Inventions To Thank Pagans For

[WriterofWords]

So, about those inventions the thread was started about? I'm looking for some more,, anyone else?

 

[Goose and Fig]

Organized labor

 

[PortageGirl]

Quote:
really? how so? (no I'm not trying to be a smart alek, I'm trying to figure out the logic here

)

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
really? how so? (no I'm not trying to be a smart alek, I'm trying to figure out the logic here

)

from some random site:
While there remains speculation regarding how the ancient pyramids were constructed, it is obvious the Egyptians were the first to invent and employ organized labor on a massive scale in order to construct these magnificent stone structures. When one takes into consideration that the construction of just one pyramid often lasted several decades, the magnitude of the organized labor required becomes enormous.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Stonehenge also required organized labor and shipping stone a fair distance.
The anceint Egytians and Chinese had well-developed bureaucracies, and the Chinese system was merit based, with civil service exams.
Calendars of many different types were invented by pagans of all sorts, and so was time keeping in general.
Brick, pottery and iron smelting; all pagan inventions

 

[dacjohns]

I have WHAT in my yard? :

Really wanna get a group of people going?? Tell 'em Charles Darwin never said "survival of the fittest!"




He didn't!

Not until about the 5th edition and then he borrowed it from someone else.​

 

[dacjohns]

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Different calendars, how about saying about the time of the winter solstice?

 

[Lunachick]

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Well, those dowsing rods were interesting! And if that doesn't work you can use a pendulum ....very interesting. I think that's more Pagan.

 

[Q9]

mom'sfolly :

Actually, the Renaissance was the when science really took off in Europe. It was a revival of art, culture and science, lost during the middle ages. It was based on the pagan ideas of Rome and Greece, and preserved largely by the Eastern Church and Islam.

Arguable, science was more advanced in China, India and parts of the Americas than in Europe at the time of Columbus. In Mexico, some of the largest cities in the world existed. Meso-America had science, math, writing and technology. Ancient China was far more advanced then Europe, as was India.

I think Christianity had little to do with the advance of science. Worldwide science, technology, language, religions, exploration and conquest were happening from the 15th century onwards. Cultures, science and technology have ebbed and flowed, but all of it is built on the past.

Thank you! That explains perfectly why RIGHT AFTER the fall of Rome (read: oppressive regime) there was a massive spurt of invention! Christian Europe developed (during your "dark ages!") the following: Advanced crop rotation; the compass, developed around the same time as "advanced" China, and was actually used in navigation, unlike in "advanced" China; the first heavy cavalry; guns and cannons; the "round ship", a huge improvement over the primitive galley, contributing greatly to the astounding naval defeat of the Turks; true capitalism and banking, which contributed to a somewhat humorous situation where monastaries began to resemble modern companies and banks; eyeglasses; the clock; better harnesses allowing horses to begin replacing oxen in farming, allowing a boom in farm productivity; and they were the first to really harness hydropower and wind power.
Meanwhile, in "advanced" Meso-America, the Mayans were making human sacrifices and wiping themselves out through war and what we refer to as "unsustainable" farming practices; the Aztecs were making human sacrifices in a downright cruel way and EATING them; and to top it off, none of these "advanced" Native Americans even used the most basic of inventions, the wheel! What were the Muslim nations doing? Springboarding off of Greco-Roman ideas, but even they began to stagnate while Christian Europe surged ahead. Did I mention that they banned public clocks because they would "secularize time?" I must admit, however, that I really like their architecture. China and India more advanced than Europe? Of course, that's why India became a British colony. As for China, they invented gunpowder; Europe then invented the gun. China and Europe developed the compass at roughly the same time; Europe improved their design and added sights so that sailors could determine their exact heading while sailing, but the Chinese were content to use the compass for religious purposes only. I'd like to know what your definition of "advanced" is. In everything that mattered at that time, Europe was way ahead of the rest of the world, which was downright backwards in comparison.
I'm going to leave this thread due to the high risk of starting a gigantic debate and getting it locked, but I will recommend an excellent book on the subject. The Victory of Reason by Rodney Stark. On a scale of 1-10, it gets a 10 1/2.​

 

[Q9]

Quote:
Different calendars, how about saying about the time of the winter solstice?

I'm not sure I understand your post. The solstice itself is on the 21st or 22nd, but the increasing length of the day was first noticed on the 25th, so pagans celebrated that as the "rebirth of the sun."