Saying that Christianity, with its sense of exclusive truth and devotion to conversion by any means, was a bad thing for Rome is difficult because of the false ideas still taught that ” world history” is an evolution from barbarism to the triumphs of Europe. For example, we were all taught that that the “dark ages” were some sort of wide spread disaster for human knowledge and that the Church “saved” the knowledge lost when Rome “fell”.A really bad example of this is Bertrand Russell’s book “Why I am not a Christian.” Professor Russell blames the Jews, not Roman Christianity, for enforcing a belief in one god. Even within Judaism, there has nhever been a cr4edo and even today an observant Jew can be an atheist if she simply follows all the 613 laws.
Russell is correct that this Roman idea was central to the integrity of the Empire. Blaming the Jews, however is absurd. Before Constantine, failure to show tribute to the gods, including Caesar, was considered treason. A punishment for treason was crucifixion. After Constantine, Jesus replace the Zeus family .. with the Emperor and his Pontiff assuming the central role of rule by divine right and interpretation of God’s word. This, of course, became central to Islam as well, where the Prophet took the role of Emperor and Pope. Today’s Caliphate, DAISH (ISIS) is a spiritual descendent of the papacy and the empire.
Naveed Akhtar Bolf Racki
– Christianity was introduced to pagan Europe by a fairly small group of Jews in order to weaken western civilizations mentality so that it could be conquered and the Jews be released from under its rule.
Historically incorrect. Christianity was denounced by many Jews, it was blasphemous to consider Jesus the Messiah foretold in the Torah, he didn’t fit the requirements (wasn’t born in Bethlehem he was born in Nazareth and wasn’t the direct descendant of King David either *there’s debate on this*). Christianity, the one that took on the role of what Paul the Apostle wrote about in his epistles picked up steam by Roman writers. Roman pagans helped spread Christianity, and Jews (not all but many) and other Roman Pagans who did not accept this new message, persecuted Christians all throughout the first century AD. Yeah, Jews persecuted Christians