Monotheism did little to improve the moral standards of humans – do you really think Muslims are inherently more ethical than Hindus, just because Muslims believe in a single god while Hindus believe in many gods?

Were Christian conquistadores more ethical than pagan Native American tribes? What
monotheism undoubtedly did was to make many people far more intolerant than
before, thereby contributing to the spread of religious persecutions and holy wars.

Polytheists found it perfectly acceptable that different people will worship different gods and perform diverse rites and rituals. They rarely if ever fought, persecuted, or killed people just because of their religious beliefs.

Monotheists, in contrast, believed that their God was the only god, and that He demanded
universal obedience. Consequently, as Christianity and Islam spread around the
world, so did the incidence of crusades, jihads, inquisitions and religious
discrimination.

Compare, for example, the attitude of Emperor Ashoka of India in the third
century bc to that of the Christian emperors of the late Roman Empire. Emperor
Ashoka ruled an empire teeming with myriad religions, sects and gurus. He gave
himself the official titles of ‘Beloved of the Gods’ and ‘He who regards
everyone with affection’.

Sometime around 250 bc, he issued an imperial edict of tolerance which proclaimed that: Beloved-of-the-Gods, the king who regards everyone with affection, honours both ascetics and the householders of all religions … and values that there should be growth in the essentials of all religions.

Growth in essentials can be done in different ways, but all of them have as their root
restraint in speech, that is, not praising one’s own religion, or condemning the religion of others without good cause … Whoever praises his own religion, due to excessive devotion, and condemns others with the thought ‘Let me glorify my own religion’, only harms his own religion. Therefore contact between religions is good.

One should listen to and respect the
doctrines professed by others. Beloved-of-the-Gods, the king who regards everyone with affection, desires that all should be well learned in the good doctrines of other religions.

Five hundred years later, the late Roman Empire was as diverse as Ashoka’s
India, but when Christianity took over, the emperors adopted a very different
approach to religion.

Beginning with Constantine the Great and his son Constantius II, the emperors closed all non-Christian temples and forbade socalled ‘pagan’ rituals on pain of death.

The persecution culminated under the reign of Emperor Theodosius – whose name means ‘Given by God’ – who in 391 issued the Theodosian Decrees that effectively made all religions except Christianity and Judaism illegal (Judaism too was persecuted in numerous ways, but it remained legal to practise it).

According to the new laws, one could be
executed even for worshipping Jupiter or Mithras in the privacy of one’s own
home.14 As part of their campaign to cleanse the empire of all infidel heritage, the Christian emperors also suppressed the Olympic Games. Having been celebrated for more than a thousand years, the last ancient Olympiad was held
sometime in the late fourth or early fifth century.

Of course, not all monotheist rulers were as intolerant as Theodosius, whereas
numerous rulers rejected monotheism without adopting the broad-minded
policies of Ashoka. Nevertheless, by insisting that ‘there is no god but our God’ the monotheist idea tended to encourage bigotry. Jews would do well to downplay their part in disseminating this dangerous meme, and let the Christians and Muslims carry the blame for it.

What is your thoughts on the above. Let's discuss, debate, argue and learn.

Lol
Bro get a job

Orisha17:
Lol
Bro get a job

You that follow me to this thread shows you are more joblesssss

Morality or wrong doing is fully in the hands and power of man whether He listen to God or gods or not.

Kalatium:


What is your thoughts on the above. Let's discuss, debate, argue and learn.

Islam and Christianity gained much more traction by the use of force and statecraft. This world would be vastly different if those 2 had not propagated themselves that way.

LordReed:


Islam and Christianity gained much more traction by the use of force and statecraft. This world would be vastly different if those 2 had not propagated themselves that way.

Same for education and government and the toys scientist made.

Dtruthspeaker:


Same for education and government and the toys scientist made.

Right so the gods are no different from humans. Good to know.

LordReed:


Right so the gods are no different from humans. Good to know.

By saying god you mean people because everyone can see it was only men who were doing these things.

Dtruthspeaker:


By saying god you mean people because everyone can see it was only men who were doing these things.

Of course. No god or gods were involved or are currently involved. Thanks for clearing that up.

LordReed:


Islam and Christianity gained much more traction by the use of force and statecraft. This world would be vastly different if those 2 had not propagated themselves that way.

Whenever there is a separation of religion from state, the power of religion is reduced.

In islamic countries , the have to incorporate sharia law inorder for Islam to wax strong. During the time when papacy was at it's brim, the pope was the most powerful man in home and made catholic christianity very strong.

The USA understands this , that is why during their independence they seperated church from state.

Dtruthspeaker:


By saying god you mean people because everyone can see it was only men who were doing these things.

I think we are our own angels and our own devil.

Sometimes I feel the devil is not really an existent being but a force for evil that we invented as an excuse to blame someone when we do bad things.

We humans are capable of good and bad. When we steal and get caught we then blame the devil for deceiving us.

LordReed:


Of course. No god or gods were involved or are currently involved. Thanks for clearing that up.

This then creates another mystery to be solved.

The question of our existence.

Kalatium:


This then creates another mystery to be solved.

The question of our existence.

So if we can't find the answer what happens?

Kalatium:

I think we are our own angels and our own devil...

Good (angel) and evil (Satan) is already in us but who is your master?

I choose Good and I choose Good to be my Master and I'll servants Him but I hate evil, and I will always hate him and never serve him, I will even spoil his works wherever I find them, that is my choice!

Kalatium:


This then creates another mystery to be solved.

The question of our existence.

It doesn't. You are supposed to get that he agreed that all the acts you complained of where things done by men.

LordReed:


So if we can't find the answer what happens?

We turn around to believe in something.

Humans must believe in something

Kalatium:

We turn around to believe in something.

Humans must believe in something

Not for me. I find belief accomplishes nothing nor do I find it satisfying, especially for questions which have no real impact on my life.