We take it for granted that religions are born, grow and die but we are also oddly blind to that reality. When someone tries to start a new religion, it is often dismissed as a cult. When we recognise a faith, we treat its teachings and traditions as timeless and sacrosanct. And when a religion dies, it becomes a myth, and its claim to sacred truth expires. Tales of the Egyptian, Greek and Norse pantheons are now considered legends, not holy writ. Even today s dominant religions have continually evolved throughout history. Early Christianity, for example, was a truly broad church: ancient documents include yarns about Jesus family life and testaments to the nobility of Judas. It took three centuries for the Christian church to consolidate around a canon of scriptures and then in 1054 it split into the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. Since then, Christianity has continued both to grow and to splinter into ever more disparate groups, from silent Quakers to snake-handling Pentecostalists.
Aw, this was a really nice post. Spending some time
and actual effort to make a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a
whole lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.
We take it for granted that religions are born, grow and die but we are also oddly blind to that reality. When someone tries to start a new religion, it is often dismissed as a cult. When we recognise a faith, we treat its teachings and traditions as timeless and sacrosanct. And when a religion dies, it becomes a myth, and its claim to sacred truth expires. Tales of the Egyptian, Greek and Norse pantheons are now considered legends, not holy writ. Even today s dominant religions have continually evolved throughout history. Early Christianity, for example, was a truly broad church: ancient documents include yarns about Jesus family life and testaments to the nobility of Judas. It took three centuries for the Christian church to consolidate around a canon of scriptures and then in 1054 it split into the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. Since then, Christianity has continued both to grow and to splinter into ever more disparate groups, from silent Quakers to snake-handling Pentecostalists.
Aw, this was a really nice post. Spending some time
and actual effort to make a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a
whole lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.
Hi, just wanted to mention, I enjoyed this blog post. It was inspiring.
Keep on posting!