Has Christianity retarded or advanced human cultural and scientific progress?

Alas the people who bring up the "dark ages" only show their ignorance of history.

First the "Dark ages" is a term which originated in the late Medieval period to describe the period from about 500AD to about 800AD or so in which education ceased in Western Europe.

The same period in the Eastern Roman empire- the works of classical writers were preserved in the Library of Alexandria (It was rebuilt and stocked with books until the last time it was destroyed in 642 by Caliph Omar) the first time it was burnt was by the orders of Gaius Julius Caesar- a Pagan

The University of Constantinople- which only closed in 1453 when the Turks over ran the city.

The Scholars who protected the knowlege of the Ancient world and passed it on to the Muslims

and helped result in the Renaissance were MedEastern Christians.

edit if Christianity obliterated scientific progress then the cultures that lead the world in scientific knowledge would not be ones that had at least historically Christian majorities.

it has in fact advanced human cultural progress by making churches, but it has also made us stuck to traditional buildings and art without exploring different, but in matter of cultural, it's fair to say that churches and buildings and other things we built in honor of god are more that we would without christianity!

However, in scientific therms, it has slowed us down on enormous level! Christians killed many scientists just because science was threat to their religion! Hanging, torturing to death, burning alive, guillotine and more, including numbers of torturing machines were used to stop scientific advancement! So science was allowed to advance very slowly! And in these dark times for smart people, only few brave were noticed like Charles Darwin, who was actually a monk decided to openly defies church and make a theory of evolution and openly refuses to retire his theory when church asked him to! Even though his life was in danger!

In fact christianity slows down scientific development right now! There are many christians who won't think of science because they are afraid of loss of their faith! They also try to slow down scientists!

Maybe christianity or religion generally made us some advantage in building and culture, but it gave us way much more disadvantage!

Definitely set back

because of Christianity, plenty of smart people were killed during the dark ages

If you're looking for a more modern example, some school systems won't teach the big bang theory or the theory of evolution because of "religious conflicts" AKA Christianity

Considering what the Irish monks did after Rome fell, I think they did much to preserve culture. And I also think they do much scientifically, or else they would not have hospitals and universities.

Xtrianity's rise and the rise of the Codex, the written book, were synonymous. The ancient Israelites were easily among the first to have an education system for the entire community. During the medieval ages the Church was the only one to offer education to most kids (yes, it was mostly boys, but that was because it was vocational training, girls learned from their moms at home and did not need vocational education).

In all reality (as much as I dislike the Roman Orthodox) they preserved science and civilization.

Those who claim other wise are not students of history. They are students of hate and discrimination.

Advanced. Compare Christian Europe to pre-contact Mesoamerica and Australasia. When great universities such as Oxford and Cambridge were already hundreds of years old, Australasians had yet to develop written language. Hundreds of years after Chartres Cathedral and Westminster Abbey were built, Mesoamericans were still practicing human sacrifice.

If one looks at history objectively the answer is advanced.

Ever heard of the DARK AGES? Thank you, 'christianity' for 400 years of killing anyone with a brain.

Not only retarded but nearly obliterated.