Religious Intolerance

Case example.

When the Emperor Gratian (375 AD) signalled that the state religion would not tolerate paganism by removing the statue of Victory from the Roman Senate, Ambrose formulated an argument that if Rome were a Christian empire, no other religion, including paganism, could be tolerated. In his debate in the Roman Senate with Ambrose, pagan Symmachus argue eloquently for religious tolerance, but Ambrose argued that there was one and only one correct religion and all others should be stamped out.

This position soon became the church's position and had two far-reaching consequences. From the fourth century onwards, one of the principal characteristics of Christianity was its intoleranc, in fact, often extremely homicidal intolerance of other religions. For Rome, however, this religious intolerance was one of the central reasons for the disintegration of the Roman Empire. In many ways, the Roman Empire held together because of its religious tolerance. Subject states did not enjoy being under the empire, but the cultural and religious freedom that they had at least made it bearable. When the Christian Empire began to suppress native religions under Roman control, they soon rebelled. These rebellions fractured the empire in pieces at a point in time when migrating Europeans were invading the frontiers.

So much for gluttony, lead pipe, mad Barbarians and pre-Machiavellian ideals being responsible for the decine and fall.

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No surprise at all, insurance companies have all sorts of clauses, high deductables, abilty to drag out payment and settle for cents on the dollar once a customer decomes desperate and destitute. This takes place across the board, not just on homeowners insurance.

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http://www.britains-smallwars.com/main/index1.html

Britain's Small Wars Site Index 1945 onwards. Interesting information, from Muscat and Oman to the Mau Mau brutal repression.




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