What were you before you became and atheist?

[FBM]

Countdown to Biggus Dickus reference...10...9...8...

[Exi5tentialist]

Saturn being the father of Rome's god (Jupiter), it was already a holy day and so easily merged with the Judeo-Christian theology retaining its original name but eventually losing its original significance.

When we want to give numbers an air of authority, like on a public clock face, don't we drop our arabic numerals and put Roman ones in their place? When I use the term Judeo-Christian, I tend not to mean the geographical origins of Judea as the birthplace of Christ. I mean the Old and New Testament - the Bible, a heavily edited anthology of books collated in Rome, by Romans, for Romans. We should really use the term Roman instead of Judeo-Christian. I'd settle for Roman Catholic.

[Exi5tentialist]

Without Rome's all-pervasive influence, wouldn't christianity just be another middle eastern religion for us westerners to get phobic about?

As it was the Greeks who got it going, not the Bedouin rejects, I doubt it would even be a mideast thing.

Possibly. Nevertheless, Christianity's greatest expansion was down to the Romans. Who knows what we'd be without them. Muslims, possibly?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Without Rome's all-pervasive influence, wouldn't christianity just be another middle eastern religion for us westerners to get phobic about?

As it was the Greeks who got it going, not the Bedouin rejects, I doubt it would even be a mideast thing.

Possibly. Nevertheless, Christianity's greatest expansion was down to the Romans. Who knows what we'd be without them. Muslims, possibly?[/quote]
I would be interested in finding out. What say I go back and kill 13 dudes and a hooker the first time they're all together in one spot.

BRB.

[Jason]

Christianity is not of Roman origin it's an offspring of the Jewish faith adopted by Constantine amidst a Roman civil war long after Rome had risen to power. In fact, it was adopted pretty damn near the decline of the Roman empire.

So no. I will not call it Roman.

[Exi5tentialist]

What say I go back and kill 13 dudes and a hooker the first time they're all together in one spot.
BRB.

Whatever lights your candle

[Exi5tentialist]

Christianity is not of Roman origin it's an offspring of the Jewish faith adopted by Constantine amidst a Roman civil war long after Rome had risen to power. In fact, it was adopted pretty damn near the decline of the Roman empire.

So no. I will not call it Roman.

Constantine... you mean the Roman, Constantine?

And where did I say Christianity was of Roman origin?

[Feck]

If our cultural root is Christianity... Explain the names for the days of the week please !

Would it be inaccurate to describe our names for the days of the week as a North European gloss, artificially superimposed on the Roman 7-day week? Is Rome not the true source of the christian religion? (and our calendar, and the Common Era itself?)

Without Rome's all-pervasive influence, wouldn't christianity just be another middle eastern religion for us westerners to get phobic about?

I think you will find the seven day week is a Babylonian invention .
So for what percentage of our history have we been a Christian culture ? and why does everything that happened before get ignored in your assumption ? Just cos I can't find any 4,00yr old churches around here but there are lots of standing stones and we don't parade saints around the streets but we do burn a few Viking longboats . We don't have a christian culture we have a Christian Veneer over the top of our culture .

[Exi5tentialist]

I think you will find the seven day week is a Babylonian invention .

I think you will find there is no point in getting hung up about who invented something, when the point is who popularized it and imposed it through a vast empire whose language we still largely base our own on.

So for what percentage of our history have we been a Christian culture ? and why does everything that happened before get ignored in your assumption ? Just cos I can't find any 4,00yr old churches around here but there are lots of standing stones and we don't parade saints around the streets but we do burn a few Viking longboats . We don't have a christian culture we have a Christian Veneer over the top of our culture .

Aren't all cultures veneers over the top of a previous one? The question is, how thick is the veneer? In the case of Roman Judeo-Christianity, I would argue it is so thick you can barely see the Norse legends that lie beneath. Those are quite fun to use when we need a party, though.

[Jason]

Christianity is not of Roman origin it's an offspring of the Jewish faith adopted by Constantine amidst a Roman civil war long after Rome had risen to power. In fact, it was adopted pretty damn near the decline of the Roman empire.

So no. I will not call it Roman.

Constantine... you mean the Roman, Constantine?

And where did I say Christianity was of Roman origin?

Saturn being the father of Rome's god (Jupiter), it was already a holy day and so easily merged with the Judeo-Christian theology retaining its original name but eventually losing its original significance.

When we want to give numbers an air of authority, like on a public clock face, don't we drop our arabic numerals and put Roman ones in their place? When I use the term Judeo-Christian, I tend not to mean the geographical origins of Judea as the birthplace of Christ. I mean the Old and New Testament - the Bible, a heavily edited anthology of books collated in Rome, by Romans, for Romans. We should really use the term Roman instead of Judeo-Christian. I'd settle for Roman Catholic.

Then what was your point there?

[Exi5tentialist]

Then what was your point there?

The origin of the Christianity stories geographically was the area of Israel. But Christianity's subsequent raison d'etre as a mass religion was to bolster the authority of Rome. I think it is to Rome's needs we should look for the cultural christianity we are discussing. Or more to the point, we should look to the needs of any authoritarian structure that is based on the Roman template of patriarchal authority: governments, churches, companies, broadcasting organisations, schools, families, universities, the Richard Dawkins Foundation and Rationalia (and many others).

[Feck]

Then what was your point there?

The origin of the Christianity stories geographically was the area of Israel. But Christianity's subsequent raison d'etre as a mass religion was to bolster the authority of Rome. I think it is to Rome's needs we should look for the cultural christianity we are discussing. Or more to the point, we should look to the needs of any authoritarian structure that is based on the Roman template of patriarchal authority: governments, churches, companies, broadcasting organisations, schools, families, universities, the Richard Dawkins Foundation and Rationalia (and many others).

If you don't like it here under the authoritarian structure and patriarchal authority that is rationalia you could leave,I mean we have so plainly refused to implement forum wide changes to accommodate you .

[Exi5tentialist]

If you don't like it here under the authoritarian structure and patriarchal authority that is rationalia you could leave,I mean we have so plainly refused to implement forum wide changes to accommodate you .

You see, that is an example of exclusivity. Exclusivity is a basic tool of discipline in most christian churches. It is yet another example of the way that so many of you who call yourselves atheists are culturally and behaviourally steeped in the mechanisms of christianity. You confidently state "we have" with the same confidence as those who sing "we plough the fields and scatter" in Sunday church. But there is no "We". "We" have decided nothing, let alone refused anything, besides which I have not so far formally proposed a single democratic reform here anyway.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Then what was your point there?

The origin of the Christianity stories geographically was the area of Israel. But Christianity's subsequent raison d'etre as a mass religion was to bolster the authority of Rome. I think it is to Rome's needs we should look for the cultural christianity we are discussing. Or more to the point, we should look to the needs of any authoritarian structure that is based on the Roman template of patriarchal authority: governments, churches, companies, broadcasting organisations, schools, families, universities, the Richard Dawkins Foundation and Rationalia (and many others).

If you don't like it here under the authoritarian structure and patriarchal authority that is rationalia you could leave,I mean we have so plainly refused to implement forum wide changes to accommodate you .

is easier and closer to the actual intent, I think.

[Exi5tentialist]

is easier and closer to the actual intent, I think.

Oh now come on, that's just an example of a wishful prayer. You guys really should try to come down to earth a bit. Your heads are in the clouds.