![The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe](http://illuminationis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/the-dark-side-of-christian-history-by-helen-ellerbe-202x300.jpg)
The Christian church has left a legacy, a world view, that permeates every aspect of Western society, both secular and religious. It is a legacy that fosters sexism, racism, the intolerance of difference, and the desecration of the natural environment. The Church, throughout much of its history, has demonstrated a disregard for human freedom, dignity, and self-determination. It has attempted to control, contain and confine spirituality, the relationship between an individual and God. As a result, Christianity has helped to create a society in which people are alienated not only from each other but also from the divine.