Is there such a thing as a deity?

[dong]

We've heard of other cultures (Aztecs, ancient Chinese) wiping themselves out in a spectacular cultural implosion, and examples of attempts to great cultural Purges (Cultural revolution in modern China, Hitler's attempt to subvert all culture under a religion with himself as its deity), but the unfortunate truth (and one that does nothing to alleviate the troubles of an embattled institution) is that the cultures motivated by Judeo-Christian derived ideology had this habit not only of repressing documented evidence in their own societies but also destroying that of others (for God is the one and only...why would any other be relevant?)

This is why I get annoyed when budding (and well-established) Christian apologetic scholars claim that the most compelling proof of Christianity (notwithstanding the inherent problem in THAT) is that it has the most documented proof- this is because wherever the Church is culturally dominant, it naturally suppresses documents that detract or dare to suggest otherwise than its own specific agenda, be that what it may in whatever era. That's the downside of having a regulated core.

 

[FourBear]

One specific example I can think of is Diego Landa, who purged many important Mesoamerican documents at the time of the Spanish conquest. I think he was a Francisan, but I can't remember for sure. Only a few documents were "saved," and only because they had been previously discarded into trash piles where they couldn't be found by prying Spaniards.

 

[mtatum4496]

One specific example I can think of is Diego Landa, who purged many important Mesoamerican documents at the time of the Spanish conquest. I think he was a Francisan, but I can't remember for sure. Only a few documents were "saved," and only because they had been previously discarded into trash piles where they couldn't be found by prying Spaniards.

Yes,I remember reading about this. Destroying the documents was meant to make the forced conversion to the "true faith" easier, as it eliminated references for future generations and demonstrated the "inferior" nature of MesoAmerican faith traditions. Would that more of those documents had been spared. I can't help but think we would have learned a great deal from them.

 

[berlinlife06]

I do believe in God, and that there is one God, but I really don't care that much. I stopped being religious and consider myself a former catholic, so really I don't care and it is not really important to me as a religious factor. I am happy in my life, and that gives me the feeling that God is with me! I know, weird, but it works for me!