NLA’s 1st Vice President: Religion helps people focus on all things that are good

[SiSePuede419]

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people"

Although today, in many countries, I would say "Football is the opium of the masses", 555.

..as Rome was burning, they went to the coliseums.....

Actually "Christianity and the loss of traditional values" is believed by Historians as one of the top reasons why "Rome burned", 555.

Sorry to burst your bubble...

Well Nero certainly blamed it on the Christians, but other theories postulate Nero had it burned in order to build an even more ostentatious city. And then he had all those city burning Christians to kill for fun in his coliseums.

As for traditional values the Romans had been murdering for sport and supporting child sex slave trading for centuries before Nero.

Are these the values that they were losing?

I was quoting Historical scholars, not Nero, 555.

1. The decline of Rome correlated with the spread of Christianity.

2. The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in 313.

3. Christianity became the state religion in 380.

4. Christianity displaced the polytheistic Roman religion, which viewed the emperor as having a divine status, and also shifted focus away from the glory of the state and onto a sole deity.

5. The Christian church then "conquered" Europe.

Which fact do you disagree with, 555?

[wabothai]

Mr. Surachai, have you ever looked outside Thai borders lately?

[wabothai]

I remember a huge billboard in San Leandro, Ca. Which said in the bottom:

1-800-call-maria, may be mr. Surachai can do some with this.

[canuckamuck]

Actually "Christianity and the loss of traditional values" is believed by Historians as one of the top reasons why "Rome burned", 555.

Sorry to burst your bubble...

Well Nero certainly blamed it on the Christians, but other theories postulate Nero had it burned in order to build an even more ostentatious city. And then he had all those city burning Christians to kill for fun in his coliseums.

As for traditional values the Romans had been murdering for sport and supporting child sex slave trading for centuries before Nero.

Are these the values that they were losing?

I was quoting Historical scholars, not Nero, 555.

1. The decline of Rome correlated with the spread of Christianity.

2. The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in 313.

3. Christianity became the state religion in 380.

4. Christianity displaced the polytheistic Roman religion, which viewed the emperor as having a divine status, and also shifted focus away from the glory of the state and onto a sole deity.

5. The Christian church then "conquered" Europe.

Which fact do you disagree with, 555?

Your initial premise was that Rome burned on account of Christians, but as you clearly show Christianity did not become a state religion until 380. Rome burned in 64 AD at a time when Christians had nearly zero influence on Rome's culture. At that point it was a small Jewish sect and was heavily persecuted.

So you argument starts from a large fallacy.

[Krataiboy]

". . . every religion only preaches about doing only good things while living".

Yes, but unfortunately they all fail to practice what they preach - and nowhere more blatantly than in Thailand, where so many senior monks are a disgrace to their alleged beliefs.

As for religion fostering co-existence, Khun Surachai should try telling that to the victims of ISIS and other fundamentalist Islamic groups currently carving a bloody swathe through Iraq and Syria in the name of their god

The late and great contrarian Christopher Hitchens got it right when he said: "Religion poisons everything".

[sgtsabai]

Another warning sign from a puritanical regime. I listened (read the translations) of the great leader from the beginning, too much "morals". I grew up in the baptist church, son of a lay preacher, deacon, sunday school superintendent, etc. They were bad, the born again, evangelicals are much worse, in fact some of the worst people I ever met. Like many so-called religious people, they want all to follow their misguided so-called christian religion. They do not want to co-exist, they want to rule. Be afraid of people that want others to follow only what they say to believe. My gut feeling is that this is what dear leader and Khun Surachai are speaking about.

[thailiketoo]

Mr. Surachai stressed that it is one key principle of Thailand to allow people to choose their religion because every religion only preaches about doing only good things while living.

What a small world Thais live in.

He's a lawyer went to Law School. I wouldn't expect too much.

[lil fluffy clouds]

If religion is the solution what was the last few thousand years?

[canuckamuck]

Your initial premise was that Rome burned on account of Christians, but as you clearly show Christianity did not become a state religion until 380. Rome burned in 64 AD at a time when Christians had nearly zero influence on Rome's culture. At that point it was a small Jewish sect and was heavily persecuted.

So you argument starts from a large fallacy.

Fair dinkum.

But if you read the wiki on the "Great Fire of Rome", it says historians agree with Tacitus's account which describes the fire as beginning in shops where inflammable goods were stored.

He said Nero wasn't even in town. The location was not near the "redevelopment" area.

And your description of Christians being a Jewish cult is a little off.

The New Testament was written in Greek, by Helenic Greeks, during their occupation of Egypt. Didn't the Romans sack Greece?

And as you stated, the Romans executed quite a few Christians.

Maybe that's why one of the theories about who was responsible for burning Rome:

"The fire was caused by Christians"

They certainly had an axe to grind...

The New testament was written by Jewish 'Followers of The Way' from what is now Israel except for Paul who was a Roman Jew from what is now Turkey.

But you are right it was written in Greek.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[lil fluffy clouds]

Religion is not the culprit, it is the intolerance of other ideas and values that causes conflict. Granted, some religions (one in particular) have intolerance at the foundation.

Sound's like more intolorence to me...

Have you been baptized by the US?