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The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

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Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the reason you do not find them is that they were purposefully destroyed in "iconoclasm" -- the battles were so bloody that the Christian victors not only converted the conquered but also destroyed all traces of their cultural practices. Just south of there is the famous tree of Boniface ?

First of all, you're confusing different events: iconoclasm was the destruction of Christian icons, by Christians who thought that practice was idolatrous. > the battles were so bloody that the Christian victors not only converted the conquered Who do you think 'conquered' the Swedes, some continental Frenchman? Their own kings converted, and thereafter converted their countrymen. And the first such Christian king, O…

I put the word "iconoclasm" in quotes because yes, you are right in a strict sense, but over time the word was broadened..

> Who do you think 'conquered' the Swedes

How can this written exchange now bring light to the subject?

I would say, infighting among fierce raiders was vanquished by organized and better equipped men to establish Nations. Tribal one-upmanship was/is rampant. I am touching a complicated topic over very long time periods. The educated Danes I know, do study French and Latin, actually.. but this is now and quite a lot of Danes moved to the USA a hundred years ago.

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean? There is a clear phase in our history which was long and no progress was made "Dark age". In that time religion already existed right? So what was the speciality of christianity apparently bootstrapping everything else? You could only be religious if you had resources to do so. Could have been filled with something else instead. Napoleon wrote somewere (i read that in a museum) that education is nce…

> But religion is primarily for control of the people. Thats why you see a lot of rules in the bible. Like paying 5 silver for raping a woman and having to take her as abride. well, now you're just revealing that you don't understand the religion of Christianity at all

I got indoctrinated by the christian church as a very young age.

This is control.

I only started to question this when I was 14 and i do remember that I had the empiphany that its okay that i might go to a hell. Then i questioned what hell would even be.

Christianity literaly controlled me through this garbage.

And its also the fault of Christian priests that apparently 'i don't understand the religion of christianity'.

Ah yes the 5 silver is a old testament thing, plenty of weird stuff in the new testament as well.

And lets not ignore the basic fact, that for Christians woman are second class citizen.

I just stoped accepting to be that ignorant and I prefer to see woman as equal, also homosexual people and co. The bishop of passau, btw. is not. He doesn't like the 'different'.

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#113
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes i know. I still think its depressing. Perhaps we use the sentiment differently? Like the spread of the black death? I would say its depressing how fast and easy it spread.

It's a bit disingenius to equate spread of a religion to a disease.

Why?

Indoctrination gives you a worldview before you can question things. Its a vocal virus.

My mother left the christian church when she was 65 with the sentence "THese old white man don't have to tell me what i can do". And the context was a cousin of us coming out as a lesbian.

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#114
post #79
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Way back when I heard someone state that the reason Christianity spread so wildly was because it was foundational to proselytize and convert non-Christians to the faith. That makes complete sense to me. It's not like it was this passive meme that spread because people who encountered it loved it so much they wanted to join.

This is called being a “universalizing” religion. The big three universalizing religions are Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. You can understand a lot of religious history as just those three religions expanding and displacing other belief systems. Contrast with non-universalizing religions like Judaism, Hinduism, and Shinto.

Hinduism is hardly non-proselytising. After all there's not a lot of Buddhists left in India. The Brahmin caste pretty intentionally and comprehensively reacted to and pushed out Buddhist practices once they became threatened by them.

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the linked article describes military campaigns between state armies, not genocide

[flagged]

are you contending that every battle where someone is killed by an army counts as genocide?

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you mentioned about the denomination is not exactly accurate. The st thomas christians or syrian christians or malankara nasranis in kerala or the malabar region, were part of church of east that follows east syriac liturgy. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (or Indian Orthodox Church) that follows west syriac liturgy is a new church started out of a court case in the 19th century. So, in short, it's like: wa…

Why were hey called Jacobites? I associate the name with the Free Church of Scotland.

Based on jacob baradaeus, a 6th-century bishop who helped preserve and organise the syriac orthodox church or the church under the patriarch of antioch after persecution in the byzantine empire.

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

are you contending that every battle where someone is killed by an army counts as genocide?

[flagged]

If you read about Islamic conquests, you would see that in the vast overwhelming cases, no such events took place, if ever. Demographics changed because people entered Islam. Islam is against genocide.

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#119
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's because your education is western-centric and Islamic invasions took over the east. Eastern Christians have been subjected to genocide at the hands of Muslims for 1300 years. Edit - really, someone is asking for a citation that the Islamic conquests happened? Next should ask for a citation that the sky is blue... This is basic world history, like the discovery of the new world, Alexander the Great's conquest…

Citation needed. Since year 1300 or for 1300 years? The former is closer to the truth than the latter, AFAIK.

Neither are true.

Re: The spread of Christianity, from antiquity until today, on an animated map

#120

It is not fully correct because St Thomas, who was one of the twelve disciples landed in India and martyred here in India and that's why we have A large autonomous branch, known as the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (or Indian Orthodox Church), tracing its roots to St. Thomas the Apostle and has its headquarters in Kottayam, Kerala. We in India just call it Syrian Orthodox church. That part is not shown in the vide…

Syrian christians in Kerala are not related to St.Thomas. Syrian chritians landed in kerala while fleeing arabic invasion of Syria. (7th century) Also 'martyrdom' of St.Thomas is debated. The earliest mention of martyrdom of St.Thomas originate from 16th century portugese missionaries who operated in india at that time. not backed by any evidence.

Syrian christians of kerala is another name for st thomas christians related to st thomas visit who founded the community. The acts of thomas, which is an apocryphal writing mentions about st thomas visit. Many 3rd and 4th-century roman writers like the ambrose of milan, gregory of nazianzus, jerome and ephrem the syrian also mention thomas trip to india. Eusebius of caesarea records that st clement of alexandria's teacher pantaenus from alexandria visited a christian community in india using the gospel of matthew in hebrew in the 2nd century. There are way too many written proofs. Even long before the 1st, there were already many jews called cochin jews existing in malabar region, which itself shows the deep connections the region had with the middle east.

The ramban pattu of st thomas christians mention about his arrival in malabar and the conversion of natives and jews. Martyrdom of st thomas in mylapore is not debated since no other place on earth claims that event, and it's usually attributed to his remains being later transported to edessa. None of these things originated from 16th century portuguese missionaries, and it has all existed long before that.

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