Constantine the Great

[Der/die AtheistIn]

Let's talk about this guy. He's the one that made Christianity the official roman religion. Before he became a christian, he persecuted christians, then he persecuted people of other beliefes. The church sees him and his mom as saints, but I'm sure they were the exact opposite of that.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Actually, Constantine was pretty tolerant of Christianity before his professed conversion, and treated other religions with the same soft touch after it. (His father was the one known as 'The Great Prosecutor.'). Granted, a few of his edicts weren't particularly helpful to Jews in the empire, but even there he is acknowledged to have been less harsh than some of his predecessors.

A lot of people today seem to have the impression that, once Constantine publicly announced his conversion, the empire converted right along with him. In actuality, the empire at the time of his death was probably about 5% Christian, while the legions (what was left of them, anyroad) were likely never more than about 2%.

Boru

[Fake Messiah]

Well Constantine did not make Christianity the official state religion of Rome. Constantine was pagan being even Pontifex Maximus and even coins depicted him as the sun god Sol Invictus. He did elevate Christianity but it still didn't flourish until century later. So why did he do it? It had everything an aspiring totalitarian emperor could want. A church that demanded absolute and unquestioning obedience. Also to weaken pagan temples and take their money.
But like I said he was pagan and equated Jesus with the sun god Sol Invictus. That's why Jesus birthday was set on Dec. 25th because Constantine openly conflated Sol Invictus and Christ Jesus and that was the same day as the sun god’s.

Myths by Eusebius

Yes our famous Eusebious that invented many Christian fairy tales including testimonium flavium. Well he also invented that Constantine converted to Christianity in the year 312 by a battlefield vision of the cross and yet you’d never know it from his massive triumphal arch commemorating that battle. It only depicts the usual pagan tropes, and gives thanks for the victory to Sol Invictus in his solar chariot. Also only Eusebius claims that Constantine’s mother Helena went to the Holy Land and found the cross.

[Succubus]

Constantine merely 'legitimized' Christianity, the real damage was done by Theodosius who banned all pagan worship. Without Theodosius Christianity wouldn't be the abomination that is it today, it would have evaporated just like the many other small cult religions at the time.

[Der/die AtheistIn]

Well Constantine did not make Christianity the official state religion of Rome. Constantine was pagan being even Pontifex Maximus and even coins depicted him as the sun god Sol Invictus. He did elevate Christianity but it still didn't flourish until century later. So why did he do it? It had everything an aspiring totalitarian emperor could want. A church that demanded absolute and unquestioning obedience. Also to weaken pagan temples and take their money.
But like I said he was pagan and equated Jesus with the sun god Sol Invictus. That's why Jesus birthday was set on Dec. 25th because Constantine openly conflated Sol Invictus and Christ Jesus and that was the same day as the sun god’s.

Myths by Eusebius

Yes our famous Eusebious that invented many Christian fairy tales including testimonium flavium. Well he also invented that Constantine converted to Christianity in the year 312 by a battlefield vision of the cross and yet you’d never know it from his massive triumphal arch commemorating that battle. It only depicts the usual pagan tropes, and gives thanks for the victory to Sol Invictus in his solar chariot. Also only Eusebius claims that Constantine’s mother Helena went to the Holy Land and found the cross.

Really? I didn't know it, thank you for explaining it to me.

---

Constantine merely 'legitimized' Christianity, the real damage was done by Theodosius who banned all pagan worship. Without Theodosius Christianity wouldn't be the abomination that is it today, it would have evaporated just like the many other small cult religions at the time.

I think I learned what I knew about Constantine in religion class. I guess I still haved some marks left by religion.

[Succubus]

I think I learned what I knew about Constantine in religion class. I guess I still have some marks left by religion.

As do so many others, this is the power of priest craft. According to all the latest polls, Christianity is dieing on it's arse, but the poison still lingers in peoples psyche.  Christianity is the biggest disaster in human history.

[vorlon13]

I think I learned what I knew about Constantine in religion class. I guess I still have some marks left by religion.

As do so many others, this is the power of priest craft. According to all the latest polls, Christianity is dieing on it's arse, but the poison still lingers in peoples psyche.  Christianity is the biggest disaster in human history.

You can't fault the Islamites for feeling competitive though, and they might yet win the coveted Silver Sow Award for that . . .

[brewer]

It was a power consolidation move that couldn't really hurt him.

He couldn't have been that great or they wouldn't have changed the name.

[Succubus]

Well I'm sort of hoping that once Christianity is viewed as the mother of all fuck-ups, then maybe the Muslims will wise up. I'm also pretty confident I'll be accosted by a 24 year old medium titty'd blond tonight.

[brewer]

Well I'm sort of hoping that once Christianity is viewed as the mother of all fuck-ups, then maybe the Muslims will wise up. I'm also pretty confident I'll be accosted by a 24 year old medium titty'd blond tonight.

Well, it has been the driving motivation behind most of the best genocides. Fucking Albigensian scum.