Otter Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 (edited) If Christianity was indeed a major factor in the fall of the Roman Empire, it is conceivable that, without it, the Romans could have advanced and spread their unique brand of civilization (running water! Sewers!) across the empire - perhaps reducing the impact of the plague or, well, even preventing the Dark Ages entirely. This is, of course, wildly speculative, but it bears discussing. I think Christianity should have been snuffed out as quickly as possible. Islam too. Unfortunately that would have been a pretty nasty process... Powerful organized religion is a destructive force and it has essentially hit the "reset button" on countless cultures, countless times. Edited December 14, 2012 by Otter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clem Fandango Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 If Christianity was indeed a major factor in the fall of the Roman Empire, it is conceivable that, without it, the Romans could have advanced and spread their unique brand of civilization (running water! Sewers!) across the empire - perhaps reducing the impact of the plague or, well, even preventing the Dark Ages entirely. The Catholic Church was a widely accepted central authority, where as the Romans were a hegemonic empire. It's a clear distinction, and the former is clearly more stable. And who is to say the Romans would have ever been able to spread into Germania, Hibernia and northern Britannia? Even before the fall of the empire the Romans abandoned their holdings in southern Britannia. Also most historians reject the idea of the "Dark Ages" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sivispacem Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Proof that D&D is pretty much abandoned: Pinned topic: Atheists arguments against God (Pages 1 2 3 ...8 ) Debate of the Month- May 2012 I stopped pinning DotM topics at the top of the forum because we weren't getting enough thoroughfare. AMD Ryzen 5900X (4.65GHz All-Core PBO2) | Gigabye X570S Pro | 32GB G-Skill Trident Z RGB 3600MHz CL16 EK-Quantum Reflection D5 | XSPC D5 PWM | TechN/Heatkiller Blocks | HardwareLabs GTS & GTX 360 Radiators Corsair AX750 | Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic XL | EVGA GeForce RTX2080 XC @2055MHz | Sabrant Rocket Plus 1TB Sabrant Rocket 2TB | Samsung 970 Evo 1TB | 2x ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q | Q Acoustics 2010i | Sabaj A4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil weasel Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 The reason 'pagan religions' went by the boards is that the Priests could make more money by using a single altar. It centralized Power too. The fewer idols the people pray to the easier it is to collect tribute. But, people like diversity in their gods. So even though the Christian God says, "I am the ONE" the RC decided to accommodate the mob by establishing minor gods calling them Saints, which is contrary to the word of the Single God. Also, there’s the matter of putting idols in the ‘One God’s’ church. But really, since Gods are the creation of man’s mind it shouldn’t really matter, except to the True Believer. I say that Religion comes down to Money and Power. Leaders & Sheep… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AesopRocks Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGodDamnMaster Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Same here. I don't usually give a f*ck about someone's death or the people around them. Why should I feel anything? f*ck 'em. Intel Core i9-9900k | Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750W | 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666MHzMSI GeForce RTX2070 | WD Blue 1TB HDD | Samsung 950 PRO M.2 512GBAntec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower | MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Envious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakerhead. Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Same here. I don't usually give a f*ck about someone's death or the people around them. Why should I feel anything? f*ck 'em. It's one thing not to feel emotion for those people (I feel very sorry for them btw), but to say "f*ck 'em"? Man that's just cold...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGodDamnMaster Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Same here. I don't usually give a f*ck about someone's death or the people around them. Why should I feel anything? f*ck 'em. It's one thing not to feel emotion for those people (I feel very sorry for them btw), but to say "f*ck 'em"? Man that's just cold...... In other words, I don't give a f*ck about thEM. I don't condemn them or have anything against them. Intel Core i9-9900k | Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750W | 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666MHzMSI GeForce RTX2070 | WD Blue 1TB HDD | Samsung 950 PRO M.2 512GBAntec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower | MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AesopRocks Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Envious? I'm not looking for attention, but I'll just say this. If I wasn't born, I'd probably be happier. My life's fine, but it's meaningless. I'll leave it at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vercetti27 Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Envious? If I wasn't born, I'd probably be happier. so would your parents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AesopRocks Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Untrue, but my opinion still stands. I'm not depressed, I just don't see the reason for being alive. I'm here now so I've gotta make the most of it, but if I had the choice never to have been born, I'd have jumped at the chance. Edit: I'd also appreciate it if you could quote my whole post. Makes me look less of an attention seeker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adler Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 If I wasn't born, I'd probably be happier. That's a confounding statement. But that aside, why don't you find meaning for yourself then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGodDamnMaster Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Same here. I don't usually give a f*ck about someone's death or the people around them. Why should I feel anything? f*ck 'em. It's one thing not to feel emotion for those people (I feel very sorry for them btw), but to say "f*ck 'em"? Man that's just cold...... Pretty much sums up my thoughts on shootings and other sh*t caused by lunatics. Intel Core i9-9900k | Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750W | 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666MHzMSI GeForce RTX2070 | WD Blue 1TB HDD | Samsung 950 PRO M.2 512GBAntec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower | MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AesopRocks Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 If I wasn't born, I'd probably be happier. That's a confounding statement. But that aside, why don't you find meaning for yourself then? He didn't quote my entire post. I am trying to find meaning, it's just not that easy. Anyways, enough about me. I'm fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEALUX Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I literally feel no emotion for the people or the families of the people that died today in that school shooting. Call me a freak, call me a sociopath, I just feel nothing. I'm a little bit envious if anything. Envious? I'm not looking for attention, but I'll just say this. If I wasn't born, I'd probably be happier. My life's fine, but it's meaningless. I'll leave it at that. That doesn't make any sense but I think I know what you mean. I also think nothing is better but you'll have time for that later. The Audiophile Thread XB271HU | TESORO Gram XS | Xtrfy MZ1 | Xbox Elite v2 | Hifiman Sundara | Fiio K9 Pro i7 4790K 4.4 GHz | GTX 1080 Ti | 32 GB Crucial DDR3 | ADATA 256GB | Samsung 860 PRO 2TB Xbox | Xbox 360 | Xbox Series X | PS2 | PS3 | Google Pixel 6 Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceRay Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I agree with AesopRocks on this one, I really don't feel anything about the shooting. Typhus is right sometimes. It's got nothing to do with me, some people died on the other side of the world so why should I care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WF the Hobgoblin Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I certainly make no effort to pretend that I'm that bothered about the shootings. I do recognize that it's wrong and the perpetrator was most likely a lunatic but I can't say that I feel any sorrow or anything for the victims. In fact I almost never feel anything when I hear about the deaths of people I don't know. To this day, I still think the worst thing about 9-11 was the loss of those two iconic buildings and the NYC skyline has never been as good since. I've often wondered, been concerned even, that I'm a bit deficient in the old empathy department. Then again, I'm often convinced that a lot of the time people are just full of sh*t and pretend to be more upset than they are. Like on this forum when a famous person dies and the thread fills with RIPs and comments about how this person was one of their favourite such and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straznicy Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 It's obviously sad and should never have happened, but yeah, I pretty much don't care either. This kind of sh*t happens the world over on a daily basis; that we should have this outpour of emotion and attention on the cases the media picks up on just strikes me as bizarre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn 7 five 11 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I've often wondered, been concerned even, that I'm a bit deficient in the old empathy department. Then again, I'm often convinced that a lot of the time people are just full of sh*t and pretend to be more upset than they are. Like on this forum when a famous person dies and the thread fills with RIPs and comments about how this person was one of their favourite such and such. Slightly different with actors and that because to a point you feel like you know them as a certain persona they played, it's like a character in a movie dying, plus the lost entertainment and talent they had can leave a feeling of sadness. I legitimately get a little upset when actors die, school shooting though? Nah not really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 It's fine if what happened today doesn't make you feel anything, and if you don't care about it. No one is forcing you to care. But you're a c*nt to sit there and say "f*ck 'em". Aesop if you weren't looking for attention you wouldn't have said anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AesopRocks Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 You asked me why I was envious, so I replied. Others got involved, so I briefly elaborated. Can we move on now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algonquin Assassin Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I have to admit while it's sad what happened with the school shooting I don't feel exactly choked up. It's hard to feel grief for someone or in this case people I don't know. The only possible exception is when a famous celebrity dies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Mentioning that you were envious was a cry for help. I suggest a hobby, knowledge, a girlfriend, or drugs. Or all of the above. Expand your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xChaos Reigns Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Honestly, if they weren't children I wouldn't care much either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rabbit Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I've often wondered, been concerned even, that I'm a bit deficient in the old empathy department. Then again, I'm often convinced that a lot of the time people are just full of sh*t and pretend to be more upset than they are. Like on this forum when a famous person dies and the thread fills with RIPs and comments about how this person was one of their favourite such and such. you are not lacking I think, most people do put up a veil of Bullsh*t when certain things happen like a shooting. Because it is seen as 'socially correct' different for a famous people though. As they could well have been one of their favourite actors, musicians, sports-people, and that would have some effect. Like when Michael Clarke Duncan died a lot of people, including myself were addened as he was a good actor and for those who met him they say he was a really nice bloke. it's as Finn said, it is like that character has died and plus lost entertainment like Heath Ledger... after his performance as the joker I would kill to see him in that kind of role again (not really observing police officers, figure of speech), but alas not possible. Or Freddie Mercury or Michael Hutchense, 2 terrific musicians in their own right, fans of those musicians will never hear another new track by them so they will have been saddened by that fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AesopRocks Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Mentioning that you were envious was a cry for help. I suggest a hobby, knowledge, a girlfriend, or drugs. Or all of the above. Expand your mind. It really wasn't a cry for help, not on a conscious level at least. You're right about getting a hobby though, I've been really getting into the paranormal recently so I might focus my time upon that. Not exactly a hobby, but I do find it fascinating to research it - Ouija Boards, spirits and whatnot. The rest, that's a long story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscoLehGo Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Honestly, if they weren't children I wouldn't care much either. Yea the kids really got to me too, I genuinely felt something for those youngsters who died and the ones who were there to witness it. I also felt empathy for those batman shooting victims in Colorado a while back, I don't know, just something about being completely ambushed like that while trying to enjoy a typical American night of entertainment made me feel genuinely bad for those people. I will admit, and not because I'm some douchebag internet hipster like the guy in that video someone posted earlier, I often don't feel much for victims of mass shootings or other tragedies. In fact, sometimes I'm even disappointed when the death toll isn't higher once a story has broken about a shooting or even natural disaster and all the figures have come in. Morbid, I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGodDamnMaster Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 I have another unpopular opinion, but it's really f*cked-up. -I would like to be a hostage of a shooting like the one that happened today. I have nothing to live for, and the adrenaline rush would be amazing. Intel Core i9-9900k | Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750W | 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666MHzMSI GeForce RTX2070 | WD Blue 1TB HDD | Samsung 950 PRO M.2 512GBAntec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower | MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanhunter_rfc Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I would like to be a hostage of a shooting like the one that happened today. I have nothing to live for, and the adrenaline rush would be amazing. Trevor? Is that you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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