AH: A world without Jesus Christ

[PlayerOne]

You're all missing the most critical factor, which religious group is going to be fed to the lions in coliseums? Those things eat a lot, you know!

[oshron]

Originally Posted by von hitchofen

Thor and Odin will be pleased, and Anubis will be back through the Stargate to claim his rightful place...

and all hail the great god Baal...

you're spoilt for choice, really

well who's to say that another religion couldnt rise up and insist that they arent the one and only true faith, and that all others must convert or die? there were reverse examples of this against christianity as well in actual history; iirc, some germanic pagans threatened christians to convert and praise Odin instead of God or else they'd kill them, and if/when they refused they'd do a "bloody eagle" on them

[Grouchio]

How would this affect Manicheaism?

[Vinland]

Originally Posted by Grouchio

How would this affect Manicheaism?

I actually think Manichaeism would be one of the best candidates to replace Christianity, or at least to become a major religion. It was a major competitor of Christianity for a time, more than Mithraism ever was. Manichaeism was more inclusive than Mithraism was, it had somewhat of a Christ and Apostle-like Martyrdom to crystallize on (though probably not to the same extent), and it had some very successful and devoted missionaries, as evidenced by the fact that it got all the way to China. In Rome it was a soldier's religion for the most part, which would have given it plenty of opportunities for sponsorship by popular figures. In many ways, its success, though it didn't last, mirrored that of Christianity.

[von hitchofen]

Originally Posted by oshron

iirc, some germanic pagans threatened christians to convert and praise Odin instead of God or else they'd kill them, and if/when they refused they'd do a "bloody eagle" on them

ouch...painful...but did they even bother to do that - blood loss and asphyxiation would kill em first?

I'd opt for Zoroastrianism myself - blessed be Ahura Mazda - and good results in the J D Power survey...

[The Dude Bro]

For an interesting possibility, perhaps the Romano-Hellenic pantheon declines in popularity due to the increasing religious diversity of the Empire, and instead the Empire forms a new pantheon out of a mixture of their more mystical, abstract deities (I am namely thinking of Concordia, Fides, Fortuna, Pietas, Spes, Roma, and Terra) along with the Imperial Cult? The Roman-Hellenic pantheon would still be popular in Italy and the Greek East, but in other parts of the Empire you would have traditional deities, Mithras, Isis, Judaism, Sol Invictus, Gnosticism, etc. etc. all existing alongside the new Imperial Religion.

[Grouchio]

So howabout since there's already that Gods and Empires ATL running, what if we made ourselves a Manicheaism-wank ATL? What if it became more popular than it did and IT got chosen to be patronized instead of Christianity? This idea simply must blossom!

[TaylorS]

I am thinking the various polytheisms and mystery cults would evolve in a direction similar to Hinduism in India, with Neo-Platonism being the equivalent of the more intellectual forms of Hinduism.

[Ganesha]

Originally Posted by TaylorS

I am thinking the various polytheisms and mystery cults would evolve in a direction similar to Hinduism in India, with Neo-Platonism being the equivalent of the more intellectual forms of Hinduism.

It's certainly possible to have an enduringly polytheistic Europe. After all, Hinduism is essentially a religious grouping. In different areas and branches, almost entirely different pantheons are worshipped or emphasized. For example, in Bengal, the goddess Durga (or Ma Durga) is very important, and her festival is one of the biggest of all, sometimes surpassing Diwali. In other areas, she's hardly mentioned or doesn't even exist at all.

Cheers,
Ganesha

[Kishan]

Originally Posted by Ganesha

It's certainly possible to have an enduringly polytheistic Europe. After all, Hinduism is essentially a religious grouping. In different areas and branches, almost entirely different pantheons are worshipped or emphasized. For example, in Bengal, the goddess Durga (or Ma Durga) is very important, and her festival is one of the biggest of all, sometimes surpassing Diwali. In other areas, she's hardly mentioned or doesn't even exist at all.

Cheers,
Ganesha

It is true that Hinduism do not insist on the object or the mode of worship.You are free to choose any of the gods as your personal god and worship.But that do not mean that any of the major ones are completely ignored anywhere. Durga as the consort of Shiva is a very important deity anywhere in India. There are certain local deities,worshiped only locally in many places.But the major deities like Shiva,Vishnu,Brahma,Parvati,Lakshmi,Saraswati,Gane sh, Subrahmanya, and avatars of Vishnu, Lord Ram and Lord Krishna are all important everywhere in India.Some get more importance in certain places,that's all!

[Snake Featherston]

Instead of Christianity ala Jesus, we get Christianity ala John or Theudas or Simon Ben Kocheba.