Tom Holland accepts AC Grayling's challenge: 'Name ONE thing Christianity did for us'

Historian Tom Holland responds to AC Grayling's challenge to name one thing that Christianity has done for the world that doesn't also have a secular or classical source... and reels off a list.


The Big Conversation is a unique video series from Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the Christian and atheist community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human.

The Big Conversation Season 2:

The Big Conversation Season 1:

The Big Conversation is produced by Premier in partnership with the Templeton Religion Trust

[starspangledbat]

Tom Holland has really aged out of the Spider-Man role quickly...

[Savantjazzcollective]

heres one for you AC Grayling "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"

[theoldpilgrimway]

Christianity gave me hope when I was not a Christian.

[kaloarepo]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the fact that Christianity especially in its Calvinist(Puritan)form more than any other force in history promoted universal literacy -this was because of the need for every individual to access the Bible in his/her own language and have a personal relationship with God -once a person is literate he then is capable of reading other things than the Bible and this may include critiques of religion -thus it was no accident that many of the Enlightenment philosophers and activists were from Britain especially Scotland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and of course the New England region of the United States where the agitation for independence had its main focus.

[POTATOEMPN]

Does everybody forget Gregor Mendel? Dude is a Monk from the Augustinian Abbey. He was an Abbot who was literally the guy who discovered genetics....

[lpz]

Tell me why I clicked on this thinking it was going to be about Peter Parker

[wayfarer]

In China Christian missionaries were at the forefront of stopping footbinding of the feet of young girls which caused them great pain and for fashion's sake made normal walking impossible.

[SimpleTanks]

The one that seperates from all others is unmerited salvation.

[Dhavroch]

What unique positive contribution to society has atheism brought that didn’t already exist in a religion beforehand?

[ocrancienthistory]

It's like the Monty Python sketch: "What have the Romans ever done for us?"

[Roland]

Hospitals, orphanages, classical music theory, school systems, universities,

[EPIGOLD]

i thought Spider-man would be in this video

[samuelhunter]

Let's
-Loving your enemies and praying for your tormentors
-Atonement for all humanity
-Virgin birth
-Physical Resurrection (not ascension or apotheosis)
-Trinity
-A deity refers to his followers as his "brothers"
-Jesus being God and Man. Not a demigod or a God living in human flesh.
-All humans being equal regardless of gender or nationality (Since the first pages of Genesis)

[escuddy]

@Unbelievable? The title you chose for this video misrepresents AC Grayling's challenge and has led to a lot of confusion in the comment section. AC Grayling's challenge was to "Name one thing Christianity has introduced that doesn't have some source or parallel with previous and other civilizations". This is entirely different than "Name one thing Christianity did for us". His challenge focuses on the uniqueness of Christianity, not strictly on its utility.

[bradleeedwards]

Grace over Law distinguishes Christianity.

[wayfarer]

Medical missionaries were among the first to speak up worldwide against female circumcision

[wayfarer]

In India Christian missionaries were at the forefront of unifying city dialects to help inguistically streamline their languages to futher independance from Britain.

[EddieHoekstra]

How about grace? the unmerited or undeserving favor of God to those who are under condemnation

[wayfarer]

In Roman times Christians saved the lives of babies who had been left outside to die, often getting slandered and sccused of using the babies for ritual sacrifice and even cannibalism.

[emilromanoagramonte]

I am missing the answer Grayling gave after Holland did his piece...