[BearsysRevenge]

Originally Posted by Parallax

the bible is a collection of stories edited together, at the First Council of Nicaea, where a group of religious leaders chose which portions of Jesus' teachings would form together to be Christianity 325 years after the alleged death of jesus (not even the real pronounciation of the alleged messiah's name[No, but it is a Romanization of the original]) and after that it was translated and edited numerous times, irrevocably changing its meaning. the bible is not the word of god by any means. how can any sane, intelligent person consider the bible as anything more than a collection of stories and fables from a long time ago? what makes the bible any different than "homers odyssey?"

further more, christianity has caused more hate, death and suffering than it has love and acceptance. crusades anyone? you might say "but parallax, you cant judge christianity by the actions of its followers", well i say BULLSHIT, how else am i going to judge christianity, or any religion for that matter if not by the actions of its followers.

wake up people, christianity is nothing more than a cult that brainwashes its followers from birth, no sane/ intelligent person would become a christian if they werent brainwashed from the start. its no different from the religions that came before it.

I'm gonna make a few changes/additions to your post. Aside from those you're spot on.

Now, for my addition to the thread. /cracks knuckles

The First Council of Nicaea was convoked by Roman Emperor Constantine the First. Emperor Constantine has been a very successful Emperor by this time, especially since winning over Maximian. Many historical sources describe how Constantine found a relic of Jesus and carried with him into his war with Maximian for the Roman Empire. Constantine was not Christian at this time but reports describe how, in the middle of the war, the cross symbol emerged somehow. Sources vary in this; two arrows crossed, blood spattered on a shield, etc. Either way, it was at this moment that he had an epiphany and converted to Christendom. Constantine attributes his win to this epiphany. The arch of Constantine was to celebrate this victory. A while after, in 313 Ad, Constantine noticed the conflicts between pagans and Christens. These are two major enemy religions having to live under the same Empire so, of course, there is a lot of conflict. In 313, Licinus, Roman Emperor of the East, postulated the Edict of Milan which gave religious freedom. However, this caused a greater uproar eventually leading to civil wars.

Now, imagine this from a political side. Two religions at war and you need to create harmony. What better way than to try and integrate the religions? The purpose of the first council of Nicaea was this very thing. With this in mind, consider the origins of most modern holidays and how they have mixed connotations with both Christianity and pagan backgrounds. Why do you think this is the case? Because of these councils and biblical manipulation. They edited the Bible to fit what was considered "right" at the time, and omitted entire books that contradicted the Roman way of life.

So in all accuracy, the holiday Christians celebrate so fervently, and the book they base their beliefs on are merely a compromise created by a Roman council to prevent further in fighting.

Have fun, Christians!