MY NEW BLOG IS AT ...in the outer...
(just a quick response - time is runnin short 
)
1) IMHO, yes.
2) ... so many ways to answer this!
2.a) If you are Judeo-Christian, the answer is obvious 
.
2.b) If you want to somewhat disassociate religion from the discussion, you could argue that the level of freedoms "Western Civilization" offers makes it better. People are, for the most part, free to live there lives as they wish and to vote/elect a government that will hopefully further these goals. Success is (atelast for now) rewarded and the economies typically prosper without relying on a single resource (e.g. - oil exports).
3) Do we include any freedom-centric culture? Obviously, I would include US, UK, & Australia(+NZ, I suppose).
3.a) and I guess I should include Canada, Germany & France ... although it pains me.
Outa time!
/TJ
Those countries based on Reformational theology are morally superior if you define "morally superior" as the law of God and the empowerment to follow it.
Pagan societies by contrast are not morally superior. However, as the west keeps following paganistic ideas and practices, its moral superiority is crashing. The west includes most of Western Europe, Scandinavia and North America.
Will not comment, will not comment ... oh heck.
I just watched Hotel Rwanda yesterday, and I discovered that the genoicide of the Tutsis was caused because one tribe thought that the other was far more superior. If only you guys realise that this kind of thinking, thinking one is superior than another tribe, is dangerous thinking.
It seems to me that all this talk about western or Judeo-Christian moral superiority has a one-word answer: Confucius.
Here was the Traditional Values man of all Traditional Values men; and his ethos was followed as much in fact as in the breach for some twenty-five hundred years. His statement of the Golden Rule preceded Christ's by 500.
Listen to our popular music; watch our TV and movies and then, if you can stand the prospect, read our contemporary pop literature. Morally superior?
Yes, we respond speedily and generously in worldwide crises like the tsunami; and the Pharisee who was "not like this tax collector" was no doubt also a generous giver. Confuse morality with salvation; and you're likely to end up with neither
Materially, yes.
Morally, who can say? Morality is relative. More relative than anything else in the world.
If you ask the ultra conservative Indians, they'll tell you that wearing skimpy clothes, showing cleavage, etc. are the worst morla offences, but at the same time they won't bat an eyelid while talking about hating people of other religions.
The same double standards exists everywhere.
But thats just my opinion.
1) The West certainly considers itself morally superior, and in many ways it/we probably are. In some we aren't.
2)Because I'm a westener. Because the west is "winning" the cultural "war".
3) Although I'd like to distinguish between the civilised world and America 
I'll try and answer this one too.
not ranked, just grouped,
US, Canada
UK, Ireland
New Zealand, Australia,
Iceland
Most of Europe (Scandinavia, everything west of Iron curtain, former east germany, greece)
Israel
Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunai
Capitalist parts of China and Korea (are at least rapidly becoming West)
the richer parts of India
Or something like that. "The West" is one of those tweedledee words that people make mean whatever they tell it to mean.
tweedledee words. I like that. hehe.
Bobw:
*Confucius' statement of the Golden Rule preceded Christ's by 500 [years].
Poppycock! (Unless you are an obsessive literalist). Christ's golden rule is a paraphrase of Lev 19:18-
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." (from New International Version)
Christ often drew on the authoritative Word when speaking.
Leviticus was written around 1450-1410 B.C., predating the birth of Confucius by some 900 years. Nice try.
Oh no ... the "who said this first" competition ... hehe.
Thanks for everyone who responded to this thread. I gathered from here that there are at least two misconceptions: (1) Western Culture deserves the accolade that it is morally superior or that it is superior because of whaever reason you like. As I have said many times, I think while it can be shown that there are some features of Western Culture that is desirable, excellent, or "praiseworthy" yet there are also features in which it is deplorable and unpalatable, and (2) Christian morality is equivalent or at least influential enough, to Western morality, that makes Western morality superior. Again, as I have said before, this is not necessarily true. For even if we speak in terms of philosophical systems, it is arguable that Christian morality is on par with any of the major morality systems of the world. Note I say Christian morality and not theology or soteriology. There is a difference I believe.
Furthermore, the most important point that I think most have missed is, even if we can conclude that Western Civilization is superior, we must still come up with the answer to the question, "So what?"
The excuse that since 9/11 we have to promote and defend an Americanism that exposes the degeneracy of other cultures in a false promotion of nationalistic pride and patriotic defence of the country is fueled by a misplaced fear, at best. Chrsitians, of all people, ought to be more sensitive to the fact that God came to this world to suffer a deplorable death and humiliation in order that reconciliation is possible - between men and between God. How can we fulfill our high calling if we get entangled in this self-serving nationalistic and patriotic false promotion? We can still be exemplary citizens without overdoing our nationalistic zeal.
To continue this conversation, please go to the corresponding post at
my new site (http://intheouter.net).
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