rant and rave on wrote:
Speaking from my personal experience, your fundamental statement that:
Jeff Wigand wrote:... nearly every confessing Christian today believes that Jesus of Nazareth is their lord and savior because Nicene Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire and it was forced on the empire's citizens.
is so far from the truth, that you cannot be taken seriously; it's another of your posts on here that classify in the category of today's typical junk.
If one actually wanted to learn about Christianity, this board, where typically the anonymous 'blind is leading the blind', is a waste of time in that endeavor.
Draw me a line from Jesus's ministry in Judea to an American believing in him that doesn't involve the Roman Empire.
Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the empire. Theodosius followed and allowed for the persecution of pagans and non-Nicene Christians. This promoted Nicene Christianity as the preferred religion of the empire and this is why so many people in Europe became Christians, which spread throughout the continent, and then beyond in the second half of the second millennium.
You seem to think I'm making a comment on the value of Christianity when I'm in fact commenting on how it spread.