There was an interesting article linked on Arts and Letters Daily I thought I'd bring attention to. How Christianity and Capitalism Led to Science.

Rodney Stark, a professor of history at Baylor in Texas, argues that it is Christianity's embracement of reason that led to the rise of capitalism. And, Stark argues, it is Capitalism that led to the primacy of the West. So, it is Christianity's scholastic attitudes that are actually responsible for the West's successes. This thesis opposes the famous thesis by Weber (thoroughly debunked here and elsewhere, even by the likes of Henri Pirenne [a very famous historian]) that Protestantism, specifically, gave rise to Captalism. It also opposes the common lies that Christianity and its faith suppressed reason and science, leading to a long Dark Age.

Unfortunately, this is not a scholarly article, and so it is not well sourced. Nevertheless, it's a lot of fun to read, and I think that everyone can enjoy it.

And here's a little twist of irony: Stark quotes Tertullian in arguing for Christianity's embracement of religion, without comment or footnote!

As Quintus Tertullian instructed in the second century, "Reason is a thing of God, inasmuch as there is nothing which God the Maker of all has not provided, disposed, ordained by reason — nothing which He has not willed should be handled and understood by reason."

Strange, huh?

Ta ta for now!