Yes , Constantine stayed head of paganism all his life, and he wore the proper robes to indice so until the day he died. Jesus said to read the scriptures and Constantine removed them so true Christians could not. Jesus taught peace, Constantine taught war. Jesus said to teach , and said to be peaceful among all the nations. Jesus said you received free , give free, so then why were the bishps of Constantine paid large salaries? Jesus frowned on special titles and robes, Constantine used them and was known as the Ponefex Maximus. That is the same title of the Catholic popes today.
So now why are you following Constantine instead of Christ? If your religion considers the Council of NIcea as a source of truth, Constantine a pagan all his life presided over it, so it was not a meeting of true Christians, but paid to say they were. He derived his riches to pay his bishops from them. He forced trinity doctrine on people using executions if they did not comply.
So why would you follow such an evil liar? He began Christmas, and Easter,both which are pagan holidays renamed. Jesus said do not learn the ways of the nations(the pagans who did not worship Jehovash) Jesus was born as a Jew and they did not celebrate birthdays and considered them as idolatry. The pagans used a cross,not the true Christians. It began to be used in the 4th century. But you who do not want to know truth will not look it up. It is an idol. So you who use it are using idolatry.
Older, when will you recognize that you, as a JW, have more in common with Constantine than most if not all Bible believing Christians?
Constantine eventually opposed the Nicene Bishops and was baptized by an Arian Bishop before he died. He did not believe in the Trinity, just like JWs. And he believed in many gods for most of his life, just like Jehovah's Witnesses.
Honestly, you should not be condemning this man, you should be hailing him as a god, and a defender of your faith.
Older, your comments about Constantine are NOT an accurate biography. Constantine died 1700 years ago, but you l still be held accountable for your "gossip" about him.
...Most people know better, so what you post only makes YOU and your leaders look bad, not Constantine
The biggest problem facing the JWs--which they didn't have last century when they were hysterically running around getting ready for the big A every decade or so--is that people are generally more sophisticated now and aren't as likely to fall for very many more of these "Armageddon" calls. After all, it's been 98 years since it was supposed to have happened the first time.
Eusebius of Caesarea and other Christian sources record that Constantine experienced a dramatic event in 312 at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, after which Constantine claimed the emperorship in the West. According to these sources, Constantine looked up to the sun before the battle and saw a cross of light above it, and with it the Greek words "Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα" ("by this, win!", often rendered in the Latin "in hoc signo vinces"). Constantine commanded his troops to adorn their shields with a Christian symbol (the Chi-Rho), and thereafter they were victorious.[1][9]
Curious. This is what is reported about Constantine.
Do you believe the man was truthful in his reporting?
Did Jesus give this man a vision and tell him to go conquering under the sign of the cross?
If you don't believe the report is true, it tells us something regarding Constantine.
If you do believe it is true, you know a different Christ than the one I know.
(And of course there is a third possibility, Constantine told the truth but Christ had nothing to do with it.)
I will however, refine one of older's statements. We do not teach that anyone knowingly follows Constantine. Older does not state that anyone does, but she isn't precise enough about that and the reader might get that impression, or at least make out as if they get that impression.
The entire Christian world, however, was greatly influenced by this man, who was clever enough to use Christianity to further his own ends,
Which doesn't sound the least bit 'Christian' to me.
“People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.” ― Epictetus
Life is like photography, you need a clear lens, and the picture you get depends on what you focus on.
Attaching to (choosing not to let go of) your own painful interpretations of events, ideas, people, etc. results in 'self-created suffering.'
Anger stems from irrational beliefs about others, anxiety stems from irrational beliefs about yourself.--- http://www.amazon.com/The-Brain-Mechanic-Maximize-Emotional/product-reviews/0757315569/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
(And of course there is a third possibility, Constantine told the truth but Christ had nothing to do with it.)
And a fourth possibility: In view of the ever-rising number of Christians in the empire, some of whom refused military service, painting crosses on the shields and carrying cross standards into battle might induce the Christians to take another look at military service. Because obviously Jupiter and Mars hadn't been any great assistance thus far.
As the old warhorse hymn goes, "Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before..."
, painting crosses on the shields and carrying cross standards into battle might induce the Christians to take another look at military service.
yes, but you see, Constantine didn't just upgrade their shields and banners.
He told them Christ commanded it be done, and that he was told to fight under godly protection.
On the evening of October 27, 312, with his army preparing for the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, the emperor Constantine I claimed to have had a vision which led him to fight under the protection of the Christian God.
Lactantius states[4] that, in the night before the battle, Constantine was commanded in a dream to "delineate the heavenly sign on the shields of his soldiers". He obeyed and marked the shields with a sign "denoting Christ". Lactantius describes that sign as a "staurogram", or a Latin cross with its upper end rounded in a P-like fashion, rather than the better known Chi-Rho sign described by Eusebius of Caesarea. Thus, it had both the form of a cross and the monogram of Christ's name from the formed letters "X" and "P", the first letters of Christ's name in Greek.
Was Constantine truthful? or a liar?
Do you believe Jesus wanted any image representing him, a heavenly sign denoting Christ, painted on shields to be splashed with human blood in conflicts to build Constantine's empire?
“People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.” ― Epictetus
Life is like photography, you need a clear lens, and the picture you get depends on what you focus on.
Attaching to (choosing not to let go of) your own painful interpretations of events, ideas, people, etc. results in 'self-created suffering.'
Anger stems from irrational beliefs about others, anxiety stems from irrational beliefs about yourself.--- http://www.amazon.com/The-Brain-Mechanic-Maximize-Emotional/product-reviews/0757315569/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
yes, but you see, Constantine didn't just upgrade their shields and banners.
He told them Christ commanded it be done, and that he was told to fight under godly protection.
So what did you EXPECT Constantine to tell the troops? He had an army to run.
Was Constantine truthful? or a liar?
Who cares? As a result the empire became Christian and that should be all that matters.
Do you believe Jesus wanted any image representing him, a heavenly sign denoting Christ, painted on shields to be splashed with human blood in conflicts to build Constantine's empire?
Considering the Zeitgeist of the times, I don't think Jesus minded all that much. Bad publicity is better than no publicity.
