圣经及其对西方文化的影响

Bible and its impact on Western culture

Yang Yuan

Harbin Institute of Technology

Honor School Class One

Abstract

In this article, I mainly talk about some thoughts or ideas showed in the Holy Bible and

those

thoughts’ impact on Western recent and modern culture. Among all kinds of Western

cultures, I

take The Declaration of Independence in America and the enlightenment in Europe for

example.

Among all kinds of thoughts, I do research on the core values of the recent and modern

Western

people, such as equality, liberty, pursuit for happiness, democracy and pursuit for

science which

is called manito . In the one hand, the Holy Bible provides theoretical evidence for those

thoughts so that many excellent ideologists and philosophers in the times can communicate and debate freely. On the other hand, these people combine characters of the times and the rising bourgeoisie’s needs in thoughts to reread the Holy Bible so that Christian can match recent and modern Western social culture and thoughts.

Key words: the Holy Bible, Western culture, equality, liberty, pursuit for

happiness,

democracy, manito

I. Main thoughts in the Holy Bible

II.The Holy Bible’s impact on The Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson has said in the Declaration of Independence” We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

In the Holy Bible, it is not said only once that the god sees everyone in the world equally and bless the religious or punish the evil. In another words, the Holy Bible admits there isn’t a man or a class that should be exploited or oppressed by the other from his birth. This stereotype decides the roots of rebel against Britain in American immigrants. In my opinion, compared with Eastern people, it’s just

because of the Holy Bible that Western people have unlimited pursuit for equality.

In the Holy Bible, the god is helping the poor or guard justice against anything evil and teaching people to be kind and pursue their happiness by honest work. It again provides evidence for the Declaration of Independence. In another words, the Holy Bible admits one’s pursuit for happiness by his honest work is right and encouraged. While in that times, feudalism restrain American economy to develop in order to save his own benefits, American people think it is reasonable and lawful to take weapons to defend their right for pursuit for happiness under the guidance of the thoughts of the Holy Bible. Since the right is that the god gives people, Western people still treat the right is sacred and unalienable until now.

In the Holy Bible, God Jehovah assigns the first man to live in the Garden of Eden and told him that he can eat any fruit he finds only except the one to distinguish kindness and evil. To some extent, it implies human’s wide freedom. Under the laws everyone has to obey, everyone can freely choose their own life. Even the government can’t interfere their freedom. In my opinion, American’s pursuit for freedom and their belief that freedom is a birthright.

In America, human rights are seen very highly. In the Holy Bible, it is repeatedly stressed that all men have a common father, the god, and human rights are equal and unalienable for every one. This thought is the soul of the Declaration of Indepence.

III.The Holy Bible’s impact on the enlightenment