(January 14, 2015 at 9:48 pm)Strider Wrote: It's impossible to describe what the world would be like now if Christianity never existed. Christianity is intertwined with history and responsible for the much of the modern world today with all its faults and its good points, its laws, traditions, societal norms, and culture. Taking it out of the equation entirely raises an unanswerable hypothetical IMO. I can see some of the scenarios you described as valid and plausible, but a millionfold equally conceivable scenarios are possible as well, or perhaps the hypothetical scenario we're discussing never comes to fruition in the first place because of such a significant change.
If Christianity disappeared tomorrow...another religion would come about. I think people are too weak-minded at this point in time to accept the nothingness after death. People will find something else to believe in, something that tells them they are special little snowflakes destined for an eternal life instead of the gaping maw of oblivion. It's just easier on the mind, but false solace isn't solace at all in my view.
Good answer. Thanks for not saying it is improbable and not giving answer.
Oh and to the others- Islam WOULD develop without Jesus, just 1 less prophet. They're thing's not based on the new testament.
And to those who said any other religion would've come up- I agree. That's why I used the umbrella term Paganism.
Any way, Rome would fall anyhow and we have no monks motivated to keep translating the bible or anything else.
Esquilax- I'm not attributing literacy to bibles. I'm attributing them to monks who were passionate enough to translate and passionate about starting Oxford and Cambridge. Yes I'm attributing it to Christians who were motivated by christianity.
Oh I just got one more for the list. Emperor Constantine under the pope's influence abolished a law called Patria Potentis which gave husbands power over their wives and kids- even power over death.
