Cultural Christianity

[NorthWide]

If you are unaware of the term, here is a wikipedia to get you started.

Richard Dawkins has stressed the need for it, due to the foundations being rooted in Christianity. The concept of the big bang was created by a Catholic priest. Likewise, most of the groundbreaking concepts came from Christian culture. 

 

Feel free to interject your feelings about Cultural Christians and what this means to you.

[Daniel]

 

1 hour ago, TheWhiteRabbit said:

feelings about Cultural Christians

 

John 15:13:  "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Pitsenbarger

 

 

[Sir Darius the Clairvoyent]

This is a big one. From your article: Cultural Christians are those who received Christian values or appreciate Christian culture.

 

It also states that you don’t need to either believe nor disbelieve in order to be one. My take is, there is no such thing.

 

First off: not even Christianity is purely Christian, but absorbed damn much from previous and contemporary cultures. Why is paradise a land of milk and honey for a lactose intolerant people, for instance? Curious, don’t you think. 
 

I think ideas like all being eqeul in the eyes of god and love your enemy, are both powerful, radical and fairly unique. Turn the other cheek is certainly a radical departure from Jewish scripture, which says an eye for an eye (which again can be traced back to Hammurabiat least). Maybe it can even be traced back to Adam and Eve. If you punch me, I punch you back. Sounds quite human, actually.

 

I read an interesting segment about how some of these universal Christian values might come from stoicism as well. I’ll post it when I get home, if your interested. But then you might as well ask, where does stoicism come from? And we could go way more controversial and discuss slave morality.

 

Further more, Christian beliefs varried way more at its start, then it does today. Which is the opposite of what you’d expect, really. 
 

Marcion was a sentral figure in early Christianity. He believed that the Jewish/ot God was not only not the same as that of the Christian. He believed OT god was the literal devil. And no, that was not a fringe belief. It’s not even THAT fringe today. 
 

Then we ofc have the canonization of the Bible. God only knows on what basis they determined  what text came from the heavens and which came from the horned one. I think I am open to the idea that parts of it is divinely inspired, in some sense. But the editing, composing and canonization of it is with out a doubt in part… manipulation. 
 

Another example. Muslims for instance, value Christ enourmusly, but don’t believe in all the things Christian’s do about him. So could they be considered a another version of Christianity, in a sense?When Christianity was sold to the Scandinavians, they where sold a completely different story than that of the modern bible. Jesus was presented a some sort of warrior king. Heaven resembled that of Valhalla. Hell was a land of ice and snow, just like the Norse hel, and the literal opposite of the christen hell.
 

As everywhere else Christianity is, it is also a mix of the original culture and the blicial faith. It’s not like Christins immediately became all holy and abandoned their old ways and stopped drinking. Not at all. Nowhere was this the case. Yet I am pretty sure they considered them self Christian, and probably also the «correct» type of christian.

this is the jellingstone, and is a central part of the danish national narrative. It is even on their passport. With time it became known as Jesus at Jellingstone, but in all likely hood, it is actually Odin.. 

 

The thirty year wars is the bloodiest we in European history. It was fought between Protestants and the chatholics. That’s what I’ve been thought however, but very well might have been other interests at play as well. But think about that.

 

The pilgrims were considered extremist by the standards of medival England. My Christianity is not the same as that of my grandmother, nor of the Mormons. 
 

Allthough we are all influenced by Christ…. I don’t think cultural Christianity is thing.

 

Edited Sunday at 05:21 PM by Sir Darius the Clairvoyent

[NorthWide]

ᛁ ᚹᚨᛊ ᚢᚾᛞᛖᚱ ᚦᛖ ᛁᛗᛈᚱᛖᛊᛊᛟᚾ ᚦᚨᛏ ᛁᛏ ᚹᚨᛊ ᛚᛟᚲᛁ, ᛞᚢᛖ ᛏᛟ ᛚᛟᚲᛁ×ᛊ ᛁᛗᛈᚱᛁᛊᛟᚾᛗᛖᚾᛏ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛟᛞᛁᚾ ᛚᚨᚱᚷᛖᛚᛁ ᛒᛖᛁᛜ ᚢᚾᛞᛖᚱᚱᛖᛈᚱᛖᛊᛖᚾᛏᛖᛞ. ᛗᛁᛊᛏᛖᚱ ᛞᚨᚹᚲᛁᚾᛊ× ᚲᛟᚾᚲᛖᛊᛊᛟᚾ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᛒᛖ ᚨᛚᛚᛟᚹᛖᛞ. ᚾᛟᚱᚦᛗᚨᚾᚾ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ ᚺᛖᛚᛞ ᚹᛁᛞᛖ.

[Sir Darius the Clairvoyent]

3 minutes ago, NorthWide said:

ᛁ ᚹᚨᛊ ᚢᚾᛞᛖᚱ ᚦᛖ ᛁᛗᛈᚱᛖᛊᛊᛟᚾ ᚦᚨᛏ ᛁᛏ ᚹᚨᛊ ᛚᛟᚲᛁ, ᛞᚢᛖ ᛏᛟ ᛚᛟᚲᛁ×ᛊ ᛁᛗᛈᚱᛁᛊᛟᚾᛗᛖᚾᛏ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛟᛞᛁᚾ ᛚᚨᚱᚷᛖᛚᛁ ᛒᛖᛁᛜ ᚢᚾᛞᛖᚱᚱᛖᛈᚱᛖᛊᛖᚾᛏᛖᛞ. ᛗᛁᛊᛏᛖᚱ ᛞᚨᚹᚲᛁᚾᛊ× ᚲᛟᚾᚲᛖᛊᛊᛟᚾ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᛒᛖ ᚨᛚᛚᛟᚹᛖᛞ. ᚾᛟᚱᚦᛗᚨᚾᚾ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ ᚺᛖᛚᛞ ᚹᛁᛞᛖ.

You know, the futhark fell out of use around a millennia ago, mind helping me out?

[NorthWide]

1 minute ago, Sir Darius the Clairvoyent said:

You know, the futhark fell out of use around a millennia ago, mind helping me out?

It says:

I was under the impression it was Loki, due to his bindings and imprisonment... Odin being underrepresented. Dawkins's concession, due to it being his concession, will be allowed.. Last line is old Norse: Northmann here held wide is 'the army of the north tent spread wide'.

 

[Sir Darius the Clairvoyent]

1 hour ago, NorthWide said:

It says:

I was under the impression it was Loki, due to his bindings and imprisonment... Odin being underrepresented. Dawkins's concession, due to it being his concession, will be allowed.. Last line is old Norse: Northmann here held wide is 'the army of the north tent spread wide'.

 

1. åkerspenna, Norway, approx 500 ad

2. Sutton hop helmet, England 

3 finnestorp buckle, ca 500 sweden

4. first artifact with the word Odin engraved on it, Denmark 

5. somewhere in England 

6. beserker, Sweden

 

All these are asscociated with Odin due to the ravens, the beserker theme and and one eyed ness on the helmet, Odin sacrificing his eye and again, the beserker/wild hunt theme. Also, Odin is also accosiated with spears. Odin is also known as the hanged god, or god of the hanged, and likewise hanged from a tree:

 

Odin's Quest after the Runes (havamal)

137.
I trow I hung on that windy Tree
nine whole days and nights,
stabbed with a spear, offered to Odin,
myself to mine own self given,
high on that Tree of which none hath heard
from what roots it rises to heaven.

138.
None refreshed me ever with food or drink,
I peered right down in the deep;
crying aloud I lifted the Runes
then back I fell from thence.

Consider the facial similarities.

 

Where are you based? The danish show gåten om Odin (the enigma of Odin) is available at both DR as well as NRK, and id assume SVT as well. Its pretty good.

 

[NorthWide]

27 minutes ago, Sir Darius the Clairvoyent said:

1. åkerspenna, Norway, approx 500 ad

2. Sutton hop helmet, England 

3 finnestorp buckle, ca 500 sweden

4. first artifact with the word Odin engraved on it, Denmark 

5. somewhere in England 

6. beserker, Sweden

 

All these are asscociated with Odin due to the ravens, the beserker theme and and one eyed ness on the helmet, Odin sacrificing his eye and again, the beserker/wild hunt theme. Also, Odin is also accosiated with spears. Odin is also known as the hanged god, or god of the hanged, and likewise hanged from a tree:

 

Odin's Quest after the Runes (havamal)

137.
I trow I hung on that windy Tree
nine whole days and nights,
stabbed with a spear, offered to Odin,
myself to mine own self given,
high on that Tree of which none hath heard
from what roots it rises to heaven.

138.
None refreshed me ever with food or drink,
I peered right down in the deep;
crying aloud I lifted the Runes
then back I fell from thence.

Consider the facial similarities.

 

Where are you based? The danish show gåten om Odin (the enigma of Odin) is available at both DR as well as NRK, and id assume SVT as well. Its pretty good.

 

 

I have great respect for the Danes as they are generally clear-cut and forthcoming.

I see that as their greatest strength as they generally are not cowards. Being a coward is also worthy of death in Christianity.

I studied the mythology, eddas and Havamal for a long time.

I called it as I saw it, you called it as you saw it.

If you wish, I will continue to discuss Mythology. 

 

[Sir Darius the Clairvoyent]

3 hours ago, NorthWide said:

 

I have great respect for the Danes as they are generally clear-cut and forthcoming.

I see that as their greatest strength as they generally are not cowards. Being a coward is also worthy of death in Christianity.

I studied the mythology, eddas and Havamal for a long time.

I called it as I saw it, you called it as you saw it.

If you wish, I will continue to discuss Mythology. 

 

Sure we can, anything on your mind? A few topics that fascinates me, proto indo euro, comparative and pagan influences on Christianity. But these are huge and though questions. 
 

We should prob make another thread tho, so make one about whatever you’d like to discuss and I’ll see if I got something to contribute.

Edited Wednesday at 06:58 AM by Sir Darius the Clairvoyent

[NorthWide]

12 hours ago, Sir Darius the Clairvoyent said:

Sure we can, anything on your mind? A few topics that fascinates me, proto indo euro, comparative and pagan influences on Christianity. But these are huge and though questions. 
 

We should prob make another thread tho, so make one about whatever you’d like to discuss and I’ll see if I got something to contribute.

 

Sure. The reason people don't change is lack of humility. In the Greek, Jesus says to pick up your staurous, renounce yourself and follow me. It is the cowardly, the fearful and despondent that take issue.

 

Every place you see, where they have their own traditions... It is the result of lack of humility. Humility allows change. Emptiness allows humility. (Philippians 2:5-11)

 

 

hapzimsay

[Cobie]

24 minutes ago, NorthWide said:

… In the Greek, Jesus says to pick up your staurous, renounce yourself and follow me.  …

(my highlight)

It says: ‘take up your cross’ (σταυρὸν stauron - cross). Why use a Greek word on an English site?   

 

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:18 PM by Cobie

[NorthWide]

2 minutes ago, Cobie said:

(my highlight)

It says: ‘take up your cross’ (σταυρὸν stauron - cross). Why use a Greek word on an English site?   

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I meant to write Cross but I ended up using the Greek word.

[Cobie]

2 hours ago, NorthWide said:

… Emptiness allows humility. (Philippians 2:5-11) …

Kenosis 

cf. 

Daoism 虛心

虛  xu1 - empty; unassuming, self-effacing, humble.

~~~

虛心 xu1 xin1 - to become humble. It’s imo a core concept in the DDJ.

心 xin1 - the heart, as the centre of intellectual and emotional activity; the centre

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 10:10 PM by Cobie