Chapter 23
Western-style democracy
Having ended the previous chapter on an optimistic note, I'd like to clarify what I mean by western-style democracy becoming the global gold standard.
Western-style democracy is based on the ideas of freedom, equality, fraternity just as much as it is based on the Ten Commandments, Jesus' rule "love your neighbour as you love yourself", and "live and let live" tolerance. I suggest that all western values actually emanate from the Ten Commandments and Jesus' rule, yet I emphasize freedom and tolerance, because not all countries with a Christian majority have freedom and tolerance. Freedom and tolerance may or may not come with Christianity. In particular, eastern and souther Christian countries haven't implemented freedom and tolerance. There must be something in the west and in the north that makes the majority Christian and also free and tolerant. People are not required to be Christian and yet most of them voluntarily are. This is the mystic ingredient that turns western-style democracy into a global gold standard.
If you take away either Christianity or freedom / tolerance from western democracy, you end up with nothing special. Which is why all attempts at making the world more Christian without freedom / tolerance, and also all attempts at making the world freer and more tolerant without Christianity have failed.
It's time to propagate Christianity with freedom and tolerance, this is what I mean by western-style democracy becoming the global gold standard.
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