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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 3:16 pm
(April 15, 2014 at 1:25 pm)max-greece Wrote: Mithras would have been the largest religion in the world.
Unlikely, Mithraism was a soldier's cult - had little populist appeal, and absolutely none with women.
Most likely, some other "martyr" would be proclaimed a figurehead of a new religion, and some Emperor would have used it as a unifying force like Constantine I did. Or, the Empire would have stuck with Sol Invictus, which has the added bonus of sounding much more bad-ass than Jesus.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R Tolkien
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 3:24 pm
We're back to the original question, though. Whether it's cuddly ol' Jesus or some other figurehead, the movement still needs a central sacrificial offering of Yahweh to itself. So could the bad guys in the story possibly have had the free will to change the plot?
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Then christians wouldnt have brought their dirty laundry here... and there would be no easter bunny and no santa...
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 3:35 pm
You make a compelling case. I'm sure that those holidays would still exist, given their astronomical importance to humanity's history. They'd just have the xtian façade stripped away.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 3:38 pm
(April 15, 2014 at 3:35 pm)Stimbo Wrote: You make a compelling case. I'm sure that those holidays would still exist, given their astronomical importance to humanity's history. They'd just have the xtian façade stripped away.
Agreed - a lot of christian festivals coincide with pagan ones - I doubt the majority of people cared what was being celebrated at the time.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R Tolkien
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 4:34 pm
(April 15, 2014 at 3:24 pm)Stimbo Wrote: We're back to the original question, though. Whether it's cuddly ol' Jesus or some other figurehead, the movement still needs a central sacrificial offering of Yahweh to itself. So could the bad guys in the story possibly have had the free will to change the plot?
Isn't God supposed to know what people are going to do before they do it? All he had to do was make sure his incarnated aspect behaved in a way which was going to guarantee the required results - annoy the Jewish establishment so they'd engineer his execution and recruit Judas Iscariot who would betray him.
On the other hand, God is supposed to have hardened Pharaoh's heart so he could have arranged for the Jews and Romans to crucify Jesus. This eventually led to Christians going round in ever decreasing circles so they can continue to believe that God is good and loves everyone even though he arranges for them to sin.
Why did God Harden Pharaoh's Heart?
Quote:Am I then saying that God Himself actually arranged for Pharaoh to sin?
Yes, in much the same sense that He arranged for Joseph's brothers to sell Joseph into slavery (Genesis 50:20), Satan to attack Job (Job 1:12), Jews and and Romans to crucify Jesus (Acts 2:23), and sin to exist in the first place.
Well, if that's true, how can we explain what seems like a contradiction—that God wills sin which is, by definition, against His will.
Theologians have often handled this paradox by concluding that there are two wills in God, sometimes referred to as God's sovereign will and His revealed (perceptive) will, or His will of command and His will of decree. And also by understanding that in God's view and plan, it is good that there is evil in this world. Note—that is not to say that evil is itself good; only that evil serves a worthy end and is therefore an important and integral part of God's good purposes.
 Where are the snake and mushroom smilies?
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 6:03 pm
Quote:What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
Then I wouldn't get to laugh at the Christians who wear the tool of his demise around their necks.
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(September 17, 2015 at 4:04 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: I make change in the coin tendered. If you want courteous treatment, behave courteously. Preaching at me and calling me immoral is not courteous behavior.
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 6:17 pm
I suspect that, given enough time, Jesus would have either been exposed as a fraud and discredited, or the hubbub would have died down and Christianity would have evolved into one of those cults who spend their days waiting for the mothership and eventually drink the punch.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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Re: RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 6:46 pm
Quote:What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
I got a better one. What if they had coat hangers back then? Mary wouldn't have had to lie.
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RE: What if the Romans hadn't killed Jesus?
April 15, 2014 at 7:59 pm
Quote:Theologians have often handled this paradox by concluding that there are two wills in God,
Theologians usually invent shit to sell to the gullible. It seems to be their primary function.
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