Re: Does jesus exist? -- DELUSION

From: Roger Pearse <roger_pearse_at_yahoo.co.uk>
Date: 31 Mar 2004 23:09:06 -0800

Elroy Willis <elo_at_airmail.net> wrote in message news:<n3jm6096rjuj73p37ocsv1jgs0cqp30ul9_at_4ax.com>...
> roger_pearse_at_yahoo.co.uk (Roger Pearse) wrote in alt.atheism
>
> > Libertarius <Libertarius_at_Nothing_But_The.Truth> wrote
> >> Elroy Willis wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> >>> Have you read much about the Roman flamines? If so, what do
> >>> you think happened to them? Did they simply turn into bishops?
>
> >> ===>If they converted.
>
> > Nonsense.
>
> They were part of the Roman hierarchy of religious affairs and I
> doubt they'd be forced to "convert" to anything, since they were
> already in on the whole thing to begin with.

I'm afraid this too is nonsense -- sorry.

> >>> One idea I read a while ago about the council of Nicea involved the
> >>> presence of the flamines, who each were responsible for different gods
> >>> of the time getting together to try to simplify things, along with
> >>> other priests and religious people of the time, by order of
> >>> Constantine.
>
> >>> There is no doubt at all that there were flamines responsible for
> >>> keeping up with the worship of such planetary deities as Jupiter,
> >>> Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The so-called "pagans" of the time were
> >>> worshipping those gods, and you can't just stamp out a god or god
> >>> worship overnight, so better to slowly absorb them.
>
> >> ===>That is pretty much what happened.
>
> > It is unabashed rubbish, I'm afraid. Nothing of the kind happened at
> > Nicaea.
>
> >> Holidays, pagan god-statues, places of worship such as healing centers,
> >> even the Sibylline Oracles, were "Christianized".
>
> > This is not a good representation of what happened. The real story is
> > very well expressed in the letter of Pope Gregory preserved in Bede,
> > dealing with how Augustine of Canterbury was to deal with paganism.
>
> I think you must have some misconceptions about "paganism."

You're welcome to think so.

All the best,

Roger Pearse Received on Wed Mar 31 2004 - 23:09:07 PST