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=> Re: Good old Will Durant...

Re: Good old Will Durant...
Posted by AssyrianMuslim (Guest) - Sunday, December 14 2008, 2:05:49 (CET)
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This is interesting what you mention because it is also mentioned in the two books I have been reading recently. What is strange is that before the conversion of Constantine the Jews, Pagans and Christians used to hold open talks or debates in a civilized manner. I was reading in one of the books how those in Syria and Mesopotamia who converted to Christianity began destryong ancient temples, synagogues and even started killing people. There were many bloody battles fought and the myth that the "Assyrian Nation" embraced Christianity as a whole is a myth just as the lie that they were the first nation to convert. There is no record of the "Assyrians" ever converting to Christianity but there is evidence that the religion was made official by the Roman emperor and in this case those who would object were simply killed. Constantine the Great didn't mind being rough when others wouldn't cooperate.

If the religion was made official in the 4th century by Constantine and there was no other option, there is no way that the "Assyrians" or anyone else could have converted out of free choice. It was Constantine, Athanasius, the Bishoph Alexander and many others who were known for their violent acts. They were very harsh to the heretics and to the rest of the non-Christians. The leaders of the church were given such high status and were so spoiled by the Roman Emperor that even the Pagan priests during their golden days did not receive such rights. Their history of forced conversions is very well known and documented, yet it is for this reason that they have to accuse others and especially Islam of doing the same, which it did not.

As Thomas Arnold mentions in his book "the spread of Islam in the world", even under the worse of the caliphs who at times had totally seperated themselves from the teachings of Islam and were after their own benefits, the treatment of non-Muslims was not even comparable to how the Protestants treated the Catholics or others." He continues with, "if Islam was a religion which believed in applying force in conversion, Christianity would have disappeared just as quick as Islam and Judaism were removed from Spain". To accuse Islam of having done the same is simply not true but a statement of opinion and their own prejudices. But of course, when dealing with these types of Christians, their opinion is sufficient for them and the evidence we bring has no grounds against their opinions. I use to believe that Islam was forced on people and that the soldiers went around the world on horses, killing, looting, raping and destroying anything that came in their hands, but I changed my opinion real quick when I stopped getting my information from "Fred Aprim" and finally learn what "history" and "historians" really are and what my former sources really were.

The Christians, who are so desperate at "exposing" Islam, go out of their ways in trying to tell the world of how evil it is and how it was spread, yet it was their religion that came so in reality. Studying how the Islamic empire was and then comparing it to that of the Christians, not only are we dealing with 2 different religions but also two complete empires. Some of the arrogant among the Christians do admit that Christianity was forced on people, as if we need them to admit it in order for it to be true, but they argue that it was a good thing because it brought "salvation" to them, and especially their descendants. This is so absurd to make such statements, yet there are others such as the one "warrior", who send on here to defeat us, who will go out of the way in claiming that Constantine was defending himself and his religion, the crusades were defending themselves, Hitler was defending himself and just about every act of violence carried out by Christians is justified yet these same people attack the Pophet Muhammad for defending himself and his followers from the Pagan Arabs who for over 13 years had persecuted and killed the Muslims just becsuse of their new faith.

I guess they were supposed to apply the "love your enemy" and "turn the other cheeck" of the Christians which they themselves never applied. The truth after all is that Christianity would not have been where it is today if it were not for Constantine and what the church did in those centuries. Although even today Christians do not see eye to eye as they have so many different sects and denominations, those who are called "true Christians" would not have been able to do so had any of the other groups seized power because the others viewed themselves as "true" as well and viewed the others as heretics. Or, had Constantine adopted and settled for another version of the many Christianities that were around at the time, that particular version would have been the official while the others would have been killed. Everything changed for Christianity in the 4th century when Constantine decided he needed one faith throughout his empire to unite it and the revive the glory days of Rome. In this case, Christianity was made official and others were forced into it, but the same can't be said about islam because the sword was not used to convert people but it was used to conquer lands and win battles.



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