Yes this is a taboo subject. It is also one that sets me off and not care who I offend. As to the original question. Absolutely not. I'm assuming the question is being asked from a Christian pov. I have nothing but contempt for Christianity. The deal the early church made with the Emperor of Rome was to adjust church doctrine to match that of the Imperial cult in exchange for becoming the official Church of Rome. All of that sexual repression, women are property, obedience to the father (incidentally, a father in Ancient Rome could order a retroactive abortion of any of his children regardless of age or marital status), and so on is pure Ancient Roman family values. The Church became a tool of government to keep the population in line. The concept of humans going to hell never appeared in Christian literature until the 1600s. It was introduced to try to put a stop to the Reformation. The epitome of hypocrisy, the Protestants fully embraced the concept of hell because it is such a wonderful tool to keep a population in line. The Pope was saying "do what I say or you will go to hell" and the Protestants were saying "listen to the Pope and you will go to hell." The writings of the New Testament were inspired by social engineers, not a deity.
|