-
Security incident: ISF was recently accessed by intruders. Please change your password, and change it anywhere else you used it. Read more
Did Christianity do anything unique in history?
- Thread starter CplFerro
- Start date
There's a very valid reason for "Protestant Reformation."
Elizabeth I
Philosopher
Which continued the religious persecution and atrocities in the name of its version of Jesus. See the New England witch trials, the harrassment of the Mormons (which I believe included burning people out of their homes), the Ku Klux Klan and its burning crosses, and other forms of religious entertainment.
And if you use the excuse of isolated individuals over hundreds of years, all of which are denounced and rejected by almost all believers, as part of your basis for opposing and rejecting Jesus Christ... well... that's a shame.
People suck. No peoples are exempt.
bikerdruid
Philosopher
The bad part is the believers didn't denounce it as it happened. One would think that those who claim to know the mind of god would also know that slavery was immoral, for instance. Or the Crusades, or the Inquisition. But no, they dragged on and on until even those who call themselves christians became embarrassed with their participation.
Last edited:
Abolition was a Christian movement.
Elizabeth I
Philosopher
I'm not sure I understand this, but in any case, whatever you said is not my basis for "opposing and rejecting Jesus Christ," but it certainly is my reason for disliking many of His adherents. And I still don't understand why the people who want to give all praise to God for the good stuff won't hand Him the responsibility for the awful stuff.
TimCallahan
Philosopher
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
- Messages
- 6,293
There were Christians on both sides of the slavery issue. That, I think, highlights why many of us don't see anything special about Christianity: Christians as a group don't behave in a way that is superior to non-Christians. It seems to the rest of us that, if Christianity is superior to all other religions, as well as being superior to secularism, that should be reflected in the behavior of Christians. In other words, it effect on its believers should show in their lives and, across the board, they should be a cut above the rest of us.
Not true at all.
Slavery was essentially a world-wide practice and the Bible accurately reported and reflected the realities of contemporary life.
AdinDraco
Muse
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2009
- Messages
- 664
Sorry, let me be more clear. Neither slavery nor the abolition of it was solely based on religious beliefs. Those with religious beliefs are able to use their beliefs to support a position they already hold. The bible does indeed, very clearly, support slavery and I agree this reflects the reality of the time. The problem is, with the right quote-mining, "in context" interpretation and outright denial it is possible to use it to argue...well almost anything.
bikerdruid
Philosopher
TimCallahan
Philosopher
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
- Messages
- 6,293
What I, personally, was talking about, with respect to slavery, was slavery in American history. There were Christians on both sides of the issue. The doctrine of the divine right of kings was championed by Christians, and the chief organization involved in the civil rights struggle of southern blacks was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The problem I have with Christianity in this issue is that its practitioners don't line up always on the side of what most of us today would consider the ethical choice with respect to freedom, democracy and human rights. Rather, they are as often on the side of repression as on the side of liberty.
Gandalfs Beard
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2009
- Messages
- 1,548
NOT! Apparently you never heard of Mithra(s)/Mitra, Ra, Osiris, Narasimha, or any of the many other Dying and Resurrecting Sun Gods who were also the Son of God: They had many of the same attributes, associated titles and imagery etc:
-Messiah
-Redeemer
-Saviour
-The Way, the Truth, and the Light
-The Shepherd
-The Word
-Son of God
-Son of Man
-The Annointed One
-associated with The Lion and the Lamb
-born in mid-winter
-died and resurrected at Easter time
-buried for three days in a tomb after which he rose again
-eucharist
-baptism
-12 disciples
-virgin mother
- ETC....ETC
There are so many iterations of this Myth Globally, it's not even funny. So NO,
Jesus Christ is NOT unique in History.
This fact is so well known that well known and "infamous" "Christian"** Apologist CS Lewis would describe these other deities as a "sub-specie" of Christ. Of course he did state that when he visited the statue of Apollo in Greece with Joy, "we almost reverted back to Paganism" ...and worshiped at the altar of Apollo.
GB
**Of course Lewis was always on Odd Duck
. He never did get over his love of "Fairy Stories" and Pagan Mythology, not through his Atheist period, and he was converted by Tolkien with the argument that Christianity was the True Myth that all the others "Prophesied"; basically Tolkien argued for a pagan view of Christianity and that's how he won Lewis over.
Last edited:
GrandMasterFox
Illuminator
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2009
- Messages
- 3,391
please ignore this.
Last edited:
Gandalfs Beard
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2009
- Messages
- 1,548
The BIG DIFFERENCE between the slavery practices of ancient peoples and Colonial Slavery is that the new Slavery was Mass Commerce, with a Racism component, justified by appeals to the Bible.
Ancient Slavery was built on "spoils of war", and class issues. It wasn't a massive (corporate) industry unto itself, geared up to make other cororations profitable.
GB
Ancient Slavery was built on "spoils of war", and class issues. It wasn't a massive (corporate) industry unto itself, geared up to make other cororations profitable.
GB