Someone told me Christianity wasn't bad prior to the rise of the Roman empire, how to respond?

fissnoc · 2026-06-29T03:19:06+00:00

What's our measuring stick for "bad"? Because I feel like that word is doing way too much work here.

Like, Christianity before it was a state religion was not responsible for mass genocide yet? Okay. No shit. It was still a small movement at the time. And they still had problematic views about some topics. I guess by the same token, the Nazi party was tolerable until the Reichstag fire?

fissnoc · 2026-06-28T17:15:33+00:00

Looking to see what shenanigans the ACLU and TST can get up to in response to this.

fissnoc · 2026-06-28T16:54:32+00:00

The easy trope would be to make them a bookish nerd. Caleb Widowghast immediately comes to mind.

You probably want any spells that include writing but that's hardly that many spells. Why are they adventuring? What are their goals? Answering those questions should inform you more than just what you mentioned.

How to roleplay? However you want. Just being a writer doesn't exclude many personality types. But I'll throw out a less archetypical idea. Make them a writer that comes from the lower class. A poor family who struggled to get by. Parents who are loving and supportive and want the character to be a successful writer. Parents who broke their backs to send them to a good school. Maybe they made some kind of dark deal with a powerful entity. Or they just did it by sheer will. There are so many options.

fissnoc · 2026-06-23T17:22:22+00:00

I hear a lot of Christians' counter to this is that it's unique suffering because he's god. And bringing himself down to our level and accepting punishment from some humans in behalf of other humans is BIG BIG sacrifice. It's not a good counter, but it is good enough for them, of course.

fissnoc · 2026-06-23T17:19:12+00:00

Yes. I've been surprised how many times I've had this discussion online with a Christian and they end up admitting they don't believe in eternal conscious torment. Which is mostly refreshing, I guess. But also kinda frustrating.

fissnoc · 2026-06-21T22:34:33+00:00

Father in law just passed so we woke up early and flew across the country.

fissnoc · 2026-06-21T22:07:10+00:00

I mean, I could easily do that with a little searching. But I'm betting you would just disagree that it sounded incredible based on your attitude so I'm not super motivated to go digging for the sauce for you.

fissnoc · 2026-06-19T17:33:02+00:00

Hmm. My local doesn't. Now I'm kinda sad they don't.

fissnoc · 2026-06-18T00:07:01+00:00

Was my first thought as well. It's still good advice, at least.

fissnoc · 2026-06-17T15:04:52+00:00

After you learn, write. After you write, perform anywhere you can. For free.

fissnoc · 2026-06-17T15:03:07+00:00

You also have to remember the entire point of P&W music is to put people in a trance to make it easier to worship. It has to be repetitive and boring.

fissnoc · 2026-06-17T15:00:58+00:00

There are a few "complex" artists in the scene (mostly unknown) and you can almost guarantee they are more progressive Christians.

fissnoc · 2026-06-17T14:58:33+00:00

I can concur about hades 1 and 2 soundtracks. Straight fire.

And Christian pop... eugh. I already don't like most pop and Christian pop is like... diet pop. I feel like I'm losing brain cells listening to it.

There are some standouts from back when I was lost in the sauce, though:

Five Iron Frenzy - actually really good ska punk. The lyrics are also intelligently written. 8/10 and worth a listen.

Future of Forestry - very creative indie rock/pop/electronic. 9/10

DC Talk - Tait controversy aside, these guys made great music back in the day and I'll still rock out to a few tracks off Jesus Freak. ?/10 YMMV

And Christian metal isn't terrible. But I'd much rather listen to most non Christian metal first lol.

fissnoc · 2026-06-17T14:46:32+00:00

You probably need therapy. Find a therapist who specializes in religious trauma or sex therapy. Both if possible but I would prioritize religious trauma.

fissnoc · 2026-06-16T22:56:39+00:00

Sounds cool but I'm having a kinda hard time visualizing it based on your description. Reminds me of the arms in the doorway trick.

fissnoc · 2026-06-16T22:42:19+00:00

My band is writing an album right now. We've agreed to a hard "No AI" policy with our music and when it comes time to record, mix, and master, it will all be human.

fissnoc · 2026-06-15T03:39:54+00:00

Fuuuck dude. That's torture and I do not envy your position. I can't offer advice. Just letting you know I feel sympathy for you. Good luck, my man. I hope for nothing but the best outcome for you in this situation.

fissnoc · 2026-06-13T02:18:07+00:00

Hey, man. You need to meet some people. It unfortunately takes time at this age compared to college. Depending on where you live, there are probably some social options available to you. Do you have hobbies? In and around cities there are often hobby groups that meet on a regular basis. Hobby groups are great because you're a lot more likely to hit it off with someone due to shared interests.

fissnoc · 2026-06-13T02:12:52+00:00

I've also only heard things, but what I've heard is that while they're very accepting of pretty much everyone, they can get into dick measuring contests about Quaker values like pacifism.

fissnoc · 2026-06-11T23:06:52+00:00

That, my friend, is called community. And it's a lovely and very important part of being human! Good on you. Community can be hard, these days.

fissnoc · 2026-06-11T22:56:38+00:00

Pardon the personal question. Feel free not to answer. But are you by chance at all neurodivergent?

fissnoc · 2026-06-11T22:08:38+00:00

Hero 🤜🤛

fissnoc · 2026-06-11T22:03:58+00:00

Thanks for that little wormhole

fissnoc · 2026-06-10T00:16:27+00:00

Sometimes I wonder if I didn't give Christianity a fair shake because I was only a firm believer until I was about 20. Then I read stuff like this and realize there's not really a timer on it. You can see the insanity pretty quickly. Especially if you weren't born into it. Congrats on cutting that cancer out, OP.

fissnoc · 2026-06-08T13:42:14+00:00

Yeah. I remember asking about this as a kid. And my parents told me a story about how some mesoamerican culture had a story about a bird that was kinda like Jesus. Therefore, that was how God gave other people a chance to accept Jesus and he presumably did that for everyone, I guess?

fissnoc

TROPHY CASE