Some good points. Thank you.
I think I said very clearly that Christianity didn't "invent" caring or charity They are acts of love which have always existed. I should have said that the philosophy of charity is different within Abrahamic religions both in kind (selfless duty) and in the extent to which its emphasized as a virtue than it was in classical Europe.
I should have also said the philosophy of hospitals and their emphasis within society, not that they didn't exist before Christianity. Of course, people have always tried to get well and have gone to specialists to do so.
If you read the e-book (of course) of the Divine Comedy, Christians have always acknowledged the existence of virtue in the classical Western Civilizations.
It's a deep subject. I'll investigate Trajan. The public works wouldn't be what I was talking about, but if he concerned himself with the welfare of his least citizens and slaves then that would certainly modify the way I look at the difference.
Thank you for the perspective, guys. See, learning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kindlekitten
it is very difficult to call a truce on an issue that you refuse to budge on. unless of course, you are willing to admit that caring and charity did not begin with christianity and is not unique to the belief
don't bother, he's banned
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