Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

truebluegreen

(9,033 posts)
54. At that point the Romans had already been using religion to unite their empire
Wed Oct 9, 2013, 10:05 PM
Oct 2013

for centuries. First they just added their own gods to the local existing ones, later they used the cult of the Emperor. Finally, they co-opted Christianity--which had become too popular to be ignored--tossed out texts that indicated Jesus was just a man, kept the ones that cast him as divine, and adopted Paul's authoritarian outlook--the better to keep the flock under control.

I believe there really was a Jesus Christ fitman Oct 2013 #1
That's nice. If shown to be false will you continue to believe that? cleanhippie Oct 2013 #5
I'm basically agnostic fitman Oct 2013 #7
I understand. Yet, if shown to be a total fabrication, as is asserted, will you continue cleanhippie Oct 2013 #11
If beyond all doubt I would not believe he was a real person fitman Oct 2013 #17
Fair enough. cleanhippie Oct 2013 #18
I agree. roguevalley Oct 2013 #57
Yes, Jesus of Nazareth. mmonk Oct 2013 #77
Jesus likely didn't exist... but this is total bullshit. Schema Thing Oct 2013 #2
What is total bullshit? cleanhippie Oct 2013 #6
Even if they expose the hoax, it will affect belief very little. immoderate Oct 2013 #3
He "asserts that Christianity" began as "a kind of propaganda ... to pacify" the Roman subjects AnotherMcIntosh Oct 2013 #4
Well done. russspeakeasy Oct 2013 #9
Interesting, indeed… Champion Jack Oct 2013 #8
Having read the article, I thnk the title is a bit hyperbolic. Agnosticsherbet Oct 2013 #10
So The Jesus burning on the cross was a kind of false flag operation? mindwalker_i Oct 2013 #12
No, most likely just a total fabrication. cleanhippie Oct 2013 #15
burning? Warren Stupidity Oct 2013 #20
Well if The Jesus was just a made-up thing mindwalker_i Oct 2013 #22
+1 cleanhippie Oct 2013 #31
The KKK burn crosses, not the Romans. truebluegreen Oct 2013 #56
To be fair, there aren't a lof of Romans to burn any more mindwalker_i Oct 2013 #62
old news for some.... heres a great site about the "history" of jesus boomer55 Oct 2013 #13
The bible was written 250 yrs after it supposed happened. Archaeologists, anthropoligists, Welibs Oct 2013 #14
"tools, artifacts, entire cities, frozen bodies, bones dating back 240 million years." Really? cleanhippie Oct 2013 #16
My interpretation is that 240 m.y. refers to "bones" not e.g. "entire cities". Warren Stupidity Oct 2013 #21
Human bones? cleanhippie Oct 2013 #23
no, just "bones". Warren Stupidity Oct 2013 #24
IIRC, the human species is only 100,000 years old or so. n/t backscatter712 Oct 2013 #73
That's what I thought, too. cleanhippie Oct 2013 #74
240 million years?? fitman Oct 2013 #19
You Are Claiming The the Bible On the Road Oct 2013 #79
Do you believe this information Dorian Gray Oct 2013 #25
How can I? He hasn't presented his evidence yet. cleanhippie Oct 2013 #26
Maybe David Icke will be there! cbayer Oct 2013 #27
The GOP will love this. Turbineguy Oct 2013 #28
One would have to see the evidence, but it sounds intriguing riqster Oct 2013 #29
Well, it's certainly a more-plausible explanation than believing all the supernatural hokum stopbush Oct 2013 #30
Oh this discredited dreck again. rug Oct 2013 #32
Good catch (nt) UrbScotty Oct 2013 #33
Here you go. cbayer Oct 2013 #34
Is it possible that that was not really him? cleanhippie Oct 2013 #36
His reply to me didn't really make any sense, as far as I can tell muriel_volestrangler Oct 2013 #47
I think you scared him because you know more than he does. cbayer Oct 2013 #48
Well, I guess we will see if/when he shows his "evidence." cleanhippie Oct 2013 #35
He's been "showing" it for years. Only the gullible buy it. rug Oct 2013 #37
"Only the gullible buy it." I think that's his point. cleanhippie Oct 2013 #38
I'll spot you £25.00 if you're short. rug Oct 2013 #39
You're so very generous. cleanhippie Oct 2013 #43
Shucks, I had gotten all excited, had looked the book up in Amazon, my balloon is popped!1 n/t UTUSN Oct 2013 #78
If Josephus wanted to invent Christianity, On the Road Oct 2013 #40
The core of Paul's letter is universally considered genuine............ dimbear Oct 2013 #44
Well, If Anyone Invented Them It Would Have Been Marcion On the Road Oct 2013 #55
I have a definite soft spot for Marcion. Around 150 CE, his brand of Christianity was the dimbear Oct 2013 #64
If You Like Marcion, You Might Appreciate This Site On the Road Oct 2013 #69
Bookmarked as very interesting. Meanwhile, have you looked at Bruce Brooks and his dimbear Oct 2013 #75
Not to mention that the letters of "Paul" Pab Sungenis Oct 2013 #76
It is possible that Jesus was a real man who started a religion the Romans found convenient leveymg Oct 2013 #52
The Way That the Romans Spread Religious Pacificism On the Road Oct 2013 #63
Should be interesting to see what they come up with. I don't think it will change my faith and it hrmjustin Oct 2013 #41
Your link is a press release; the event advertised is styled "Is Christianity the genesis of struggle4progress Oct 2013 #42
I fear the timing is off some. More likely 3rd/4th century Romans picked and chose what they liked dimbear Oct 2013 #45
At that point the Romans had already been using religion to unite their empire truebluegreen Oct 2013 #54
The Roman Empire was in a state of crisis for much of the Third and Fourth Centuries, so struggle4progress Oct 2013 #65
As I heard it, the Sasanids play quite an important part in western history. Constantine admired dimbear Oct 2013 #67
Not particularly new. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2013 #46
No, Jesus does not have "identical characteristics" okasha Oct 2013 #87
I don't understand the need for Rome to invent Jesus, particularly since it kinda backfired... Humanist_Activist Oct 2013 #49
How did the "Render unto Caesar ..." approach backfire against Rome? AnotherMcIntosh Oct 2013 #58
Not quite true, first off, Jesus Christ didn't become prominent until a century later... Humanist_Activist Oct 2013 #68
If you are committed to the premise that "he lived," then you can apply your own logic to AnotherMcIntosh Oct 2013 #70
Actually, I doubt Jesus existed as portrayed in the Gospels... Humanist_Activist Oct 2013 #71
Jesus Mythbusting struggle4progress Oct 2013 #50
"scholars ... sometimes turn out to be fakes". But Holy water is real? AnotherMcIntosh Oct 2013 #59
"allegedly new and exciting sources ... sometimes turn out to be fakes" would be my reading struggle4progress Oct 2013 #60
If Marco Polo's Holy water was good enough for the Kublai Khan, why not you? AnotherMcIntosh Oct 2013 #66
You'll have to forgive me for not having much of an opinion about a conversation struggle4progress Oct 2013 #72
It is true that Atwill only attended "a Jesuit Military Academy" and had no real scholarly cred but grantcart Oct 2013 #84
To be fair, he was up half the night underlining the Gideon Bible with crayons. rug Oct 2013 #85
Sorry, but if there really were good evidence for that... Deep13 Oct 2013 #51
Or at least published by a genuine publisher instead of self-published thru a vanity press struggle4progress Oct 2013 #61
Nail, head. okasha Oct 2013 #90
Alas! How dreary would the world be if there were no Jesus. eShirl Oct 2013 #53
Sorry Virginia, but it was your parents all along. Deep13 Oct 2013 #93
... Atwill's theory is one of the sillier ones at the kooky end of the Jesus Myther spectrum. It's struggle4progress Oct 2013 #80
As silly as the one where Jesus is killed then resurrected? cleanhippie Oct 2013 #81
Your rhetoric suggests that from your conviction, that the Jesus stories are nonsense, you conclude struggle4progress Oct 2013 #82
The captivity of confirmation bias is dismaying to behold. rug Oct 2013 #83
Selective Skepticism struggle4progress Oct 2013 #91
Dawkins follows up: dimbear Oct 2013 #92
Is that the first time he's stated "I'm not qualified" in regard to anything concerning religion? rug Oct 2013 #94
I don't have the mad google skills of some of our members, but a few clicks shows that no, dimbear Oct 2013 #95
The point is that skepticscott Oct 2013 #86
I do not understand this idea that, if one thinks someone else is misleading the public struggle4progress Oct 2013 #88
Clearly you don't understand it skepticscott Oct 2013 #89
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Religion»Ancient Confession Found:...»Reply #54