4 big myths of Book of Revelation

**Monseratto** · April 30th, 2012 04:51 PM

How the Church corrupted the promise of eternal salvation on the masses?

The Roman Catholic Church in 1500

In 1500 the Roman Catholic Church was all powerful in western Europe. There was no legal alternative. The Catholic Church jealously guarded its position and anybody who was deemed to have gone against the Catholic Church was labelled a heretic and burnt at the stake. The Catholic Church did not tolerate any deviance from its teachings as any appearance of ‘going soft’ might have been interpreted as a sign of weakness which would be exploited.

Why was the Roman Catholic Church so powerful?

Its power had been built up over the centuries and relied on ignorance and superstition on the part of the populace. It had been indoctrinated into the people that they could only get to heaven via the church.

This gave a priest enormous power at a local level on behalf of the Catholic Church. The local population viewed the local priest as their ‘passport’ to heaven as they knew no different and had been taught this from birth by the local priest. Such a message was constantly being repeated to ignorant people in church service after church service. Hence keeping your priest happy was seen as a prerequisite to going to heaven.

This relationship between people and church was essentially based on money - hence the huge wealth of the Catholic Church. Rich families could buy high positions for their sons in the Catholic Church and this satisfied their belief that they would go to heaven and attain salvation. However, a peasant had to pay for a child to be christened (this had to be done as a first step to getting to heaven as the people were told that a non-baptised child could not go to heaven); you had to pay to get married and you had to pay to bury someone from your family in holy ground.

To go with this, you would be expected to give to the church via the collection at the end of each service (as God was omnipresent he would see if anyone cheated on him), you had to pay tithes (a tenth of your annual income had to be paid to the church which could be either in money or in kind such as seed, animals etc.) and you were expected to work on church land for free for a specified number of days per week. The days required varied from region to region but if you were working on church land you could not be working on your own land growing food etc. and this could be more than just an irritant to a peasant as he would not be producing for his family or preparing for the next year.

However, unfair and absurd this might appear to someone now it was the accepted way of life in 1500 as this was how it had always been and no-one knew any different and very few were willing to speak out against the Catholic Church as the consequences were too appalling to contemplate.

You were told that if you did not go to heaven then the likelihood was that your soul had been condemned to Hell. Heresy was visibly punished with public burnings which you were expected to attend. John Huss was accused of heresy and granted a safe passage to Constance in modern Switzerland to defend himself at trial. He never got his trial as he was arrested regardless of his guarantee of a safe passage by the Catholic Church and burnt in public.

The Catholic Church also had a three other ways of raising revenue.

Relics: These were officially sanctioned by the Vatican. They were pieces of straw, hay, white feathers from a dove, pieces of the cross etc. that could be sold to people as the things that had been the nearest to Jesus on Earth. The money raised went straight to the church and to the Vatican. These holy relics were keenly sought after as the people saw their purchase as a way of pleasing God. It also showed that you had honoured Him by spending your money on relics associated with his son.

Indulgences: These were ‘certificates’ produced in bulk that had been pre-signed by the pope which pardoned a person’s sins and gave you access to heaven. Basically if you knew that you had sinned you would wait until a pardoner was in your region selling an indulgence and purchase one as the pope, being God’s representative on Earth, would forgive your sins and you would be pardoned. This industry was later expanded to allow people to buy an indulgence for a dead relative who might be in purgatory or Hell and relieve that relative of his sins. By doing this you would be seen by the Catholic Church of committing a Christian act and this would elevate your status in the eyes of God.

Pilgrimages: These were very much supported by the Catholic Church as a pilgrim would end up at a place of worship that was owned by the Catholic Church and money could be made by the sale of badges, holy water, certificates to prove you had been etc. and completed your journey.

Scam...

**pop3corn** · May 1st, 2012 05:20 AM

Originally Posted by Monseratto

How the Church corrupted the promise of eternal salvation on the masses?

The Roman Catholic Church in 1500

Scam...

why do atheists always look at the past like we were all scammed of some sort. yes it's true, the Holy Roman Empire used religion to conquer the godless and barbaric people of that time. even up until the exploration periods of Spain, Portugal, Britain, they used Christianity as a tool.

if we are to believe that our entire ancient civilization or our history for that matter is a scam, then what are we? products of the scam.

would you rather believe that? hindi ka din naman excused dito even if you think like an atheist. you're mothers/fathers/ancestors, even the very country that you're living now is a product of a scam.

can't you see the miracle that was the end result of it all? we became a modern civilization. ito lang talaga ang tanong ko sa mga atheists, what if Constantine didn't embrace Christianity, what if we continued to be Godless creatures? would we have reached what we are today? tingin ko we would have annihilated ourselves first before we discover science.

Science is only useful during peace time, when the mind is at peace, bec. science requires a lot of mind power/concentration to execute/understand it. maybe that's why science was only embraced during the 17th century. in the dark ages/feudal period or or even the earlier centuries, science was never understood and were considered black magic why? bec. people at that time never had the luxury of objectivity/logic. they were always paranoid or at war, afraid that they can killed or ransacked anytime. - <think of our squatters now, why do they always say dumb / twisted arguments - same banana, they don't have luxury of education and is living on a hand to mouth scenario.>

before you cite the errors/deceit/misinformation of our ancestors, stop for a moment, breathe, and ask yourself, do I really have the right to question the events of the past? or should I respect it and be thankful that if history took a different path, i wouldn't be where I am today. and that is what I call honor, you become an honorable man

----
and also as a message to you *monseratto, maybe that's why I'm more fortunate than others (with my traveling etc.) that u love to pinpoint in this forum. I have learned to respect/acknowledge our past, our ancestors or the very forces that shaped us or is still shaping us. by doing so siguro, my karma/blessings/luck is kinder.

**uls** · May 1st, 2012 10:36 AM

Science is only useful during peace time

that is the most ridiculous line in the above post

some of the most important scientific advances in human history were born in wartime

inventions were accelerated during wartime coz of urgent necessity. if necessity is the mother of invention then war is the ultimate driver of necessity. there's no greater motivation to come up with new ideas, no greater demand for innovation than when your country is at war

atomic energy

the computer (in WW2 -- built for code breaking)

the internet (Cold War)

satellite technology (Cold War)

the jet engine

anesthesia – chloroform first used in the battlefield (US Civil War)

all those things were born from war and were later adopted for civilian use

i'm sure there are many other inventions i didnt mention

pop3corn doesnt post facts

lahat ng posts ni pop3corn sariling interpretation niya of the world around him. how he sees the world, his assumptions, his conclusions

**pop3corn** · May 1st, 2012 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by uls

that is the most ridiculous line in the above post

some of the most important scientific advances in human history were born in wartime

inventions were accelerated during wartime coz of urgent necessity. if necessity is the mother of invention then war is the ultimate driver of necessity. there's no greater motivation to come up with new ideas, no greater demand for innovation than when your country is at war

atomic energy

the computer (in WW2 -- built for code breaking)

the internet (Cold War)

satellite technology (Cold War)

the jet engine

anesthesia – chloroform first used in the battlefield (US Civil War)

all those things were born from war and were later adopted for civilian use

i'm sure there are many other inventions i didnt mention

pop3corn doesnt post facts

lahat ng posts ni pop3corn sariling interpretation niya of the world around him. how he sees the world, his assumptions, his conclusions

we both know that the scientists who developed those technologies are tucked away in a very safe and secure location. scientists can't fire a weapon and think at the same time.

and that is what science is all about. with the lack of adversity, the mind begins to function to its full potential. this is hardly useful in war / competition / crisis, all you can think of is pray/hope/have faith. even a General who provides strategic battle offensive/defensive actions has to be safely tucked aways at the back or in a bunker, wherein the conditions of his surroundings should be peaceful.

kaya nga yun art of war, hindi tinawag na science of war eh. kasi pag pinrioritize ang science in a battlefield, paktay ka
na. even in a nuclear shooting war, the protocols are based on a nuclear response system by degree of attack. they cant just sit, stop and analyze what will happen next after a nuclear launch like what will be lost in the process. by the time, the scientists come up with a figure. may game changing event na nangyari na

---

same thing goes in an earthquake scenario. inspite so many drills / preparations / information campaign, people freeze and panic. I have seen and studied so many youtube videos in the recent Japan Quake. the Japanese can be considered one of the best if not the best scientific minds in the world. they only maximized their science after the big ones.

in the face of quick adversity/sudden crisis, your mind will enter first in the denial stage. a contributor to this stage is we try to operate our mind first logically/objectively/scientifically. we tend to rationalize in our minds over an event that is very irrational.

**uls** · May 1st, 2012 08:48 PM

in short your point is people can't make decisions under stress

wrong

everyday all over the world people make important decisions under stress

doctors in operating rooms. traders in financial institutions. engineers at construction sites. managers in offices. soldiers in warzones

in war those in high command, though far away from the battlefield, are under a lot of stress

stress doesnt have to be bullets flying all over the place

there are many situations that can trigger the same biochemical reactions in the body as when your being shot at

humans evolved to operate under stress

prehistoric man lived in hostile environments. they regularly encountered situations where they have to decide to fight or run

if they weren't capable of handling stressful situations we wouldn't be here today

humans evolved something called a "fight-or-flight response"

What is Fight-Or-Flight Response?

Definition: This is the body's response to perceived threat or danger. During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenalin and cortisol are released, speeding the heart rate, slowing digestion, shunting blood flow to major muscle groups, and changing various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength. Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, it's now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or during a stressful day at work. When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response, but in our times of chronic stress, this often doesn't happen enough, causing damage to the body.

**uls** · April 30th, 2012 05:14 PM

am encouraging *uls to join freethinkers like him na hindi pa nga natin ka-race to begin with, maybe he'll find peace.

i don't need to find peace somewhere else

it's peaceful where i am

it's so peaceful it's boring

kaya kailangan mag post dito sa forums

**donbuggy** · May 1st, 2012 11:28 AM

Not very bright is he?

**uls** · May 1st, 2012 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by donbuggy

Not very bright is he?

no comment hehe

**marg** · May 1st, 2012 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by donbuggy

Not very bright is he?

The very same thought I had.

Some of Pop3corn's wiring are shorted.

**Monseratto** · May 1st, 2012 12:27 PM

Ito mga "inventions" during the height of the Catholic Church power. Yep, great contribution to mankind...

A prisoner undergoing torture at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition. Monks in the background waits for his "confession" with quill and paper.

The Judas Cradle was perhaps a little less sadistic than impalement but still gruesome. The victim’s anus or vagina would be placed over the point of the pyramid-shaped cradle, then lowered on it by ropes. The intended effect was to stretch the orifice over a long period of time, or to slowly impale.

This brutal instrument was used to torture women who performed abortions, liars, blasphemers and homo***uals. The pear-shaped instrument was inserted into one of the victim’s orifices: the vagina for women, the anus for homo***uals and the mouth for liars and blasphemers.

Also called The Catherine Wheel, this device always killed its victim, but did so very slowly. The victim’s limbs were tied to the spokes of a large wooden wheel. The wheel was then slowly revolved while the torturer smashed the victims’ limbs with an iron hammer, breaking them in many places.

Once his bones were broken, he was left on the wheel to die. Sometimes the wheel was placed on a tall pole so birds could pick and eat the flesh of the still-living human. It could take up to two or three days for him to die of dehydration.

**Harangody** · May 1st, 2012 12:31 PM

Ouch! Nakita ko yung Judas Cradle in action sa "The Borgias".

**uls** · May 1st, 2012 12:56 PM

the navigation system in your late model cars.. guess who developed it. when it was developed. and why it ws developed

History of GPS

The U.S. Navy experimented with satellite navigation. In the mid-sixties there was the Transit System that was developed for submarines carrying Polaris nuclear missiles. This system has six satellites that circled the earth in polar orbits. In measuring the Doppler shift of the radio signals the submarines could locate its position within fifteen minutes.

The Global Positioning System, now commonly known GPS was designed and built and is operated and maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense. It used to be known as the Navstar Global Positioning System and was first brainstormed at the Pentagon in 1973 as they were looking for a satellite system that was error-proof. In 1978 the first operational GPS satellite was launched. By the mid-1990s the system was fully operational with 24 satellites.

**shadow** · May 1st, 2012 04:11 PM

Don't ganged up on OB, mamaya mawala nanaman yan

**uls** · May 2nd, 2012 11:31 AM

ano ba expect mo?

kailangan mo ng bagong weapon ngayon tapos bukas nasa kamay mo na?

in 1939 the Manhattan Project was committed to fasttrack research to build an atom bomb

in 1945 two atom bombs were dropped on Japan

from drawing board to reality in less than 6 years

how about you? what can you do in 6 years? what have you done all your life anyway?

you belittle science but you benefit from it in more ways than you know

**ess** · May 2nd, 2012 01:10 PM

And don't forget the Scientists working for the AXIS powers.
They were able to design modern jet fighters while being bombed by the Allies.
One jet fighter in particular -- Heinkel HE-162 --> from drawing board to flying prototype in 3 months.

**Monseratto** · May 2nd, 2012 02:36 PM