I would say 60-75% of us here on this forum are free thinkers. NOW lets start pushing our agenda start TAXING all Religious Groups and all their properties!
O Yeah! Well my point of view is far superior to your point of view so either agree with me or go fuck yourself!!!
(a quick recap of all political and religious threads)
I personally am a Gnostic and do not believe Hell was invented by the church. From my understanding ... heaven and hell are a condition of the heart and it got misconstrued by the church in an attempt to create absolutism. This happened when the 2 streams of thought were @ battle between palageous and ox (Augustine) where palagous thought one may reach heaven through his own virtues and humbleness - and could create his own truths - Ox disagreed, and thought it was impossible for one to get to heaven (as a place) without the assistance of a church and government of morals and values. Also regarded truths to be absolute rather than subjective. Eventually, he made a case against palagious and had him killed. If im not mistaken.... Artorious was a Palagion follower and assisted in taking back of what is today England? With all his Knights of the Round table peoples.
Yeah... or something like that. I read it in a book by Bertrand Russell
Christianity did not become a religion until 400 a.d. With that being said - the idea of hell existed long before that.
If there was anything to attribute to the church, it would be the ideas of good and evil in comparison to the idea of good and bad of former times and a reversal of values.
Christianity actually coexisted with the dionysians for quite some time. The dionysians were sympathizers of the Christian cult, while carcala and Nero were on the thrown burning Christians for challenging their values of worth. Christians philosophy being the lesser man s worth for than the greater man. The dionysians did not care what their philosophy was, but thought it wrong for all the murder.
Needless to say...Eventually, Christians turned on the Dionysian lifestyles of wine, sex, and ecstacy and started killing and snuffing out Dionysians until the religion was destroyed.
In the book "The Prince" by Machaevelli, he mentions the 1st Ruler to declare christianity as the state or country religion as a power grab. (Which isn't uncommon, even in BC era - Zarathustra the Persian profit did the same thing ((even though he was an atheist)))
Since then its been the goal to create a universal system, even the word "Catholic" means "Universal" which is explaining its intention? (I think Islam translates to submit (humbly?))
Then Christianity had the challenge of taking on the world.
Don't believe anything I just said.
The End
A Free-Thinker is one that is non-religious. I believe the most famous "Free-Thinker" title claimer (don't remember his name) was a Shaker.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack LaBarge
Sorry for all the Blabber, I devoted most of my life to Religious Studies and Philosophy. Well, not as much anymore ...