Recent comments in /f/history

Madame_Kitsune98 t1_iz8hab2 wrote

Reply to comment by vorschact in An essay on The Harlan County War by BonesOfTheWaywardSon

That’s closer to where I’m from. Paradise is Muhlenberg County, next door to me in Hopkins County.

My people came to Western Kentucky by way of North Carolina, East Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky. I reckon I have family who mined coal around Harlan.

Hell, my great-granddad mined for gold in the Yukon, and when my granny was born, they were living in Bisbee, Arizona, because he was mining copper.

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PDV87 t1_iz8gsdr wrote

Reply to How did new emerging religions succeed despite established pre-existing religions during ancient and/or pre-historic times? by matthewlee0165

Christianity had many competitors in its early days: the old Hellenic religion, Judaism, and the mystery cults of Sol Invictus and Mithras. There was also the Roman state religion, i.e. deification of the augusti, which one could practice in accordance with many established religions (with Christianity being a notable exception).

First, the spread of the teachings of Christ through the written word between learned people of clerical and priestly classes. Koine Greek being the intellectual lingua franca of a vast area (which was also highly urbanized and sophisticated by the standards of the time) allowed these writings to be spread very efficiently.

Christianity also had broad appeal, especially to the lower strata of society: slaves, laborers, the poor, etc. They may have been socially disadvantaged, but this group was numerically superior by a vast margin. Its central tenet and promise was that if you accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and lived by his teachings—which, for someone who is poor, humble and generally a good person, is not far out of reach—then you will be rewarded in the afterlife with eternal bliss. Life was tough for a lot of people, and the idea that they would gain entry to paradise if they persevered and kept their faith was highly attractive. Despite being God, Jesus lived as they did; he worked, he ate, he drank, he experienced pain and suffering, and he did it all for them; that's a powerful and deeply personal message when most gods you know live on top of a magic mountain and throw thunderbolts around for fun.

Perhaps most importantly, Christianity was a prosleytizing religion, unlike Judaism. The conversion of non-believers was a core tenet of the faith. Throughout the religion's entire history you have evangelists, missionaries and other holy men spreading the faith, many times risking their lives (and often losing them) to do so. That kind of hardcore belief and obstinance has a snowball effect.

By the late 4th century, when the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its state religion, the church had imperial resources at its disposal; it spread, co-opting local traditions, gaining adherents and building upon its successes. Its deep association with the Roman state continued to thrive in the Eastern Empire long after the fall of the West. And while the Western Roman Empire might have failed, the church carried on many of its clerical, bureaucratic and administrative traditions in the new kingdoms that formed from its ashes.

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AmcillaSB t1_iz8f17c wrote

Reply to comment by Troll_For_Truth in An essay on The Harlan County War by BonesOfTheWaywardSon

This is wild. I wonder how many of us posting here might be related, or at the least, had ancestors who knew each other.

My family surnames from that area are Bryant, Bird, Baute, and Alred. I know several were coal miners and lived in both Evarts and Red Ash (75 miles away.)

My 2nd Great Grandfather Baute was the manager for a railroad, but also liked his alcohol a bit too much. They told him he needed to choose between drinking and his job. He chose the booze. After that, he worked in the coal mines. He'd bring his children with him to work, as their eyes were better at seeing in the dark. He became a widower in 1906 with 12 children to take care of. I can't imagine how hard that must have been.

None of what happened in this essay got passed down to me -- I need to speak to my mom and aunts and uncles about it -- maybe they're aware of some family stories.

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PDV87 t1_iz8em5z wrote

Reply to comment by flippythemaster in How did new emerging religions succeed despite established pre-existing religions during ancient and/or pre-historic times? by matthewlee0165

As you say, the traditional celebration of the solstice was probably the main reason why December 25th was chosen as the date on which Christ's birth was celebrated. Some people argue that another contributing factor was the holiday of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, which celebrated the birth of Sol Invictus on December 25th; however, the Emperor Aurelian instituted this holiday in 274 AD, and many others argue that he did so because Christians were already celebrating Christmas on that date.

Regarding the choice of December 25th as the Nativity, Saint Augustine said: "Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase."

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MsEscapist t1_iz86y8w wrote

Reply to An essay on The Harlan County War by BonesOfTheWaywardSon

So you mention that the workers became disillusioned with the Unions and they lost support and membership, but a pro-labor governor was elected and the Wagner act was both passed and enforced effectively. How did this happen? Was it because of broader public sympathy for the plight of the workers or did they push for political and legal intervention effectively in mass even without the Union organization? Or were there underground unions so to speak?

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CK2Noob t1_iz7xg32 wrote

Reply to comment by webbphillips in How did new emerging religions succeed despite established pre-existing religions during ancient and/or pre-historic times? by matthewlee0165

Have you ever celebrated easter in a non-western context? Traditionally things such as the easter bunny or egg hunts are a very anglo-saxon thing. I reccomend celebrating easter in an eastern Christian setting as the liturgical format (and importance of easter) is much older than current western praxis. I’ve never really gotten spring festival vibes from Orthodox easter tbh.

Like the only thing I can think of are the eggs? But you just get a small red egg afterwards and That’s it. It’s a very small piece in an otherwise thouroughly Christian celebration (and well, eggs have been used as symbolism by ancient jews so it’s not even neccessarily a pagan import).

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