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Am I saying that a believer is "stupid"? On the contrary, I believe that it is better to believe than not to believe.
However, what to believe in is another question.
Christianity did not originate from paganism; on the contrary, the creators of this religion wanted to oppose it to paganism... but... this is what we see in the scriptures, i.e., in those internal logical connections of this religion, as outlined by the Apostle Paul, John the Theologian, and others. But what about in practice? Where in the scriptures, i.e., in the sources of early Christianity, is it said about saints? about the Mother of God? about the Trinity? If the Apostle Paul speaks of "saints," then he exclusively refers to those living Christians who have devoted themselves to serving God in the name of Jesus. Nowhere in the New Testament will you find justification for the current prayers to saints, the Mother of God, and the Trinity, and even to Jesus as an incarnate hypostasis of God.
All of this was introduced precisely from paganism, among which the Christian faith spread in the 4th century. It was then that the need arose to "adapt" Christianity to the psychology of pagans. That is, the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire also led to its fall as an original and antagonistic religion to paganism. Since that time, saints began to be venerated, although martyrs were venerated earlier, but in a slightly different way. Icons, images, and the cross appeared as the official attributes of Christianity. Prayers to saints appeared, which former pagans perceived as a replacement for familiar "gods," rituals that replaced pagan rituals, but in a way that was understandable for pagans, i.e., they essentially adapted pagan ones; holidays that were deliberately placed in place of pagan ones, and so on. That is, starting approximately from the 4th century, Christianity really began to resemble paganism more. In addition, under Constantine the Great, there were only 10% Christians, who also feuded among themselves (the Arian heresy). And until Emperor Theodosius the Great, Christianity struggled for its existence with paganism. But, having finally won, it was, in essence, a parody of paganism, since, for the most part, it was ignorant of theological issues and was more limited to cult worship. And this was originally the prerogative of paganism. When Christianity was a local, catacomb religion, it was a completely different entity, with its own psychology, its own spirit. But, having become accessible to everyone and popular, it was also profaned by that very people.
However, what to believe in is another question.
Christianity did not originate from paganism; on the contrary, the creators of this religion wanted to oppose it to paganism... but... this is what we see in the scriptures, i.e., in those internal logical connections of this religion, as outlined by the Apostle Paul, John the Theologian, and others. But what about in practice? Where in the scriptures, i.e., in the sources of early Christianity, is it said about saints? about the Mother of God? about the Trinity? If the Apostle Paul speaks of "saints," then he exclusively refers to those living Christians who have devoted themselves to serving God in the name of Jesus. Nowhere in the New Testament will you find justification for the current prayers to saints, the Mother of God, and the Trinity, and even to Jesus as an incarnate hypostasis of God.
All of this was introduced precisely from paganism, among which the Christian faith spread in the 4th century. It was then that the need arose to "adapt" Christianity to the psychology of pagans. That is, the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire also led to its fall as an original and antagonistic religion to paganism. Since that time, saints began to be venerated, although martyrs were venerated earlier, but in a slightly different way. Icons, images, and the cross appeared as the official attributes of Christianity. Prayers to saints appeared, which former pagans perceived as a replacement for familiar "gods," rituals that replaced pagan rituals, but in a way that was understandable for pagans, i.e., they essentially adapted pagan ones; holidays that were deliberately placed in place of pagan ones, and so on. That is, starting approximately from the 4th century, Christianity really began to resemble paganism more. In addition, under Constantine the Great, there were only 10% Christians, who also feuded among themselves (the Arian heresy). And until Emperor Theodosius the Great, Christianity struggled for its existence with paganism. But, having finally won, it was, in essence, a parody of paganism, since, for the most part, it was ignorant of theological issues and was more limited to cult worship. And this was originally the prerogative of paganism. When Christianity was a local, catacomb religion, it was a completely different entity, with its own psychology, its own spirit. But, having become accessible to everyone and popular, it was also profaned by that very people.
Настоящие герои - не те, пред кем мы преклоняемся, а те, кого мы оплевываем...[/COLOR]
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"So much has gone
and little is new"
David Bowie
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"So much has gone
and little is new"
David Bowie
