(November 18, 2013 at 12:24 pm)Kitanetos Wrote: I despise Christianity for its insistent determination to destroy other cultures.

If you changed "christianity" to "humanity", I'd agree with you

(November 18, 2013 at 1:01 pm)Optimistic Mysanthrope Wrote:

(November 18, 2013 at 12:24 pm)Kitanetos Wrote: I despise Christianity for its insistent determination to destroy other cultures.

If you changed "christianity" to "humanity", I'd agree with you

Zing!

(November 18, 2013 at 12:24 pm)Kitanetos Wrote: I despise Christianity for its insistent determination to destroy other cultures.

But many cultures have a chauvenism based, near totally intolerate attitude that amounts to de facto "insistent determination" to destroy other cultures within the sphere of its own influence.

The main difference appears to be in many cases the intention is not stated explicitly, and the culture in question thereby escape the need to justify it as insolently as Christianity.

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(November 18, 2013 at 12:53 pm)Gooders1002 Wrote:

(November 18, 2013 at 12:48 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Xtianity kills other cultures to expand. Spreading their filth is what makes them rich.

Sounds like Islam as well.

That is true. But none of the major cultures in the world today got to become major cultures because they possessed a delicate sensitivity to the cultures of people who had stood in their way during their history. In some cases, it was organic assimulation of formerly distinct cultures. In other cases it was through military, economic, socialogical conquest.

In most cases, our attitude towards particular instance of one culture swamping another is informed mainly by our personal affinity towards the predator and the prey cultures.

If we identify more closely with the predator culture, say for instance those of the Romans, then we say it is progress. If we identify more closely with the prey, then we say it is a travesty.

Many Native American cultures were not much better. You'll recall the Aztecs.

Cultures get absorbed or bowled over all the time as the world becomes increasingly global. While the spirituality from the past is an interesting piece of history, I don't think it's necessarily better.

(November 18, 2013 at 3:06 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote: Many Native American cultures were not much better. You'll recall the Aztecs.

Cultures get absorbed or bowled over all the time as the world becomes increasingly global. While the spirituality from the past is an interesting piece of history, I don't think it's necessarily better.

Agreed but the way by which they accomplished this assimilation is pretty awful, at least in Canada. That's what I despise about these things: the way they go about it, not necessarily that it resulted in the end of a culture. Cultures are not necessarily good things, China used to bind women's feet. That's my heritage and it sure was shit and I'm glad it ended.

Well, you've got Christianity which, while fairly awful when viewed alone or by the fact that they aggressively assimilated, was pretty run of the mill as far as cultures go when it came down to it. They weren't any more or less especially violent or loving at any given time. I think it's pretty much a "which bowl of shit are you better able to put up with" when comparing cultures. Some people can't stand the missionary aspect of Christianity. I can't stand just about any of it from any of them. That's all. I'm merely objecting to the idea that Christianity replaced something good or better.

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Which, by the by, many people seem to think the Native Americans were. There's this excellent and bullshit idea of the noble savage. People are people - doesn't matter if they're the original and bloody Celts of Europe, who are now relegated to some hippie idea of Stonehenge worshiping druids in England, or warring Indian tribes who used to scalp their enemies but "lived in communion with nature."

You'd be surprised how many people are willing to excuse the bad shit in other religions in order to highlight the equally bad or sometimes not-as-bad in Christianity.

(November 18, 2013 at 4:16 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote: I'm merely objecting to the idea that Christianity replaced something good or better.

The majority of the indigenous population of North America was entirely peaceful and pagan in their religious practices when Christianity made its way there. I agree that replacing one fantasy with another may not be an equalization, but there are degrees of lunacy. For example, according to Christian tradition, I go to hell (with all its tortures) if I'm not found 'in christ'. Conversely, according to some Native American traditions, I'm only lost in this life if I'm not into the 'great spirit', and the only 'torture' that I'm threatened with is a fruitless mortal life.

Religiously, maybe, but they were sure warlike enough culturally, no matter what lipservice they paid to the Great Spirit.

Quote:The majority of the indigenous population of North America was entirely peaceful and pagan in their religious practices when Christianity made its way there.

Except for the more or less constant low-level warfare against each other.

(November 18, 2013 at 4:37 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote: Religiously, maybe, but they were sure warlike enough culturally, no matter what lipservice they paid to the Great Spirit.

Agreed, though their religion gave little support to their war-like nature, whereas the Christian and Islam religions lend much support to killing for a god.