• QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    No, it isn’t. For most of history most Christians were taking care of those around them. It is with industrialism and Calvinism that we see people move away from this.

    The infuriating part is a different beared Jewish guy tried to put into practice these ideals and the USA fought to stop it everywhere.

    • Photuris@lemmy.ml
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      2 days ago

      Dude, a guy named Constantine literally started this modern Christiandom train rolling with his “Hey guys, I just met Jesus, and he told me I should be in charge now. So, I’m king, ordained by heaven, and we’ll enforce this new order with lots of violence.”

      And he and his successors then proceeded to conquer territory, and then mint coins depicting a soldier holding a cross and smashing the head of his enemy under his boot. In hoc signo vinces.

      And thus Christian imperialism, conquest, subjugation, and terror has marched along ever since. Lest ye forget the Crusades and the Inquisistion, for example.

      Yes, there’s beauty and kindness in the Christian tradition as well. But let’s not pretend that it was all huggy-bunches-of-love until Calvinism showed up.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Constantine literally started this modern Christiandom train

        Constantine ended the institutional persecution of monotheists within the Roman empire. The apostolic church had been groving along well before that.

        The end to formalized persecution gave Christians an opportunity to begin organizing openly - leading to the Ecumenical Councils that would define the church as an institution for the next two millennium. But the foundations were all in place well beforehand.

        And thus Christian imperialism, conquest, subjugation, and terror has marched along ever since.

        The Church, as a military power, has always been mediocre at best. Rome itself was gutted during the transfer of the court to Byzantium. And this laid the seeds for the Roman Orthodox split, which divides the church to this day.

        The Western empire dissolved into feudal states, with Catholicism and the Church operating as a kind of diplomatic corps and patronage network for European aristocrats.

        It wasn’t until the emergence of Protestantism, following the failure by the Hapsbirgs to consolidate power during the 30 Years War, that capitalist expansion began to produce imperialism in the modern sense.

        The conquest and subjection that followed was in pursuit of economic growth via slavery and plunder. The church existed to help rationalize these economic pursuits, but the priesthood was secondary to the merchant classes in actually executing it.

        • JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          The Renaissance occurred when Greek scholars in the Ottoman Empire were exiled by Islamic extremists, thus bringing the knowledge of antiquities to Europe.

          When Islamic extremism reached India, the Moguls were about to be overthrown when the British turned up.

        • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          It’s sad how many downvotes you have while being correct while the other poster has a bunch if upvotes while being really off the mark.

      • Maeve@kbin.earth
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        2 days ago

        Well Constantine convened the council of nicea to codify his rule and leave out a lot of the Bible, so there’s that.

      • Sixty@sh.itjust.works
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        2 days ago

        We’ll also note that their supposed god claim never chimes in to distance himself from these people.

      • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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        2 days ago

        Dude, a guy named Constantine literally started this modern Christiandom train rolling with his “Hey guys, I just met Jesus, and he told me I should be in charge now. So, I’m king, ordained by heaven, and we’ll enforce this new order with lots of violence.”

        Constantinus was the Emperor of Rome before he converted the Empire. He did not create the notion of the Divine Right to Rule. His conversion was entirely politically motivated as it happens near his death.

        Calvin is the one that promotes the notion that wealth is a sign of God’s love which is the opposite of what Jesus taught.

        Why did you reply authoritatively if your understanding of this subject is so poor?

        • JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          It wasn’t Calvin it was Luther. And he was quoting Saint Augustine.

          Calvin said that although the righteous were selected and so charity would not gain brownie points to heaven, the selected would do charitable works because they were the select.

          Martin Luther just opposed all charity.

    • entwine413@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      You need to brush up on your history then. The church’s history is largely violently forcing others to convert and using the Bible to persecute those they don’t like.

      • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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        2 days ago

        That is entirely unrelated to the fact that most Christian communities did in fact try to clothe, feed and tend those that needed it. Most humans will try to ease the suffering of those they know in their communities if they can because most aren’t so cold hearted

        • Zwrt@lemmy.sdf.org
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          2 days ago

          I dont understand why your down voted.

          Christian institutions = \ = christian followers.

          a few hundred years ago homeless people and veteran carried tokens that enabled them to be given free food and help at churches.

          Paster Damian died of leprosy after 11 years of helping others with the sickness, tending their wounds, sharing food and digging graves. He kept doing so while he was sick.

          The catholic church as an institution absolutely is evil but that does not automatically make believers or individual priests so.

          History is Littered with proof of this. Science denying is not the answer to religious bigotry.

          • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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            2 days ago

            The fact is for most of history you wouldnt have left your county so you actually were more inclined to be closer with people you might not have loved because of expediency. You aren’t going to chow down on seconds if you know your neighbor is starving unless you are a psychopath and most humans aren’t.

        • entwine413@lemm.ee
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          2 days ago

          Your statements don’t align with reality, which isn’t surprising because religion doesn’t align with reality.

          • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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            2 days ago

            Are you so prejudiced that ypu think most people would not give food to their neighbors if they were starving? Are the people around you that horrible?

              • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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                2 days ago

                So then yes you are either that bigoted or the people around you are abnormally indescent. Most people won’t let people they kind of know starve. It has nothing to do with faith. The evangelicals who buy into the prosperity gospel do this because of the aforementioned Calvinism.

                • entwine413@lemm.ee
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                  2 days ago

                  Not at all. I’m not saying there’s not good Christians; I’m saying they’re the minority and aren’t representative of the religion as a whole.

                  People have been using religion as a justification for hate, pain, and misery since religion was invented, and Christianity isn’t any different. I’m not sure why you think this is a recent change.

                  Plus, only helping people you know or kinda know doesn’t make you a good Christian. The majority of people, Christian or not, have no problem ignoring the needy if helping them would inconvenience them in any way.