Persecuted but why?

[Light Travelling]

Early christians were escpecially persecuted. Mainly by the romans. Why did this original small faction of judaism inspire such hatred and violence?

When we look at christianity of today there seems very little there that could be offencesive to anyone, let alone lead to persecution.

OK so the christians say Jesus is son of God which upsets the jews (but they werent the main persecuters). The romans had many gods and these gods often had sons and daughters - so why should one more god with one more son be so offensive? OK so christians say there is only one god, which could offend the romans many gods. But then the jews only have one god and they werent escpecially persecuted by the romans (no more than any other conquered race anyway). So why?

I suggest that the reason is, that Jesus and his disciples taught something that was very different than the christianity we have today. It was a profound and empowering message of truth and the romans were afraid of it.

So the romans did what all great political powers would do. They took christianity as their own, changed it to take the parts they didn't like out and then gave it back to the world in a distorted and impotent form.

The process of removing the original teachings of jesus - hunting down of heretics / gnostics / apocryphia etc lasted for a few hundred years more. Until the romans hatchet job on the teachings of jesus was complete.

 

[FieryIce]

hunting down of heretics / gnostics / apocryphia etc lasted for a few hundred years more. Until the romans hatchet job on the teachings of jesus was complete.

Isn't that actually the monks under the direction of the Pope that did the hunting and collecting artifacts.

 

[WMA]

Early christians were escpecially persecuted. Mainly by the romans. Why did this original small faction of judaism inspire such hatred and violence?

When we look at christianity of today there seems very little there that could be offencesive to anyone, let alone lead to persecution.

OK so the christians say Jesus is son of God which upsets the jews (but they werent the main persecuters). The romans had many gods and these gods often had sons and daughters - so why should one more god with one more son be so offensive? OK so christians say there is only one god, which could offend the romans many gods. But then the jews only have one god and they werent escpecially persecuted by the romans (no more than any other conquered race anyway). So why?

I suggest that the reason is, that Jesus and his disciples taught something that was very different than the christianity we have today. It was a profound and empowering message of truth and the romans were afraid of it.

So the romans did what all great political powers would do. They took christianity as their own, changed it to take the parts they didn't like out and then gave it back to the world in a distorted and impotent form.

The process of removing the original teachings of jesus - hunting down of heretics / gnostics / apocryphia etc lasted for a few hundred years more. Until the romans hatchet job on the teachings of jesus was complete.

Because, they calimed Jesus to be the Messiah. The Jews did not believe this [The Romans being the Jews that killed Jesus? [I think]], and because of this they were despised because they were commiting a huge sin by being idolaterous, by believing Jesus was God, among other things. Jesus teachings did not change. IF the Romans had radically altered his message, there would be some evidence, irrespective of how small it is, showing there was such a ginormour change.

 

[Adstar]

Early christians were escpecially persecuted. Mainly by the romans. Why did this original small faction of judaism inspire such hatred and violence?

Because satan being in control of the world wanted to suppress the saving message of the Gospel.

When we look at christianity of today there seems very little there that could be offencesive to anyone, let alone lead to persecution.

Well your probably talking about the domesticated churchianity.. But even that causes more and more offense these days. satan has little or not use for his old whore these days. Soon he will tear her to shreds.

I suggest that the reason is, that Jesus and his disciples taught something that was very different than the christianity we have today. It was a profound and empowering message of truth and the romans were afraid of it

Yes all servents of satan where afraid of it. Concepts such as love your enemies do not serve those who seek to build global empires. Plus fear of the loss of fear was even more fearful to them. People who do not fear death are very hard to control.

So the romans did what all great political powers would do. They took christianity as their own, changed it to take the parts they didn't like out and then gave it back to the world in a distorted and impotent form.

They persecuted Christianity until they found cowards within it who could no longer face persecution and death for their Messiah. They did a deal with them and then had their religious harlot, making it the religion of empire. If you cannot beat them join them corrupt them until they serve you. Once they crossed the first line from "love they enemies" to "burn the heathen" they where doomed.

The process of removing the original teachings of jesus - hunting down of heretics / gnostics / apocryphia etc lasted for a few hundred years more. Until the romans hatchet job on the teachings of jesus was complete.

gnostics??? That’s just another satanic creation. satan makes many different factions and gets them to fight amongst themselves and laugh's at them all. There are 1000 different roads to the lake of fire.

All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[Light Travelling]

Isn't that actually the monks under the direction of the Pope that did the hunting and collecting artifacts.

Yes but remember the pope was / is a roman, hence roman catholic. The pope is merely an extension of roman emporers who were the first heads of roman christian church.

 

[audible]

why is it you religious lot always blame satan, for gods evils, if I actuelly ever beleved in either of them I'd feel sorry for satan.

adstar "Concepts such as love your enemies(a contradiction in terms)" this is like locking the stable door, after the horse has bolted.
if you loved them in the first place there would'nt be any enemies.

 

[spidergoat]

IF the Romans had radically altered his message, there would be some evidence, irrespective of how small it is, showing there was such a ginormour change.

There is, the newly discovered texts of the Nag Hammadi, paint a very different picture of early Christianity.

The hatred and persecution of Christians was like racism today, or hatred against muslims, and was in part political. The reason the Romans killed Jesus in the first place was because he seemed a popular insurgent, a radical cleric in our language. The Romans had to be violent to keep order in a large empire. Jesus might not have been so political, but he drew huge crowds, and that kind of power was feared. After his death, he was even bigger, and thus more of a political threat.

The process of removing the original teachings of jesus - hunting down of heretics / gnostics / apocryphia etc lasted for a few hundred years more. Until the romans hatchet job on the teachings of jesus was complete.

Yup.

 

[Adstar]

adstar "Concepts such as love your enemies(a contradiction in terms)" this is like locking the stable door, after the horse has bolted.
if you loved them in the first place there would'nt be any enemies.

I loving mother tells her daughter to stop taking mind altering drugs. The daughter is offended and hates the mother for because she loves the drugs.

The daughter goes on to develope deep depression because of the damage done to her brain by the drugs have caused a perminant chemical imbalence in her system. The daughter ends up comiting suecide.

The mother loved her daughter. The daughter hated her mother because she interprited the mothers love as taking away something that the daughter loved.

The same thing happens here. People who take delight in unrightiousness hate those who love them by warning them of the consequences of unrightiouness. People who love darkness hate the light and hate those who revel darkness as evil.

John 3
19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.


So yeah loving someone does not make them love you, often loving someone will often cause them to hate you with a passion.

All Praise The Ancient of Days

 

[Cris]

The early Christians were persecuted because they were considered atheists, i.e. didn't believe in the official gods. The persecution would have likely continued and Christianity may well have died an appropriate death had it not been for Constantine needing a new religion to support his political aims. He reasoned that the old gods had not helped his predessors particularly well so it was time for something different, unfortunately he did have some early military victories which he attributed to the Christian god and hence Christainity gained a major foothold in the world.

 

[stretched]

Quote Adstar:
"I loving mother tells her daughter to stop taking mind altering drugs. The daughter is offended and hates the mother for because she loves the drugs."

* You know dipshit about addiction. Stop using inappropriate examples. You are exposing your bigotry.

 

[Joeman]

Christians do not believe Roman emperors will be God after they die.

 

[Light Travelling]

The early Christians were persecuted because they were considered atheists, i.e. didn't believe in the official gods. The persecution would have likely continued and Christianity may well have died an appropriate death had it not been for Constantine needing a new religion to support his political aims. He reasoned that the old gods had not helped his predessors particularly well so it was time for something different, unfortunately he did have some early military victories which he attributed to the Christian god and hence Christainity gained a major foothold in the world.

I think you really stretch the meaning of word atheist here!

 

[Light Travelling]

Christians do not believe Roman emperors will be God after they die.

My understanding is that roman emperors said they were gods while they were still alive.

The pope (the current successor to the line of roman emporers) is considered to be a divine representative on earth by catholics (a watered down version maybe?)

 

[john smith]

I think you really stretch the meaning of word atheist here!

Stretching to the point of imploding..... :m:

 

[Adstar]

* You know dipshit about addiction. Stop using inappropriate examples. You are exposing your bigotry.

dipshit ?? The hate comes out. Your reation proved my point.

I have a brother who is slowly killing himself with alcohol abuse. I watch his mind slowly but surely loosing its spark i watch his health failing. He drinks until he is absolutely blind and continues to drink until he becomes unconscious. You know what he said to me when i shared my fears for him. "get of your high horse " So now i just sit back and watch him slowly die.

All praise The Ancient of Days