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Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome QUOTES

Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome QUOTES

1 " only One True God can provide an adequate religious basis for the moral order. Divine essences such as the Tao do not command us to love one another. The “first mover” does not forbid us to covet another’s spouse. Paul Tillich’s conception of God as the “ground of our being” is not a being and therefore is incapable of having, let alone expressing, moral concerns. As for the little “beings” who populate pagan pantheons, they seem to concern themselves only with their own welfare and to ignore what people do to and for one another. Only monotheism serves as a basis for morality, for compelling and significant “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots.” This certainly is not to suggest that pagan societies lack morality, but to acknowledge that their moral orders are not justified on religious grounds. "

― Rodney Stark , Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome

2 " In fact, when the Egyptians would not export papyrus, parchment (made from treated animal skins) was invented in Pergamum. The word parchment derives from the Latin “Pergamena charta,” or “paper of Pergamum. "

― Rodney Stark , Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome