IS destroying relics in Nimrud

[Neil]

More evidence of religious mentalnous! "Our God is more righter than your God!" I'll swear faith is a mental illness at times! Just look at the illogical madness that comes from it at times! http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31760656

[EvilNed]

It's sad. This is (was...) one of two Assyrian cities standing. Assyria was part of the cradle in Mesopotamia that ignited agricultural society as we know it, together with the Egyptian kingdom, and running alongside the Median and Babylonian city states. These cites are post-Bronze Age sites with heavy Zoroastrian influenced art and relics. Since Zoroastrianism is all but extinct today, it's sad to see one of the few sites dedicated to this ancient religion get destroyed. It's interesting to note that it was not until the advent of christianity, and later Islam, that fighting over religion became a thing. The roman empire went from being an empire ruled by an emperor to being an empire ruled by a emperor-who-was-also-a-religious-leader. Dissent and hereticism was not tolerated... for the first time in history. Thanks Jesus.

[Publius]

More evidence of religious mentalnous! "Our God is more righter than your God!" I'll swear faith is a mental illness at times! Just look at the illogical madness that comes from it at times! http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31760656 You paint with too broad a brush. In other cases similar acts are inspired by the absence of religious faith. See the Cultural Revolution in China and the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia for examples. - - - Updated - - - The roman empire went from being an empire ruled by an emperor to being an empire ruled by a emperor-who-was-also-a-religious-leader. You don't know much about traditional Roman religion, do you? One of the titles of the (pre-Christian) emperor was "pontifex maximus", chief priest of the state cult. Julius Caesar seems to have aspired to God-King status on the traditional Egyptian model. How's that for being a religious leader?

[Neil]

You paint with too broad a brush. In other cases similar acts are inspired by the absence of religious faith. See the Cultural Revolution in China and the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia for examples. Guilty I'm afraid... Just seems too often faith is just a small step away from crazy...

[EvilNed]

You don't know much about traditional Roman religion, do you? One of the titles of the (pre-Christian) emperor was "pontifex maximus", chief priest of the state cult. Julius Caesar seems to have aspired to God-King status on the traditional Egyptian model. How's that for being a religious leader? Ok, you got me, and you are right. My point being that during the time of the Republic and early Imperial reign, religion was not enforced upon anyone and nobody fought anyone else over what beliefs they held. It wasn't until christianity entered the picture that the fighting (and infighting) started, what with arianism, monophysitism, orthodox and latin views of christianity all vying for which one was the "correct" interpetation. Granted, christians were thrown into the arena before the rise of christianity, but these were more isolated incidents (except during Nero, who used them as scapegoats) than organized religious warfare.