Beneficial effect of Christianity  

You can say they are pagan holidays all you want (a pathetic argument), but the fact is we have those holidays because of Christians. Independence

sorry but what you claim is a "pathetic argument" is actual FACT...The Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas ARE ORIGINALLY PAGAN.

It was the Christian belief that God made all men equal, and gave them free will that led people to fight against tyranny, and oppression from rulers, who enslaved people.

yet it was the church on behalf of god and christian beliefs that back in the 15th century DID enslave and oppress ppl...Its also christian beliefs that enslaved and oppressed certain ppl right up to the 1960s!

"...is actual FACT...The Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas ARE ORIGINALLY PAGAN."

Yes originally and even that is not the whole truth. The fact is that they are Christian holidays that were scheduled to take place on the same date the pagan festivals but that does not mean they are the same festival.

Nor are the pagans who celebrated them the same as those people calling themselves pagan now.

And Christians were oppressed by pagans long before that perversion of Christianity the Catholic Church oppressed pagans.

all the best urban

I kind of agree with what you said. So called Christians have abused power and oppressed people. But Christians of the kind of Jesus Bible talks about should be very much welcome. I am little wary of saying that Islam is itself good. It may be good, but I have my doubts. I need more resources to be able to say the same thing about Islam.

Firstly, religion is not a concept but a practice and practices and indeed concepts have profound effects on society.

Secondly, excessively individual thought can be as dangerous as collectivism

all the best urban

Here there are also many Anglican schools

all the best urban

True & likewise there are many Lutheran private schools here. However, further research on the matter shows that none of these schools would have come into being at all had it not been for initial support by way of funding, building donations, etc, etc from the Catholic Private Schools system. It may be different in England, but here the Catholic School system is by far the oldest & best established & better supported. In today's terms I should have simply used "Christian Private Schools", but I believe credit should be given where it is due, as much as I dislike to admit it.

In UK there are something like 21/2 times as many Anglican as Catholic schools, I don't know but I don't believe these owe anything, in terms of origin, to the Roman Church

all the best urban

Oh dear! Glad I didn't speak for both of us then.

In that case, you may replace "Catholic" with "Christian" - that ought to cover it!