Christianity Needs to Return to Being a Good Example

Paul, if Paul even existed, was incapable of ever forcing beliefs on anyone once he lost the power he had under traditional Judaism.BUT it was Constantine and the folk that followed him that did force membership in Christianity on pretty much the then Western World. After Constantine Christianity was spread almost entirely through coercion and direct decree.

Sheesh Phat, don't you know anything about Christianity? Saul of Tarsus was a witness to the first Christian Martyr incident. As a Pharisee Saul had power, power to actually force and impose things on others under pain of execution.But Paul of Tarsus had no such power.And once again you are simply totally misrepresenting what I have said and what I believe. You really need to stop doing that.

I would point that the evidence shows that Christianity was spread by Constantine and people like the Henrys and Edwards but that Robertson and Swaggart were just Snake Oil Salesmen spouting their spiel to the country rubes and supported by their employee who suddenly throws away his crutches after just one swallow from the bottle. Too funny. It is irrelevant who or even what an "instrument of God" might be but what we can do is actually look at the evidence.Constantine made Christianity the State Religion and so people became Christians.Henry made Protestantism the State Religion and so people became Protestants.Emperor Charles and Francis I made Roman Catholicism the State religion and so the people of France and of the Holy Roman Empire became Catholics.In all cases though if you were a Jew you faced the choice of adopting the State Religion of Pogrom.Edward VI published the Book of Common Prayer and so all English adopted the BCP.James I and VI produced the "Authorized King James Version of the Bible and so people adopted the King James Version of the Bible.In each such case (and there are many such cases) the overriding belief being adopted is that "If I don't go along and adopt the State's position I will lose out in the here and now". More word salad. If something succeeds then say Goddidit but if it fails say Goddidnotdoit.But the evidence shows what I outline above. The idea of allowing anyone free choice of religion is simply a very modern aberration. Ones beliefs and religion throughout history have been determined by the State.