not anymore), that attitude towards death continues beyond belief. Funerals don't bother me very much at all, even though I don't believe it can be known whether or not there is an afterlife, the idea that it's not something to fret about has stayed, to the point I've always found it strange when people react strongly to death when it's not either A) as close as an immediate family member, or B) a young death. Growing up we went to funerals to appreciate the time we spent with someone and remember we'd see them later, now I'm not sure if I'll see them later but I still find funerals to mainly be a place to positively reminisce.

[@cjthorp4805]

That's a very good point. I'm an Americam Christian (raised Protestant) and identify with very progressive/socialist Christian movements. In America, many of those are Catholic, such as the Catholic Worker Movement and the many Catholic organizations involved in immigration reform, etc. I stopped attending Protestant churches because I feel they did not address that enough

[@WasatchWind]

@@cjthorp4805 I feel like this makes some amount of sense then as a Latter-day Saint, where members of our church tend to fall more center/independent. We don't agree with the political views of those on the left, but gosh so many people on the right are intent on launching a crusade on people they disagree with, and that just feels antithetical to my faith.

[@PianoForte9096]

American Catholic here - while it’s true that we have more “leftist” tendencies when it comes to things like social programs, worker’s rights, environmentalism, and immigration policies, we also mostly agree with the “right” when it comes to moral hot-button issues (though not the explosive delivery), especially when it comes to all of the developments since the sexual revolution. A good many of us are trapped without a party we can really get behind.

[@TheSnakebite10153]

The 3rd definition reminds me of a video you did where you were talking about Quebec's Burqa ban, and mentioned how someone said that Quebecers have never stopped being Catholic, they've just dropped the religious aspect of it, as in this bossy attitude where you either fit in or get out. I hear the same kind of analogy used to describe wealthy secular "woke" people in America as the new Puritans or whatever.

[@JJMcCullough]

Yes! That’s a great analogy. I would have liked to get into more details about how different flavors of Christianity shape the culture as well.

[@heyo80]

I think the whole rise of wokeism has the become not just some religion but a whole cult. People who feel the need to force others to believe the same ideology that they do, “evangelicalizing” if you will. Thing is no matter what point in history some people will never want others to disagree with them.

[@sempersuffragium9951]

@@JJMcCullough I'd watch that

[@TheSnakebite10153]

@@JJMcCullough I especially like the parent comparison. I've had several friends who acted kind of rebellious towards their religious parents, and I'm just thinking "I mean it sounds like you guys have more in common than you realize" lol

[@NA.NA..]

@@JJMcCullough sounds like another great video topic

[@ErikNilsen1337]

I am a practicing Christian, and I spent a lot of time in college and denominational conferences studying and discussing international missions and church planting. The subject of historically "Christian countries" frequently comes up, particularly with regard to _post-Christian_ countries, like @Magic Vibrations' description of his native Denmark. I've had a lot of interesting conversations with lay ministers and evangelists in Europe who are trying to evangelize peoples already familiar with Christianity and who view it as a quaint relic of their cultural past. Ironically, by some metrics the developing world is more Christian than western nations in spite of their cultural histories. The underground church spread rapidly in Eastern Europe during the communist regimes. Even now, illegal house churches are multiplying in China in the face of CCP pressure, in part because the gospel message is appealing to an increasing proportion of the population disillusioned with a totalitarian government. In the Arab world (as well as among MENA refugees), eighty percent of Muslim converts to Christianity report having seen Jesus in a vision before ever encountering a Christian (or even without having heard about Jesus at all). Lastly, Africa has seen an explosion in evangelical Christianity over the last few decades, with the overwhelming majority of churches planted by nationals. There is even tension between African Christians and western Christians within the same denomination (such as Methodism), as the former tend to hold far more conservative stances theologically and culturally than the latter. It's pretty fascinating that there is a non-zero chance that, in the near future, Christian missionaries from non-western countries may be evangelizing western countries, instead of the other way around.

[@JNF-SATX]

Practicing Christian here. I’ve already heard stories of some African and Asian countries sending missionaries to the West. South Korea is a good example on this front. The African congregations of Methodism also played a key role in their recent schism. However I also think new forms of heresy or secularization are likely to play out there as well. Come what may, it’s gratifying to know there’s no “end of history” for the Church

[@ianmaclarke1]

I’m in Canada and have experienced multiple times Africans and Asians coming here to preach the Gospel. People of european decent are now the target of mission.

[@ErikNilsen1337]

@@JNF-SATX Well, there is an “end of history” in that we await Christ’s return and the full consummation of the Kingdom of God, but that end comes on God’s terms, not ours.

[@trpimirkarlovic838]

When I was in Vienna last month, I saw African Christians preaching the Gospel.

[@romanr.301]

How were there Muslims who didn’t know how Jesus is, if he one of the most important prophets in Islam (going by the name Isa)?

[@manuelreindl8500]

I loved this video. One question though. I have often heard the argument that Christianity is inherently more individualist than other religions, and therefore so are western countries. While I agree that western countries are more individualistic, I always assumed that that is in spite of our Christian heritage not because of it. I think Christianty (and basically all other world religions, except maybe Buddhism) is littered with explicitly collectivist stories and idea. For example the original sin you mentioned. Isn't that an entire race (or species even) being punished for the actions of a few. Other examples I could think of, would be the story of Noah or the 10 plagues of Egypt. And then, according to the Bible, one man, Jesus Christ, collectively (!) absolved us all of our sins. Doesn't seem very individualistic to me...

[@MrPoster42]

People who argue that Christianity is responsible for individuality, equality, reason, & science do so by just asserting it. There is no reason to attribute the development of those ideas to Christianity. As we see throughout history, it is Christianity that adapts to changing culture rather than it leading to the changing of culture. Unless, of course, we are referencing the countless cases of Christianity being forced upon peoples by way of the sword.

[@charlieputzel7735]

I'm of the same mind. I think a lot of scholars, especially in America, look at the more Calvinist influenced denominations of Protestant Christianity they're used to seeing on a daily basis and assume they're the norm. Ideas like individual relationships with god and religious deliberation are (at least within Christianity) more the exception than the rule.

[@LordBackuro]

I don’t think so I understand your point, but think Christianity does promote more of a individual belief system but not directly more some of its beliefs and practices promotes a more individual behavior Basically you should act for the collective, but only as long as the collective does largely what goes into the right direction. Or in even simpler terms using ideologies Anarchy is bad And total Autocracy is bad Basically the individual while being individual should still always ON HIS OWN strive to do good for the collective. Buddhism i think has a somewhat similar idea of individuality if what i remember about it is true. So yeah, just cause you are a individual shouldn’t mean you should abuse your god given right of free will to do bad. I think it’s adaptivity as a religion too largely promotes more individual behaviors especially since one believe in the religion is that to understand gods plan you need to search for truth As in encouraging science which encourages individuality. While many followers did not follow this, it doesn’t deny the fact that Christianity does promote individuality. It’s adaptivity is imo what makes it far more individual.

[@antonioeliseu7727]

Christianity is not inherently more individualist than other religions. That is just ridiculous. There are many Christian countries that don't have individualistic societies. The protestant Christians are more individualistic and I can see arguments for how they made societies more individualistic but that's just a type of Christianity not Christianity as a whole.

[@LordBackuro]

@@MrPoster42 That adaptivity to me is a argument to say why it’s a far more individual religion than some other’s. It’s why i think most Christian countries turned out the way they did and why for example muslim countries did not because islam isn’t as adaptable to other environments or cultures.

[@stevenm60]

Tanzanian-Brit here. I find it funny that the west usually doesn't like identifying with the term "Christian Country" despite having a culture littered with usually Christian traditions. I honestly believe that in western countries that tend to practice religion, people remain a lot more relaxed and reserved than in other places. While there are occasionally very nationalistic Christians the majority do not heavily oppose non-religious laws and legislation. I think JJ highlighted a good point to do with how democracy and freedom of speech are more prevalent in Christian societies and explains why the majority of Christians don't mind respecting Non-Christian ideals.

[@crazydragy4233]

Well there's a lot of baggage that even proud Christians disown or compertalise

[@danieltyce7406]

Balanced, entertaining, and enlightening. JJ is a master at his craft. The edutainment king of youtube. No reading a script like Simon Whistler here folks. Researched, written, produced, edited, and starring the wunderkind himself. Even pushing 40 as an ER physician I take the 20 minutes to watch new videos as soon as is possible. Hands down my favorite youtuber, and also Canadian!

[@Zundfolge]

One thing I really like about your videos is that you seem to be able to cover contentious issues in such a way that by the end of the video I have no idea what your own personal opinion is on the subject.

[@ianmaclarke1]

Twitter is where JJ speaks more candidly about what he believes and thinks.

[@Nick-gt1gp]

I found the portion on guilt-based cultures to be very fascinating. I'm currently reading a book called Effective Intercultural Evangelism, and it deals with how the Christian message can appeal to various kinds of cultures around the world. Interestingly enough, Latin America is classified as shame-based instead of guilt-based in spite of it being largely Christian in its cultural heritage. As a practicing Christian, I attend a predominantly Korean church in California, and the church culture there is far more communal and less individualistic than many other American churches I've been to. I think that there may be another confounding variable in the question of what makes a country "Christian" or not. I think that certain values which are assumed to be strictly Christian actually may have a classical Greek influence of some kind since these values are not necessarily present in Christian communities from other parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa or Latin America.

[@davidronbrothers1764]

You did such a good job in these videos, this one in particular. I am a Christian but I never feel like you’re talking down to my beliefs even if you document them while disagreeing with them respectfully. I appreciate your fairness and evenhandedness. Especially your humor. You make me think about myself and about others.

[@Spectacurl]

The problem with this thesis is Latin America, a region WAY more catholic than the West but poorer. The Calvinistic ethics and a lot of luck prompted the rise of capitalism and is imperialism what has lead the west to the top

[@Spectacurl]

@@jeffreydick5234 and capitalism and with that imperialism and eventually neo imperialism like what now US does in most of Latin America

[@zugabdu1]

I'm very skeptical of any analysis that chalks up the fact that the Industrial Revolution, the Scientific Revolution, capitalism, and democracy all originated in the West to any one single factor, whether it's Christianity or something else. That was such a complex and massive series of social transformations that it couldn't have been any one single factor. In particular, I don't give Christianity credit for religious freedom. Christian countries spent centuries cultivating the idea of state religions and often had punishments for heresy, sometimes even amounting to execution. Religious freedom exists in the United States because non-establishment Protestant Christian groups were numerous and powerful enough to demand it from established churches in the various states, not because this was the traditional way of things in historical European Christian states.

[@lilioconnor139]

Is it bad I scheduled my holiday around being able to watch the new JJ video on time? And what a video to watch! Good work, sir! Love the hair!

[@grantexploit5903]

I find it odd and a bit disappointing that you didn't really counter claims as blatantly self-assured and chauvinistic as that found from 7:07 to 7:47, like "All the modernization that has occurred outside Christendom was imported from the West."

[@JamesOKeefe-US]

A lot of people I talk to use the phrase "raised Christian" to indicate that they grew up in a religious family but are now more non-practicing or less religious. I would dare to say that is more of the majority of conversations I have these days. Thank you for this thoughtful essay as you always do and Hope everyone has a great Saturday!!

[@japjeetmehton9921]

l really like the term "raised".

[@neillore7332]

I was the only child in my town who attended church without any other family members or friends. I can only think of a couple of children my age whose parents didn't have to force them to go. All of the kids whose parents forced them hated it. To my knowledge, none of them are practicing Christians now that they are adults and can't be forced.

[@AlphaSections]

@@neillore7332 My parents are religious but they didn't force me to go, so I didn't go. Then in late high school I took an interest, I chose to get confirmed and baptisted in college, and now I love Christianity. Sometimes I wonder it they taught Christianity with less authority and most logic would they still have abandoned the faith? It's sad how many missed the message and got lost in details, only to reject it. So many lost and suffering souls, I hope they realize that Christ will wait for them.

[@0akland1]

Thanks!

[@lucasqualls5086]

I think for the second and third argument, a lot of it is just putting the cart before the horse. It's far more logical to argue that western values changed the interpretation of the bible and christianity during the enlightenment, as opposed to the opposite, seeing as non-christian nations followed similar paths of development in logic and reason. Gandhi and MLK were both devoted to non-violence as a first principle, despite citing different religions as the motivation. Because, low and behold, religion is a vehicle for the justification of human logic, not the source of it.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

Very well said.

[@andrewprahst2529]

I don't agree with that at all. If Western culture is what influenced Christianity to what what it is, that just begs the question, where exactly did those Western values come from? Even if certain enlightenment ideas did influence modern Christianity, that doesn't mean the those enlightenment ideas weren't rooted in Christianity to begin with. Before Christianity spread across Europe, Europe wasn't really all that unified in culture. Hellenistic culture might partially play a role, but even that was drastically different before Christianity spontaneously arrived on the scene.

[@lucasqualls5086]

@@andrewprahst2529 They came from human advancement in empathy and. understanding. The progress of humans sociologically has been observed everywhere on Earth. Ideas like "don't hurt innocent people" and "maybe having amore egalitarian society is good, actually" constantly, yet slowly, presented themselves in all societies over time. In fact, prior to it's adoption by Rome in the early 300s, Christianity was used as a warlord religion much in the was Islam is used today in some middle eastern regions. The thing is, you would have to prove that it Christianity is definitively responsible for the enlightenment, or Western values, which even on it's own is in contradiction to proven and known historical trends about the development of ethics and idea around the world.

[@lettuceman9439]

@@lucasqualls5086 "They came from human advancement in empathy and understanding" i do have to say that Christianity had put emphasized on those areas and was a direct cause of many humanist movement atleast the main motivator of those movement, Remember Christianity isnt just a "be good and you will be heaven", for Salvation must also be acquired through Faith also. Christianity is one of the many factors not solely responsible but a important aspect which lead to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

[@trevinotano]

As always, a interesting and well made video. Love your consistency

[@dddavidddaviddd]

Hi JJ, good video as always. I think it'd be interesting if you do a video on the sound effects used as shorthands everywhere, such as that one dolphin sound for not just dolphins but also the sea, as well as the horn sound from boats for something very smelly/unappealing to look at

[@Doodleboy64]

Pretty sure both of those were just from Spongebob, they used aquatic noises to fit the theme

[@fillobyte1986]

Italian here. First off, interesting video as always! This theme in particular is one that has grabbed my attention lately, mostly because I've been reading Olivier Roy's "Holy Ignorance" for an exam! lol While Italian culture comes from unquestionably Catholic roots, Italians in general (more so in the North) are following the trend of other Western countries, in that religion doesn't cover as explicit a role in someone's life as it used to just a few decades ago. We get baptized, we celebrate our first Holy Communion as children, followed by confirmation a few years later (both occasions ensue plenty of gifts from relatives!), and then religion takes a step back (but doesn't go away completely!), only surfacing in key events of our lives, such as weddings, and when we utter certain expressions (*cough* bestemmie! *cough*). However, this trend isn't as "complete" in Italy as it is elsewhere, as the South is more attached to traditional rituals, such as celebrations of name days ("onomastici") and public parades of holy figures, and despite the State officially declaring itself to be secular, Rai, the Italian public broadcaster, airs the Holy Mass on Sunday morning, and the crucifix is displayed in public spaces like schools and judicial courts, much to the chagrin of some activists. A few years back, a politician (Roberto Castelli, Lega) proposed adding the Christian cross to the Italian flag.

[@krgoodrich1]

Thanks for another really good video. I think the second definition is the most fitting for the US even though there are some that want it to more resemble your first definition. Because so much of our culture is based on Christian ideas and concepts even in, as you suggested, ways we don’t consciously recognize, I think knowledge about Christian concepts is pretty important for effectively navigating US society whether you are a practicing Christian or not.

[@WasatchWind]

I feel like, as a Christian myself, that the second definition, valuing individual freedom to decide your own actions, is more in line with Christianity than the idea of forcing the definition on others.

[@KuyaBJLaurente]

As a Filipino (grew up in a Catholic culture), I can fully relate with using religious terms in describing specific food, things, and practices like calling lechon (roasted whole pig) and chicharon (deep fried pork rind) as sinful foods (in our language).

[@bernardoohigginsvevo2974]

There are no sinful foods in Christianity though. Besides cannibalism of course.

[@AlphaSections]

Does the Philippines still have Spanish speakers or have they stopped teaching it? I remember my friends from Colombia loved the Phillipines but they said less and less people are speaking Spanish so they eventually stopped going there. I wasn't sure of that was true or not.

[@headphonesaxolotl]

@@bernardoohigginsvevo2974 I think they're talking about foods deemed "unclean" in the Old Testament (Levitcus 11, for example, discusses which animals were/weren't clean or unclean to eat)

[@Kibannn]

Tom Holland and Professor Stark? This can't be real lmao.

[@StephanieJeanne]

Haha. I thought the same thing!

[@archdornan8013]

Another award winning video

[@zardsire2012]

You haven’t finished the video

[@drottle]

The video has been posted for 7 minutes, yet it’s 15 mins long. You must be really starved of a liked comment

[@heyo80]

As usual

[@kaiceecrane3884]

How does his videos get awards? From who, where?

[@SpiralSine6]

@@zardsire2012 doesn’t matter

[@nictamer]

In France, the woke crowd accuses the laïc majority of being racist for not welcoming Muslims and invoking secularism against them. No one but the fringe of the fringe invokes the "Christian country" meme.

[@zahraislam5748]

Are you a french citizen?

[@fm-dk9dn]

This video is really interesting because I have been thinking about this for some time. As a Portuguese, whose founding dates back to the Middle Ages, you could argue that Christianity is embedded into our identity. Of course, today is different: it's more secular (although not as much as other Western countries). Associated with this, I also have been thinking about of what it means to be a practicing Christian. You see, in my area it's not unusual to understand Mass as a social event: gathering all kinds of people from surrounding villages and towns. I have some anecdotal stories of people who describe themselves as non religious and still attend and participate in Christian worship ether with local importance (say a patron saint) or liturgical relevance (like Christmas).

[@groussac]

Richard Wright points out some of the things you mention in his book, Pagan Spain. It's not Portugal, buy hey, it's the Iberian peninsula, so close. IMO the Christian religion is about an interior struggle over choosing right from wrong. When it's applied as a social philosophy it fails utterly. Think Manifest Destiny in the USA and the utter destruction of the Indians for a more deserving Protestant nation. Or the Spanish Inquisition to purify the country of anything that wasn't Catholic. Or more modern examples, easy to find, like Franklin Graham equating Donald Trump to an instrument of God. It doesn't mean the Christian religion is bad; just means that it's badly applied. Maybe it's impossible to apply other than in the things you yourself control. Another reference from literature you might enjoy: The Atheist's Mass, a short story by Honoré de Balzac. The atheist paid for an annual mass for a Christian friend of who helped him out when he really needed help. All kinds of reasons for going to church. We're not all there because we believe. I go there to get what I can, and don't worry about why other people are there.

[@fm-dk9dn]

@@groussac thank you for the book suggestion!

[@bookishbassoonist2210]

As a Jewish person, a lot of the things that were pointed out by the scholars like rationality and questioning, and forgiveness as ‘uniquely Christian’ are not in-fact unique to Christianity. They are also central tennabts of Judaism And Islam, so it feels strange to leave out the impact Judaism has had on society even if it’s not very dominant. If Judaism didn’t exist, the ideals, impacts and religion of Christianity wouldn’t either

[@Zacharoni4085]

Can you give an example ?

[@psychedelicspider4346]

I live in El Salvador, and I'd be able to say it's definitely a Christian country, even though that's more linked to social norms, even in secular culture, although this is still a very practicing country, but you can see it's definitely in the culture, like people celebrate Christmas and all of that, and irreligion is still not a thing and even kinda taboo, even atheists aren't as outspoken.

[@Jonas_M_M]

The proponents of the definition based on Christian values do not give the Enlightentment (or: Classical Liberalism) the recognition it deserves!

[@princessscotchtape8931]

With some experience with the Native American Church one major difference that I spotted is how God is referred to as the Great Spirit or the Creator. Other Christians seem to have a paternal relationship with God and refer to God as "Father". Edit: Another major difference that I didn't realize. To me the creator and Jesus are one and the same.

[@bxdanny]

"Western Civilization" predates Christianity, having roots in ancient Greece and Rome. Although Christianity certainly had a major influence on it as well. As for the scientific method, I tend to think of it as in opposition to at least some aspects of Christianity, witness the famous trial of Galileo.

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

This is a good point, and is something that I think is often overlooked. In my personal opinion, I think that contemporary neo-Liberal society has been more influenced by ideas from the Greeks and secularists/Atheists from the enlightenment era then Christianity, take our political systems for example. Most of the cultural benefits we experience exists despite of Christianity, not because of it. This is of course counter to many arguments Christian Nationalists have that we already live in a Christian nation because of how embedded Christian culture already is. If a bastardized version of Christmas is your version of Christian culture, then you guys got some work to do. I am of course NOT American, or from a country with a overwhelming Christian population, so some readers are going to interpret this comment differently.

[@AureliusLaurentius1099]

I argue Western Civilization was founded with Charlamagne and the Franks considering how the Western Europeans viewed the Byzantines(who were Romans btw) as alien despite being white Christians and how Greco-Roman society was fundamentally closer to Saudi Arabia or Edo Japan than Medieval France. Stuff like economics, governance, women's rights and individuality were different in Classical Rome. Also the Trial of Galileo was mostly because Galileo is an a hole to his benefactor, the Pope and tried to screw the system, even if he was ultimately right, instead of respecting the process

[@AlphaSections]

Your last example is true of all institutions. Look at Covid, doctors suggested effective alternative less expensive treatments but so called "scientific intuitions" like the universities, hospitals, WHO, and CDC, silenced them via censorship and ridicule. And now they have been proven right. It's not just Christian churches, institutions with authority and special interests will always be wary of those they perceive as threats to their order and prestige. And the Scientific method although implied by Aristotle via rationalist deduction, wasn't truly hammered out and written until the 1200's by famed empiricist and friar/philosopher Roger Bacon. A member of the Franciscan order at the University of Oxford back when the universities were only for the study of theology.

[@StephanieJeanne]

This was very interesting, J,J. I don’t know that it's helpful to identify a country as "Christian" in today's world, due to basically everything you've discussed. I definitely think Christian values do/have influence(d) democratic countries. One cultural influence that comes to mind is the tv/movie-rating system. Moral values taken from Chrisfian beliefs have guided these ratings almost since the beginning of moving pictures. Great topic!😊

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

It's also important to note however is that many of the good things we have exist DESPITE Christian values, especially your example of tv ratings. After the second world war public ratings for tv broadcasting were extremely deconian because certain content was considered not Christian enough or too sympathetic to Communism, which produced media that had very confusing and ass backwards messages. Not to mention that the emphasis on state sanctioned Christian morality also prevented certain minorities and women from getting into the film industry.

[@crazydragy4233]

@@SleepyMatt-zzz This os why I felt the video lacking. J.J only presented lines of reasoning but by only talking about its internal positive vision of its word view it erases the full picture of what the line of thought implies.

[@verathorn1556]

It seems strange to me how some of the quoted professors seemed to be willfully ignoring the counter example of other individualistic religions like Buddhism in regards to how societies developed. At least in the quoted segments of these texts, which I somehow doubt these flawed arguments are remedied by a broader examination within other portions of the read works.

[@nknight5072]

Like many other Christians who clicked on this video I was very nervous that he would only talk about the more radical side of Christian politics, but I’m very glad J.J. tackled this the way he did. You have my utmost respect.

[@tmsods2874]

You can see a lot of this in the ethnic divisions of the former Yugoslav republics. Most of them speak the same language and come from the same gene pool, but they practice different religions and that's how they tell each other apart.

[@TheAuditor6846]

Love the new setup

[@Vanalovan]

A great example of how Christianity has influenced the subtler parts of our societies is “The Sunflower” by Simon Wiesenthal. You can see the stark contrast between how Jews, Christians and others approach a topic like forgiveness. Also, a lot of new age movements in the West seem to emulate the structure of Christian thought, even if they eschew the terminology. Self-improvement/self-help is often reminiscent of personal salvation and things like “we each have to consider our relationship with nature” often sound similar to “we have to consider our relationships with Christ”. As a non-Christian in a predominantly Christian society, it’s hard not to subscribe to the final definition of a Christian country while desperately trying to dissuade people of explicit and political Christian nationalism

[@frankjennings4489]

I think it’s great how in the US and maybe Britain, you can use the word “Puritanical” to describe any person or belief system that is overly dogmatic or judgmental. Most people know where it comes from of course, but nevertheless it’s used much more to describe modern attitudes than the actual historical religious sect. Just imagine how strange it would be to say “These University administrators are becoming more and more Confucianist with their rules about preferred pronouns.

[@steffplaysmapping1104]

When learning about Norwegian media history, it became apparent that there did exist a fairly literate population during the 18th century, before the advent of Norwegian news papers. In part because of the reformation, when the Bible was translated and became more available for the public, and pietist teachings, that viewed faith more as a personal thing. Of course, traditions with background in Christianity is still prevalent even if Norway has become more secular. The monarchy is still a Christian institution both because it uses symbols connected with Saint Olav, the medieval Norwegian King seen as the one who finally Christianized and properly unified Norway, and the fact that freedom of religion does not extend to the monarch. One thing I think may be because of Christian influence, is that differences in social status is less likely to affect how one interacts with each other. Since Christianity's views that all humanity is created in God's image and the salvation through Christ are offered to all humans, it is less inclined to foster a culture built on hierarchy or caste.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

As an ex-Christian who knows something about history, I would suggest that everything that is just and right and good in the world is _in spite_ of Christianity, not because of it. Secularism, individualism, humanism, democracy, modern capitalism, the scientific method and technological development are all the results of the unwanted discoveries and backlashes of the Renaissance, the Protestant uprising, and the Enlightenment. If it weren't for these, we'd still be as backward today that non-Western countries (including the most Christian nation of Russia) were in 1800. In fact, the descent of the dark ages in the 4th & 5th Centuries under Christian Roman Emperors and the fact that Russia today, a nation with a totalitarian government on the warpath against Ukraine and its own LGBTQ+ people, is very Christian are scathing indictments of Christianity.

[@tomassunaert1300]

the christian value possition frustrates me a bit mainly because it seems to be ignoring one MASSIVE elephant in the room. that one being the enlightenment something that was an openly reactionary movement to christianity and is way more representative of the values proclaimed as the cause for the succes of what we commonly refere to as the west.

[@IAmTheOnlyLucas]

Really cool video JJ, my favorite of yours in a good while. Based on your background and other images you share, you could easily win an award for the proudest American-Canadian on KZbin. At one point I was ardent atheist, however that spirit of rebellion against Christianity in particular faded when I realized that the moral framework of American secular society is the very same as American Christian morality with less emphasis on Jesus. It's worth considering that, just as the "Christian world" is not a monolith, with varying degrees of piety, acceptance of religious and cultural "others", and engagement with the wider world, the Islamic world is, likewise, not a monolith. With no other reference to Islamic countries beyond reels of terrorism and war, snapshots of the medieval Afghan society, and tales of Saudi Arabia's odd effort to do business with international partners while emulating 8th century Arabia + cars, smartphones, etc., it could be easy to assume that all Islamic countries are like that. That's not the case, not at all. A brief look at rock concerts in Morocco and Algeria, Gamal Abdul Nasser's televised speeches before Egyptian audiences of men and women in "western" dress, and excerpts from Iraqi elders espousing their proud pre-Islamic roots and Iraqi youth envisioning a modern and secular Iraq all come together to tell that the Islamic world is a loooot more complicated than an enormous expanse across Africa, Europe, and Asia filled with naught but medieval zealots.

[@Mailmanqq]

A subtle cultural practice that I find incredibly prominent in Christian countries is essentially proselytism. I know a lot of leftists who go out there thinking they can just share the Good Word of Karl Marx and they will convert to communism. They hand out communist theory like a missionary would a bible. Politics is an area that makes this abundantly clear. Politics are about an ideological struggle, attempting to win over as many believers as possible. In many other places, politics are much more defined by parties representing a certain group, whether it's ethnic, economic, or religious.

[@CruelWorld.HappyMind.]

ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ғᴀɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏʀᴛʟɪsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀs ❤️ᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀɪᴢᴇ🎁

[@spq_sean]

Thank you so much J.J. for delving into some of the complexity surrounding this topic. Serious observation and nuance are severely lacking in most popular discourse about these ideas, at least here in the US.

[@aaronandreso.gamboa1883]

I don't know where you got the maps from but I am very pleased that you actually portrayed in a very accurate way the extent of mestizo "western" areas in central South America (Bolivia, Paraguay), which are often ignored in representations of Spanish heritage in the continent. Ajem, whatifalthist,,

[@SamuelOh]

As a practicing Christian right here in Vancouver, I found this topic to be highly interesting. I always thought of Canada as a "Christian Country," but it was odd to me whenever I talk to someone about the Christian faith, they would at first say that they are Christians (Catholic, Protestant, whatever) but the more I talked to them, more it became clear to me that they had no faith. When I dig deeper, they always end up telling me that they were "raised Catholic" or such. In my mind, that is not a Christian person..

[@jacobmtaylor]

The last third of this video was particularly eye opening. Thank you.

[@colemaxson22]

As an agnostic American, one of the most common things I hear and say are non-religious references to God. I can count the amount of times I’ve been to church on my fingers, yet I say “Oh my God” regularly every day. I’ve seen some Christians, like my great grandmother, dislike the use of descendant terms, like “gosh” or “goodness”.

[@sandraancona4314]

Most older people I know get far more upset at hearing oh my god and god damn and the like, since they consider it using the Lords name in vain

[@ianmaclarke1]

As a Christian you come to realize that non-Christians say “Jesus”way more often than we do. They just don’t mean anything religious by it.

[@ALuimes]

@@ianmaclarke1 Just the opposite actually. It's cursing.

[@sollamander2206]

I think sometimes we differentiate Abrahamic religions from each other too much or do the "Judeo-Christian" vs Islamic thing while being quite ignorant of those religions. In places where there is lots of Jewish influence you probably hear as much or more about Jewish guilt than you do "Christian Guilt". I actually rarely ever hear that term, where I'm from it's usually referred to as Catholic guilt and my conception of it is often fairly distinct from the way Bible Belt evangelical people tend to digest their faith. I think it's easier to differentiate Abrahamic from non Abrahamic religions

[@EnigmaticLucas]

In some aspects, Christianity is closer to Islam than it is to Judaism. Jesus, the afterlife, etc.

[@Tsuta]

I'm in a place where there is a lot of Jewish influence (Israel), and I've never seen the term Jewish guilt used locally. In fact, "guilt" is not used much outside of legal contexts. It's either a Jewish-American thing, inspired by the proximity to Christians, or a concept that did exist in the diaspora before the founding of the state but faded in use. Either way, I've only ever seen in it used in depictions of American Jews.

[@kahnakuhl2009]

Thoughtful and nuanced - thanks for the video! A couple of the other ways that people might understand the term 'Christian country' are: * Demographic; ie, a Christian-majority country * Legislative; eg, many European countries that have an official state church and whose monarch is a religious as well as civil leader

[@williamxu1621]

I think a lot of Christian exceptionalists are completely mistaken in crediting Christianity in the West's successes. The Renaissance was the re-prioritization of classical Greek ideas, while the Enlightenment was rooted in liberal, secular, and humanist ideals. These movements were counter to the prevailing Christian culture at the time, and were at best not helped by the Christian establishment at the time.

[@TributetoCanada]

I would add (more) consideration of the supernatural to the social scientific study but I can still appreciate this video from a social scientific view. For instance, "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (NIV) 2 Corinithians 3:17 (Wherever the Gospel is received, there the Spirit of the Lord is given; and wherever that Spirit lives and works, there is liberty => Those who are free in Jesus Christ are free from sin & from fear. His presence liberates the believer and great things are done). A lot of work went into this, J.J. - as much as writing a thesis. Kudos and God bless.

[@CruelWorld.HappyMind.]

ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ғᴀɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏʀᴛʟɪsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀs ❤️ᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀɪᴢᴇ🎁

[@Gueroizquierda]

I like the definition that says Christianity set us on the path to now, but I feel like it gives Christianity too much credit. While it is an important part of our culture, I don't think we should thank christianity for capitalism or democracy. Frankly, it sounds like a retelling of the superiority of "White societies," which became "Western society," and is now "Christian society"

[@tomhalla426]

There are some Christian influences that are not obvious, like heavily restricting cousin marriages. This tended to eliminate clans, and make those observing this practice more of a general community.

[@greatwolf5372]

The argument made by Professor Heinrich.

[@JJMcCullough]

What is a dislike of cousin marriage rooted in? Obviously in the old days they didn’t know about the biological consequences. Or did they?

[@basilbrush9075]

@@JJMcCullough Maybe those with a healthy dislike of incest were more likely to pass on healthy genes to their offspring. Ironic really.

[@tomhalla426]

@@JJMcCullough I honestly do not know. I was raised Catholic, but the demand that marrying one’s cousin required a dispensation dated back before the split with the Eastern Orthodox. It was defined as incest, with varying degrees being more restricted. Some made no biological sense, like counting in-laws literally as incest, like having sex with your wife’s sister.

[@TYDescartes]

Southerners in the USA were marrying their first cousins until shockingly recently. Read Gone With The Wind to see just how common it was. Also a noted phenomenon in Western Australia. I'm sure other places are also hiding their past by the simple act of omission.

[@mrdelriego]

I've been very critical to some countries that to me don't have a clear line between religion and culture or that a huge part of what they consider culture is just religion, and I considered North American countries generally better at that. But you are totally correct in pointing out that I just don't notice it or I don't know "something" has religious origin or connotations. Thank you. And greetings from a Mexican in Vancouver :)

[@vertigo747]

Love the effort of this man's videos, interesting topics presented in a clear way, keep the great work up.

[@MrRazNZ]

Rene girards ‘Scapegoat mechanism’ is really helpful in understanding the root of a lot of observable ‘religious’ things in a modern, so-called ‘secular’ society. I’d love to see you do a video on that guy!

[@logo2462]

Most of these ideals go back to Aristotle and Plato, not just Christianity. The ideals were in place before the Christian rephrasing.

[@charlieputzel7735]

And even then, they didn't find their way into mainstream Christianity until the Renaissance, and even then they received a ton of push back.

[@anonymous-pi3oz]

Original sin, wasn't a concept for the greco-romans at all.

[@rparl]

A KZbin channel that I regularly watch is Rev Ed Trevors. He's an Episcopal priest in Nova Scotia and what I'd gather from what he's said is that a Christian Nation is one which follows the example of Christ as shown in the New Testament with things like humility, kindness, and benevolence. Also making right the wrongs done in the past. Confession and repentance, as you said. But also covering acts done by the society.

[@davidmehling4310]

Another Ed Trevors viewer here and it's almost time for his Saturday evening Church Without Walls program which attracts a diverse and generally respectful audience, come to think of it like JJ's audience

[@kingsgrave_]

I've rarely encountered people using the term "Christian Country" here in the US that weren't using it in a Christian Nationalist way to the point where I don't like the term because of it. I do agree that we are culturally christian, and I use that instead of saying "christian country" to avoid being lumped in with the crazy lauren boebert types. I'm an atheist but I know christians who aren't at all like boebert that refrain from using the term for similar reasons.

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

Yeah, saying "Christian country" usually sounds like a dog whistle.

[@HollyJedi99]

Such an insightful video topic that I never realized I would’ve been interested in!

[@kuroazrem5376]

According to this definition, countries like South Korea, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and the whole of Latin America should also be as successful as other Christian countries, but, with the exception of South Korea, they aren't. Christianity didn't make a better West, in fact, it was the reaction against Christianity which created things like democracy, science and freedom. Also, the Mongols destroyed the Islamic and Chinese civilizations up to a point in which all their progress was destroyed. In other words, it was thanks to the Mongols destroying other civilizations that the West was able to rise. Besides, saying Christianity is tolerant is ahistorical at best. It was only with the explicit rejection of Christianity at the government level that tolerance emerged. To see how destructive Christianity was to high culture, I suggest the book The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey.

[@loganbennett2488]

Your point about our Christian influence being immediately recognizable to people from non-Christian parts of the world made me think about how most people here hear the phrase "allahu Akbar" and instantly think the person saying it is an Islamic fundementalist at least, but over there it's like saying "Oh my God!" over here. I found this out when I was watching a video of fireworks exploding prematurely and hearing people in the video yelling "allahu Akbar!" and being confused because I knew that meant "god is great" and I was wondering why they were praising god while something unintentional and objectively bad was happening. I did a little research and realized how if that same video was recorded at one of my family gatherings you would for sure here people shouting "Oh my God!" which if you weren't aware of how that particular phrase is used would seem kind of weird too.

[@loganbennett2488]

Also, I would very much describe the US as a Christian country, I've always described myself as culturally Christian, even if I'm not a believer myself, in the same way, I'd describe the US as a Christian country, even if religion has become less influential since it's founding.

[@headphonesaxolotl]

It's also important to note the term "fundamentalist" is not inherently good or bad- It simply means returning to your belief system's basic values. A religious terrorist group, a religion-based bigoted church, and a soup kitchen run by a nun might all be examples of religious fundamentalism, but I think we can all agree the third example is way less extreme and way more acceptable (Obviously, terrorism and bigotry are bad, but helping those in need is good.)

[@Abu_Shawarib]

I don't think any of these core principles don't already exist in Islam or Judaism, and don't personally know enough about Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism if it the case with them too. Also, It can be argued that religion in some aspects might contradict modern ideas like liberalism and capitalism and other core products people associate with "christian" nations. I think people who attribute these to Christianity probably both have a very vague interpretation of Christianity and lack of awareness about other religions and early European history.

[@CruelWorld.HappyMind.]

ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ғᴀɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏʀᴛʟɪsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀs❤️ ᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀɪᴢᴇ 🎁.

[@wiscopolo44]

Tom Holland to Professor Stark: Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so Christian…

[@freakishuproar1168]

I saw your illustrations for that "8 Types of Atheist" video Genetically Modified Skeptic put out, thumbnail caught my attention because of them, excellent work my dude! :D About that third and final definition. I'm English and from a very secular upbringing, so please keep my atheistic leanings in mind as I make the following observation, but I can certainly recall a time when calling a Western European country "a Christian country" was probably a lot less alarming than it would be today. Maybe it was just the kind of history books I'd have read as a kid and a teenager, but I grew up with the understanding that describing a contemporary nation as a Christian was more a by-word for describing the historical, philosophical and legal make-up of that nation. It was more of a shorthand to describe a place with democracy, a tradition of debate and argument, a dichotomy is the justice system that sought to balance punishment with reform, etc.

[@dhruv9744]

I think Christianity is western Europe is much more of a cultural entity, while in North America its more of an institution of faith.

[@Pyromat15]

Another Christian influence in my country (Canada) is how many streets, schools and towns/cities are named after Christian saints. For instance, I went to a secular public school named after St. Catherine and in my city there is a mosque on a street named after St Lawrence.

[@WasatchWind]

And likewise, here in Utah, streets and towns are named after notable people in our church's early history, and other towns and features have Biblical and Book of Mormon influence - Nephi, Lehi, Jordan River -

[@Mill_Jr]

Same in Brazil, we have a lot of cities, towns, and even the name of some states like São Paulo (St. Paul), Santa Catarina (St. Catherine) and Espírito Santo (Holy Spirit) have names of Catholic saints or other biblical figures

[@cjthorp4805]

Same in the US but especially California/the Southwest: san diego, san francisco, santa rosa, san angelo, santa maria, san luis obipso

[@thehighlander6770]

There is a Muslim mosque named after a Christian saint? What?

[@Pyromat15]

@@thehighlander6770 No the mosque is located on a street called St. Lawrence.

[@21Kyzix12]

I think the 3rd definition brings up the most interesting points. Going with the point that Christianity has a large influence on people's perception of religion, how people think about religion in the West is very different from here in Japan. This is really exemplified by a lot of the data that gets put out about adherence to a religion where Japan can fluctuate a lot. While the vast majority of people here participate in religious traditions and ceremonies, if you ask someone almost everyone will say they the aren't religious at all and many even that they are an atheist. That stems from a fundamental difference in how people think about the concept of religion and what people consider religious practices here compared to places like the US.

[@JJMcCullough]

I found that interesting when I was there. They also tend to use the word “god” a lot to describe all manner of minor deities which feels kind of confused from a western perspective.

[@21Kyzix12]

​@@JJMcCullough I can see that. When translating the word "kami" into English, generally the word "god" is used, but a lot of the kami are rather different from what would be considered a god from a western perspective. There isn't a perfectly analogous word. On the other hand, there are also kami in Shinto that would be more recognizable as gods to the West like Izanagi, Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukuyomi. That being said, in modern Japan I would say relatively few people actually believe in or worship said gods even if they might sometimes visit and pray at shrines dedicated to them.

[@japjeetmehton9921]

To me the Japanese perception of religion is very close to the Indian perception of religion. Using the word "god" for deities, and the mix of Shinto and Buddhist religions. In india I saw a lot of syncretism, a merging of religions, and people practicing different faiths simultaneously. Although this sort of thing seems to be on the decline because of political division but the sentiment of syncretism is there. Like we even had many saints who blurred the lines between hinduism and islam like Kabir. Also, I've heard religion is something which is "practiced" as opposed to believed in, which is similar to how Indian religions are viewed as a "method" to reach the highest principle, God. So things like meditation, yoga, and tantra are things which are practiced not believed in. Religions are thought of as "paths".

[@himothaniel]

Some of the things in this video really blew my mind. Good job JJ. Also, when Republicans say "we're a Christian country", they're actually saying "we should be a Christian country". It not an argument of fact. It's an argument of sentiment.

[@k.umquat8604]

@@jeffreydick5234 That has less to do with Christianity and more with religious freedom. In the Treaty of Tripoli (1797) signed with the Ottoman Empire, the USA is defined as a secular country.

[@rodrigopazin]

Mr. Rodney Stark overlooked that, in the middle ages, the islamic world had a leg up over europe in most fields of knowledge, with important contributions to science. I would also like to point out that lots of countries with a large christian majority which do not enjoy a high level of development/freedom.

[@chriswold6731]

Hey JJ! I am an American evangelical pastor actually now serving at a church in Canada. I have really appreciated your videos as I've been new to Canada and I've learned a lot from your videos about Canadian culture and history. Your insight has really been helpful. I also really appreciated how you tackled this topic. I am also a Christian who is not particularly fond of how the term Christian nation is used in American politics etc etc. But I wanted to extend an invitation to have a dialogue with you about this. One of my degrees is in Intercultural Studies and trying to understand these things from a cultural lens I find to not only be interesting but extremely helpful. Thanks again for the great content!