How to Answer Question on Spread of Xtianity?

[LogicalFallacy]

 

One thing my parents bring up when we discuss beliefs (granted it's been awhile, I've been taking a break from fighting the good fight) is "How do you explain all the hullaboo about some little inconsequential jewish teacher if he didn't actually rise from the dead? Something must have happened that people all over the world know who Jesus of Nazareth is. Why would so many write about him or feel the need to bring him up?"  

 

You could ask them how do they explain the rapid rise of Islam if Muhammad didn't actually fly to Jerusalem on a winged horse.... how did an illiterate merchant manage to found the second biggest, soon to be biggest, religion in the world?

 

The answer is the same as what Florduh gave - those in power gave the religion protection and status, and non adherents were compelled to convert. Once that generation passed its just an inherited generational thing.

 

Islam and Christianity are the violent children of their mother Judaism... which was just as violent, if not more so. The children learn from their parents right?

[LogicalFallacy]

 

There are two uses of the term "gnostic Christian":

 

2)  A descriptor for a Christian who claims actual knowledge of their particular religious dogma and tenets.  The term that is more commonly used is "gnostic theist" as opposed to "agnostic theist", or "agnostic atheist" or "gnostic atheist".  These four terms belong to a group.  Each is making a knowledge statement (gnostic or agnostic) followed by a belief statement (theist or atheist).  Richard Dawkins came up with a seven level categorization which is similar to this:

 

Richard Dawkins’ Belief Scale Scoring Rubric

1. Strong Theist: I do not question the existence of God, I KNOW he exists

 

For example, Stranger is a gnostic theist.

 

Not though its a claim to knowledge, not actual verifiable knowledge - something Stranger doesn't seem to comprehend.

[Stranger]

 

One thing my parents bring up when we discuss beliefs (granted it's been awhile, I've been taking a break from fighting the good fight) is "How do you explain all the hullaboo about some little inconsequential jewish teacher if he didn't actually rise from the dead? Something must have happened that people all over the world know who Jesus of Nazareth is. Why would so many write about him or feel the need to bring him up?"  

 

How do you folks answer this? I don't know what to say. It does kind of make sense that such a little peon of a guy wouldn't be as known as he is now unless something dramatic happened, don't you think? When I start thinking about hiding bodies or the disciples making stuff up.....I know I would sound like a flat earther to my parents, they would roll their eyes and never take me seriously.

 

What gives? How do you all respond to this?

 

Was your question answered to your satisfaction? 

 

Stranger

[Geezer]

 

One thing my parents bring up when we discuss beliefs (granted it's been awhile, I've been taking a break from fighting the good fight) is "How do you explain all the hullaboo about some little inconsequential jewish teacher if he didn't actually rise from the dead? Something must have happened that people all over the world know who Jesus of Nazareth is. Why would so many write about him or feel the need to bring him up?"  

 

How do you folks answer this? I don't know what to say. It does kind of make sense that such a little peon of a guy wouldn't be as known as he is now unless something dramatic happened, don't you think? When I start thinking about hiding bodies or the disciples making stuff up.....I know I would sound like a flat earther to my parents, they would roll their eyes and never take me seriously.

 

What gives? How do you all respond to this?

 

One word- Constantine. If he had not make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire it is likely Christianity would never have survived. If Consrantine had not allowed the Catholic Church to exist Christianity would not have survived. There was no such thing as a "Church" until a struggling new religion called Christianity created it. The concept of a church was the apparent key to Christianities survival, with Constantine's blessing of course. 

 

Christianity grew & spred because they had the power, endorsement, & financial support of the Empire behind them. 

 

Interestingly enough Constantine was not a Christian. He worshipped Mithra which was far more popular than Xianity at that time.

[Rounin]

It's interesting to consider that whoever leads India or China at any given time has about 1.3 billion adherents each, of varying degrees of willingness, of course.

If Xi Jinping isn't a divine being walking the earth, how do you explain that? 将死, 无神论者!

[ag_NO_stic]

 

It's interesting to consider that whoever leads India or China at any given time has about 1.3 billion adherents each, of varying degrees of willingness, of course.

If Xi Jinping isn't a divine being walking the earth, how do you explain that? 将死, 无神论者!

 

Yeah, I had not really considered this. 

 

 

 

One word- Constantine. If he had not make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire it is likely Christianity would never have survived. If Consrantine had not allowed the Catholic Church to exist Christianity would not have survived. There was no such thing as a "Church" until a struggling new religion called Christianity created it. The concept of a church was the apparent key to Christianities survival, with Constantine's blessing of course. 

 

Christianity grew & spred because they had the power, endorsement, & financial support of the Empire behind them. 

 

Interestingly enough Constantine was not a Christian. He worshipped Mithra which was far more popular than Xianity at that time.

 

I had never considered the power/endorsement/finance angle, how interesting. 

 

 

 

For example, Stranger is a gnostic theist.

 

Not though its a claim to knowledge, not actual verifiable knowledge - something Stranger doesn't seem to comprehend.

 

FYI, I'm responding to your first comment (it's just on page 1), I had not considered how equally peonish Muhammad is. Thanks, LF!

 

 

 

Was your question answered to your satisfaction? 

 

Stranger

 

Yes, it was. Thank you for asking?

[SuperBigV]

What about the spread of Mormonism?  What about the spread of Islam?  In regards to Christianity, what's curious is that even in the New Testament, we find competing factions.

 

Acts 21:¹⁷ After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. ¹⁸ And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 

 

SO, a strange thing happens.  Paul claims that Christ is the end of law, and yet, the Jerusalem group doesn't think the law of Moses is done with.  Which of these is the right teaching?  And these two we know from the Gospels.  Yet, there were also Gnostics and other heretics about whom we  know little about.  Which teaching was founded by Christ and has spread?  Seems to me that only the Paulinism survives today.

 

 

[Geezer]

Brainwashing has proven to be a very effective tool for controlling people. Religion could not survive without indoctrinating their adherents. That's why it begins at birth and continues the rest of their lives. Believers are essentially walking religious zombies incapable of critical or rational thinking when it comes to their religious beliefs. They are much like the Borg in that they are part of the collective and therefore highly vulnerable to "group think" & "herd mentality".