You're filled with INFIDELITY, you monotheistic MOON GOD WORSHIPPERS, you!

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Senator Evilcheese, D-Iraq
Registered Senior Member
The common Christian belief that Allah is in fact an ancient Moon god isolated for use in a monotheistic religion does not work out.

"Before the creation of Islam, Mohammad's tribe of Arabs believed in many gods. Their Moon god, the most hallowed of all their gods, was called Allah. Thus Allah in the Muslim religion is a fake god and Mohammad a fake prophet."

My responce is:

"Before the arrival of Christianity in Latvia, Latvians believed in many gods (many Latvians still do). Their King of Gods, the most hallowed of all their gods, was called Dievs. Thus Dievs in the Latvian bible is a fake god and Jesus is a fake saviour."

Explanation of that is: When Christian invaders of Latvia tried to convert the population, they tried a common strategy used for the conversion of Pagans: isolate their King of Gods or their most hallowed god, try to make him seem like the same god as the Christian God, and give him the same name so a Pagan reading the Bible for the first time will just think that the "Dievs" (or the name of whatever god is used) in the Bible is the same as the one in their religion, until the Bible slowly wedges them away from Paganism.

I believe Mohammad used a similar tactic: highlight similarities between the Islamic Allah and their Moon god, give him the same name, and people will be more willing to convert.

Feedback?

(btw, there is a Chick tract on this, that's what gave me this idea. and yes, that is a widely held belief)
 
A number of empires or expansions have used this method of adapting the religions of their conquered to assimilate them. Romans are a nice little example.

Anyway, why change the word? If the people you're "converting" already have a word for 'God' - just use that. Making them change it to your word is just dumb strategy.
 
Originally posted by Tyler
A number of empires or expansions have used this method of adapting the religions of their conquered to assimilate them. Romans are a nice little example.

Anyway, why change the word? If the people you're "converting" already have a word for 'God' - just use that. Making them change it to your word is just dumb strategy.
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My point was that, how can somebody say Muslims worship a moon god just because they have the same name?
 
No real comment, just some snide remarks. (What a surprise, eh?)

I think it's funny that the ancient Christians in their attempt to woo pagans adopted so many pagan traditions and symbols that today, modern Christians have no freakin' idea that many of their holidays are essentially pagan rites with a bit of Christian paint thrown over them.

Easter and Christmas, especially, are chock full of pagan symbols. Which I think is even more amusing because I think those are pretty much the two main Christian holidays...
 
Cupric--a possible topic?

Hallowe'en (Samhain)
Groundhog Day, U.S. (Ormlec, Candlemas)
Easter (Aostar, Eostar, Ostara)
Christmas (Yule)

Astronomy suggests Jesus was born in July

Christmas, when instituted, occurred on the Winter Solstice; precession is the astronomical phenomenon which moves the Solstice earlier on the calendar.

Maybe we should go through and put together a topic on just how many Christian symbols &c. are borrowed or stolen from paganism. Of course, there goes half the religion at least.

I'll give it some thought.

thanx,
Tiassa :cool:
 
As for assimilation, the Egyptians also did the same. They conquered, and then instead of snuffing out the resident religion they offered to include the local god/goddess so the Egyptian religion quickly turned multi-god (the terminology escapes my brain).

But apparently Moses rejected it when the Egyptian Pharaoh offered this compromise to him. I don't know if this is true (it is partly something I heard and partly a logical conclusion I came to after reading that part of the bible) but if it is it does show the non-flexible and non-compromising nature of Christianity. I might also point out that it is rather surprising we don't have suicide bombers or other similar zealots of Christianity, considering how the bible spends half its breath lambasting 'infidels' or 'unbelievers', and the Revelation shows so much sadism in tormenting 'unbelievers' who 'failed to repent'. Just a thought. You don't see any of that in Buddhism.

Any thoughts? And yes, the thread title is rather funny.
 
I think it might be a shorter list to figure out how many modern Christian symbols are NOT directly descended from pagans.

What is there? The cross. (Gotta love a religion that uses a torture device as it's main symbol)

Umm....

Uhh....

Oh! The Jesus fish.

Umm....

Doves carrying olive branches? That sounds awfully Roman to me, but I could be wrong.

I guess the priest's collar could be considered a Christian symbol...

Help me out here, Tiassa. You're much better educated about Christianity than I am.
 
"I might also point out that it is rather surprising we don't have suicide bombers or other similar zealots of Christianity, considering how the bible spends half its breath lambasting 'infidels' or 'unbelievers', and the Revelation shows so much sadism in tormenting 'unbelievers' who 'failed to repent'. Just a thought. You don't see any of that in Buddhism."

There's been centuries of Christians worse than suicide bombers. See - Crusades and Inquisitions.

And America has seen Christians bomb abortion centres.
 
*hits self on head* Oh right. Sorry, it escaped my mind for a moment. Ackk!!! I'd blocked out the unpleasant memories but now they're back!! *clutches head and falls to floor frothing and drooling*

Xev, Xev, where art thou?? I need some common sense to save me... *flails wildly* :(
 
And America has seen Christians bomb abortion centres.
Click to expand...

And hold up signs saying "MATTHEW SHEPPARD WILL BURN IN HELL" at his funeral because he was gay, when he was tortured and killed because he was gay.

Some people piss me off!
 
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