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Most influential Christian ever?

JC Callender said:
Was it surviving pretty well in a democracy back then? There were major corruption issues that caused people to rebel and become Protestants. Those Protestants had a huge influence on the development of Western democratic culture.
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As did Catholics, what's your point? The Church cleaned up the corruption. Are you trying to say something like capitalism wouldn't have fluorished if not for Protestantism?
 
The Christians that settled this country initially were mainly Protestants. All presidents were Protestants up until Kennedy. The Protestant view of individual freedom to have a personal relationship to God closely correlates a desire for individual freedom in a democracy.

Would the Catholic church have cleaned up the corruption if not challenged by Luther and Protestantism?

phattonez said:
As did Catholics, what's your point? The Church cleaned up the corruption. Are you trying to say something like capitalism wouldn't have fluorished if not for Protestantism?
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JC Callender said:
The Christians that settled this country initially were mainly Protestants. All presidents were Protestants up until Kennedy. The Protestant view of individual freedom to have a personal relationship to God closely correlates a desire for individual freedom in a democracy.

Would the Catholic church have cleaned up the corruption if not challenged by Luther and Protestantism?
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Sure. Reform does not require heresy.

Freedom precedes Protestantism. At least this is very clear in the economic realm. I wrote this entry in Wikipedia a few years ago about "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism"

H.M. Robertson, in his book Aspects of Economic Individualism, argued against the historical and religious claims of Weber. Robertson points out that capitalism began to flourish not in Britain, but in 14th century Italy, a decidedly different epoch. Since this is true, then the rise of capitalism cannot be attributed to Adam Smith, the Protestant Revolution, etc. In fact, Robertson goes further, and states that what happened in Britain was rather a retrogression from what was achieved in Italy centuries earlier.

Looking at the history of the development of economic thought, Robertson shows that Adam Smith and David Ricardo did not found economic science de novo. In fact, liberal economic theory was developed by French and Italian Catholics, who were influenced by the Scholastics. The British economic thought was rather a step backwards since it espoused the Labor Theory of Value, which had already been proved incorrect by the School of Salamanca.[11]
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I'm going with Pope John PaulII

He had a huge impact on the world.
 
phattonez said:
Sure. Reform does not require heresy.

Freedom precedes Protestantism. At least this is very clear in the economic realm. I wrote this entry in Wikipedia a few years ago about "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism"
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Then why didn't the Catholics play a bigger part in the development of the U.S.?
 
Fisher said:
Jesus maybe :2razz:
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Christian technically means "ChristLIKE" so since Jesus is Christ Himself I don't think he qualifies on a technicality.

The Apostle Paul. 99.999999% of all other Christians were majorly influenced and had their own Christianity shaped by Paul, in a manner of speaking.
 
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Jredbaron96 said:
Paul.

His Roman citizenship allowed him to spread Christianity across the Roman provinces, which greatly assisted in expansion. Had he not been, Christianity might not have gotten very far.
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Not to take anything away from Paul, God isn't limited. He would have raised up someone else to get his will accomplished if Paul hadn't been compliant.
 
:) Since the most influential Christians wouldn't claim much personal credit, but rather acknowledge that what they did the Holy Spirit did through them, perhaps He deserves Honorable Mention? :D
 
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