All those Romans who just laughed at the early Christian cults that sprung up everywhere … never realizing how far these cults would go or how long they would last beyond their lifetime.
Makes you wonder what cults are alive today that will flourish and influence our future world in ways we can’t imagine.
“I have as much authority as the Pope … I just don’t have as many people who believe it”
- George Carlin
One of the earliest reliable accounts of Christianity from a non-Christian source is a Roman governor (Pliny the Younger) writing to the Emperor for advice on what to do about a local cult - the governor identifies them as essentially harmless, just overly superstitious and secretive. The Emperor writes back telling him not to seek any of them out to punish them, and only to prosecute them when they make nuisances of themselves (with the caveat, admittedly, that any provincial ‘refusing to do anything Roman officials say’ is a nuisance in the eyes of the Romans).
It’s funny how… out of control… things can become as the years pass by.
Bart Soldier: We believe that God’s last prophet, Bart Simpson preached a message of tolerance, and love.
Bartman Soldier: We believe the holy Bartman preached a message of understanding and peace, before he was betrayed by his follower, Milhouse! And pulled apart by snow-mobiles, until he died.
Bart Soldiers: Eat our shorts!
Bartman Soldiers: Cowabunga!
From the Simpsons episode Season 16 Episode 21 ‘The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star’ (May 2005)
The apocalyptics are a bit of a handful. These “holier than thou” folks are too much.
Tech issue. Crosses are raptive-sadistic violence, ropes autotelic violence, id est torture the Iudean versus kill the Iudean.
