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i wish i was a little more knowledgeable that i am...but Christianity seems to have a almost commandment to "convert" others and i really cant say for certain if this compulsion to convert has caused more death and destruction than it has stimulated any goodness
i wish i was a little more knowledgeable that i am...but Christianity seems to have a almost commandment to "convert" others and i really cant say for certain if this compulsion to convert has caused more death and destruction than it has stimulated any goodness
A "command" to convert others came with Christianity becoming the symbol of an empire. Once the Church was given a stake in the empire, it was obliged to provide theological support for the practices of the empire.
What Jesus actually said was: "Narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few will find it" and "If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town."
it was my understanding that Buddhism is NOT a religion but a philosophy and it is quite consistent to be a Christian and also Buddhist
Same with Christianity...the Sermon on the Mount, etc.
It's a philosophy. It's only those seeking power and/or people who like to be led around who make it into a hierarchy.
In the original days I don't think one could have been a Christian (attend weekly services) and also, for example, followed the path of a Buddhist monk.
There is no space in between those two religions tho - when you take them down to brass tacks. Some Christians (Quakers, for example) are quite close to Buddhism in terms of "it's all inside you".
Same with Christianity...the Sermon on the Mount, etc.
It's a philosophy. It's only those seeking power and/or people who like to be led around who make it into a hierarchy.
In the original days I don't think one could have been a Christian (attend weekly services) and also, for example, followed the path of a Buddhist monk.
There is no space in between those two religions tho - when you take them down to brass tacks. Some Christians (Quakers, for example) are quite close to Buddhism in terms of "it's all inside you".
An important difference being that Buddhism, like Taoism, does not address the existence of a God.
Most of Christianity contains what I consider to be the three principle ingredients of a religion - A god save you, a dark force to punish you, and a reason to be miserable in the interim.
The topic is "What if the Roman Empire Selected Buddhism as its state religion instead of Christianity?"
What we know is that Constantine de-criminalized Christianity because it was politically advantageous for him to do so. He and following emperors then forged it into a tool for the purposes of the empire.
Any religion selected as the state religion by an empire will always be one that can be adapted to serve the purposes of the empire...or it will be discarded (if not suppressed).
So the answer to the OP question is that Hinduism or Zoroastrianism or anything else an empire found useful would be used the same way: To enhance the power of the empire.
Didn't acceptance of Christianity have a lot to do with many Roman soldiers worship of Mithras? an opportunity to combine two into one to consolidate likeness and power?
So a Buddist orientation wouldn't have had that same effect
The topic is "What if the Roman Empire Selected Buddhism as its state religion instead of Christianity?"
Clearly
Quote:
What we know is that Constantine de-criminalized Christianity because it was politically advantageous for him to do so. He and following emperors then forged it into a tool for the purposes of the empire.
Any religion selected as the state religion by an empire will always be one that can be adapted to serve the purposes of the empire...or it will be discarded (if not suppressed).
Religion is what discourages the masses from perpetual revolution.
Quote:
So the answer to the OP question is that Hinduism or Zoroastrianism or anything else an empire found useful would be used the same way: To enhance the power of the empire.
Any fantasy "what if" questions regarding an alternate view of history are absurd, actually.
Didn't acceptance of Christianity have a lot to do with many Roman soldiers worship of Mithras? an opportunity to combine two into one to consolidate likeness and power?
So a Buddist orientation wouldn't have had that same effect
On that subject, I would think that Pagans and Roman polytheists (Jupiter, Mars, and all that) could easily understand Christianity, but neither of them could easily accept Buddhism.
Most of Christianity contains what I consider to be the three principle ingredients of a religion - A god save you, a dark force to punish you, and a reason to be miserable in the interim.
That's the peanuts and crackerjack and other junk food version of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Gringo
Religion is what discourages the masses from perpetual revolution.
Bread and circuses, with plenty of peanuts and crackerjack, and video games, just for example, do even an ever better job of it.
Let's throw some marijuana and a little opium - or to be contemporary inorganic, opioid and other synthetics - into the ingredient mix and we're as good as dead.
"Am I leading a rebellion?"
Last edited by bale002; 04-16-2019 at 11:55 AM..
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