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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 11, 2016 at 1:32 pm
(This post was last modified: January 11, 2016 at 1:33 pm by robvalue.)
Something far worse would have probably filled the void. Some hideous death cult spread by violence and fear. A devious arrangement where everyone is deemed to be in some way broken, and only this new cult can offer the solution. It would preach a pretense of love, while cutting down any opposition and silencing critics with extreme punishment. It would probably involve a blood bargain where an innocent is tortured and sacrificed as some sort of vicarious redemption.
It would have continued to have a stranglehold until some sort of secular system could hold it to account.
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 11, 2016 at 1:38 pm
(This post was last modified: January 11, 2016 at 1:40 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Or.......the dominant paradigms that were already in power would have remained so. Things like the cosmopolitan state-focused paganism of Rome. The notion that something worse would have filled the void ignores that there was no void to fill - even if christianity had never been dreamt up.
(though I loved what you did, there, btw...lol)
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 11, 2016 at 2:16 pm
Jesusism replaced a far more tolerant attitude.
I can only think we'd have been better off without that bunch of miserable fucks calling the shots.
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 11, 2016 at 2:19 pm
Maybe the Roman pantheon would have evolved to Monotheism ??
Jupiter just has to get in the right kind of snit, kill all the other Gods, and there you are. Just a revelation away . . .
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 11, 2016 at 4:48 pm
(This post was last modified: January 11, 2016 at 4:52 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Unlikely, since they used their paganism as an inclusionary device for assimilation of non-native peoples to the cult (and therefore culture) of the state. The roman attitude towards foreign gods was to erect a statue to them in the temple...and collect taxes upon it. They'd made religious tolerance exceedingly lucrative.
One of the things that really pinched christians tits (and before them jews) was the notion of seeing their god in a roman temple. The romans themselves would have seen the christers as loosely sane malcontents on this count. Ala, "stop complaining..we carved jesus into the wall over there".
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 11, 2016 at 5:00 pm
Quote:“First, however, I must deal with the matter of Jesus, the so-called savior, who not long ago taught new doctrines and was thought to be a son of God. This savior, I shall attempt to show, deceived many and caused them to accept a form of belief harmful to the well-being of mankind. Taking its root in the lower classes, the religion continues to spread among the vulgar: nay, one can even say it spreads because of its vulgarity and the illiteracy of its adherents. And while there are a few moderate, reasonable, and intelligent people who interpret its beliefs allegorically, yet it thrives in its purer form among the ignorant.”
― Celsus, On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians c 180 AD
It continues to thrive among the ignorant to this day.
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 11, 2016 at 8:57 pm
(January 11, 2016 at 5:00 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Quote:“First, however, I must deal with the matter of Jesus, the so-called savior, who not long ago taught new doctrines and was thought to be a son of God. This savior, I shall attempt to show, deceived many and caused them to accept a form of belief harmful to the well-being of mankind. Taking its root in the lower classes, the religion continues to spread among the vulgar: nay, one can even say it spreads because of its vulgarity and the illiteracy of its adherents. And while there are a few moderate, reasonable, and intelligent people who interpret its beliefs allegorically, yet it thrives in its purer form among the ignorant.”
― Celsus, On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians c 180 AD
It continues to thrive among the ignorant to this day.
Sounds like today
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 12, 2016 at 4:55 am
(January 11, 2016 at 2:12 am)1994Californication Wrote: This is a valid what-if scenario I've been asking myself for the longest time.What if Christianity never existed,what if the Romans continued to persecute the Christians and never adopted Christianity as its state religion.How would our timeline play out?
Living in what ifs is a waste of life, they can't happen. History has already been lived and can't be changed, so why waste your time on what ifs. Christianity was to be even before the creation.
GC
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 12, 2016 at 4:59 am
(January 11, 2016 at 1:38 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Or.......the dominant paradigms that were already in power would have remained so. Things like the cosmopolitan state-focused paganism of Rome. The notion that something worse would have filled the void ignores that there was no void to fill - even if christianity had never been dreamt up.
(though I loved what you did, there, btw...lol)
Haha, thanks 
Yeah, I was just using "fill the void" as a literary device. I don't know nearly enough to have any idea what would have happened in reality.
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RE: What if Christianity never existed?
January 12, 2016 at 5:46 am
(January 12, 2016 at 4:55 am)Godschild Wrote: Living in what ifs is a waste of life, they can't happen. History has already been lived and can't be changed, so why waste your time on what ifs. Christianity was to be even before the creation.
GC
Oh, like "what if god can see me masturbate". That sort of waste? Carry on.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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