Did Christianity destroy Greek and Roman civilization?

[Imaginos]

Did Christianity destroy Greek and Roman civilization and create the Dark Ages?

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/dark-age.htm

I personally think it did.
In the Roman Empire prior Christianity there was a general freedom of religion and ideas.

That all changed after the Roman Empire became Christian, as Christians resolved to force Christianity on everyone.

Civilization or at least Europe went backwards as the intolerance of Christianity destroyed the architecure, the literature and much of the knowledge of Ancient Rome and Greece.

[East of Eden]

Its hardly surprising that early Christians were hated with good reason.
They were completely intolerant to other beliefs and wanted to destroy values deeply held by the classical world like freedom of religious faith, freedom of speech and freedom of knowledge.

Tex: Are you serious?? Wake up and smell the coffee. If people were so happy with the Roman rule....They would have killed the Apostles before they could have said "boo".

"freedom of speech" in Roman times.....Now you have to tell me where you heard that one?

Science and Technology prospered in the Roman Empire as the Pagan religions had no agenda of restricting knowledge or forcing people to follow a specific faith.

That's funny, belief in Christianity didn't restrict these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ch ... in_science

Alfred North Whitehead and Robert Oppenheimer both said Christianity was the reason science arose in the West, and not elsewhere.

[Imaginos]

If I were a member of the bronze-age theocracy of Israel you might have a point. Jesus harmed nobody, and when confronted with disbelievers merely sadly walked away. He specifically warned against such purges in the parable of the wheat and the tares. You don't judge a philosophy by it's misuse.

Christianity was used in a very destructive way by many people though, and that is part of its influence on the world.
Hence we ended up with things like the Inquisition and the Crusades.
And those things are supported by verses in the Bible, so Christianity is at least part of the cause of them.

[Imaginos]

That's funny, belief in Christianity didn't restrict these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ch ... in_science

Alfred North Whitehead and Robert Oppenheimer both said Christianity was the reason science arose in the West, and not elsewhere.

Your comment is pretty ironic considering at a glance that list includes Giordano Bruno and Michael Servetus who were both burnt at the stake, as well as Galileo who was also imprisoned by the church.

If I went through the list I'd probably find others who were persecuted.
Anyone who thinks Christianity helped scientific progress is just deluding themselves.

[East of Eden]

That's funny, belief in Christianity didn't restrict these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ch ... in_science

Alfred North Whitehead and Robert Oppenheimer both said Christianity was the reason science arose in the West, and not elsewhere.

Your comment is pretty ironic considering at a glance that list includes Giordano Bruno and Michael Servetus who were both burnt at the stake, as well as Galileo who was also imprisoned by the church.

As Whitehead said, Galileo died peacefully on his bed with a mild reprimand, you can argue the other two were killed for theological, not scientific reasons.

If I went through the list I'd probably find others who were persecuted.
Anyone who thinks Christianity helped scientific progress is just deluding themselves.

Like Oppenheimer and Whitehead? Maybe you think it was a coincidence science arose on the Christian West?

[East of Eden]

If I were a member of the bronze-age theocracy of Israel you might have a point. Jesus harmed nobody, and when confronted with disbelievers merely sadly walked away. He specifically warned against such purges in the parable of the wheat and the tares. You don't judge a philosophy by it's misuse.

Christianity was used in a very destructive way by many people though, and that is part of its influence on the world.
Hence we ended up with things like the Inquisition and the Crusades.
And those things are supported by verses in the Bible, so Christianity is at least part of the cause of them.

Where did Jesus say to do those things? Do Stalin's actions invalidate atheism?

[Rkrause]

If I were a member of the bronze-age theocracy of Israel you might have a point. Jesus harmed nobody, and when confronted with disbelievers merely sadly walked away. He specifically warned against such purges in the parable of the wheat and the tares. You don't judge a philosophy by it's misuse.

Christianity was used in a very destructive way by many people though, and that is part of its influence on the world.
Hence we ended up with things like the Inquisition and the Crusades.
And those things are supported by verses in the Bible, so Christianity is at least part of the cause of them.

Unit 731 all in the name of an emperor. Pel Pot, Stalin, Hitler all used idealogical ideas to support theirr actions.

The dark ages were created by governments not religion. In fact the very few people could read and write unless they were attached to the christian church. Monks were the best educated and copied the books we still have today.

[Goat]

If I were a member of the bronze-age theocracy of Israel you might have a point. Jesus harmed nobody, and when confronted with disbelievers merely sadly walked away. He specifically warned against such purges in the parable of the wheat and the tares. You don't judge a philosophy by it's misuse.

Christianity was used in a very destructive way by many people though, and that is part of its influence on the world.
Hence we ended up with things like the Inquisition and the Crusades.
And those things are supported by verses in the Bible, so Christianity is at least part of the cause of them.

Unit 731 all in the name of an emperor. Pel Pot, Stalin, Hitler all used idealogical ideas to support theirr actions.

The dark ages were created by governments not religion. In fact the very few people could read and write unless they were attached to the christian church. Monks were the best educated and copied the books we still have today.

Stalin used the ideology of The State, Pol Pot used the ideology of Theravada Buddhism and Hitler thought he was dong the work of Jesus. Of course, they all were quite insane. The hard thing about it is that they got other people to go along with them.

[Rkrause]

If I were a member of the bronze-age theocracy of Israel you might have a point. Jesus harmed nobody, and when confronted with disbelievers merely sadly walked away. He specifically warned against such purges in the parable of the wheat and the tares. You don't judge a philosophy by it's misuse.

Christianity was used in a very destructive way by many people though, and that is part of its influence on the world.
Hence we ended up with things like the Inquisition and the Crusades.
And those things are supported by verses in the Bible, so Christianity is at least part of the cause of them.

Unit 731 all in the name of an emperor. Pel Pot, Stalin, Hitler all used idealogical ideas to support theirr actions.

The dark ages were created by governments not religion. In fact the very few people could read and write unless they were attached to the christian church. Monks were the best educated and copied the books we still have today.

Stalin used the ideology of The State, Pol Pot used the ideology of Theravada Buddhism and Hitler thought he was dong the work of Jesus. Of course, they all were quite insane. The hard thing about it is that they got other people to go along with them.

Thats a whole new topic....Why do people follow insane people?

[East of Eden]

If I were a member of the bronze-age theocracy of Israel you might have a point. Jesus harmed nobody, and when confronted with disbelievers merely sadly walked away. He specifically warned against such purges in the parable of the wheat and the tares. You don't judge a philosophy by it's misuse.

Christianity was used in a very destructive way by many people though, and that is part of its influence on the world.
Hence we ended up with things like the Inquisition and the Crusades.
And those things are supported by verses in the Bible, so Christianity is at least part of the cause of them.

Unit 731 all in the name of an emperor. Pel Pot, Stalin, Hitler all used idealogical ideas to support theirr actions.

The dark ages were created by governments not religion. In fact the very few people could read and write unless they were attached to the christian church. Monks were the best educated and copied the books we still have today.

Stalin used the ideology of The State, Pol Pot used the ideology of Theravada Buddhism

So those two weren't really atheists?

and Hitler thought he was dong the work of Jesus.

He said that early on, while duping his way to power. His end game was to go after Christians too.

Funny, if Hitler was doing Jesus' work, why didn't the martyred Dietrich Bonhoffer figure out they were on the same side?

[Goat]

Thats a whole new topic....Why do people follow insane people?

Good question.. Hitler was the 'voice of authority'.. and people were scared. If people talked against the government, they just 'disappeared' .. I think Stalin was a similar situation.. I don't know enough about Pol Pot. .. but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.