Why does Constantine a Heathen Emperor have so much say over what people today believe: like the Cross etc.?

Question

well mia,
Concerning Constantine, historian Paul Johnson states: “One of his main reasons for tolerating Christianity may have been that it gave himself and the State the opportunity to control the Church’s policy on orthodoxy and the treatment of heterodoxy.”
Johnson notes: “Constantine never abandoned sun-worship and kept the sun on his coins.” The Catholic Encyclopedia observes: “Constantine showed equal favour to both religions. As pontifex maximus he watched over the heathen worship and protected its rights.” “Constantine never became a Christian,” states the encyclopedia Hidria, adding: “Eusebius of Caesarea, who wrote his biography, says that he became a Christian in the last moments of his life. This doesn’t hold water, as the day before, [Constantine] had made a sacrifice to Zeus because he also had the title Pontifex Maximus.”

Answer 1

Contrary to popular belief, Constantine never converted to Christianity or converted the Roman Empire to Christianity.

What he did do was add Jesus to the list of pagan deities he worshiped and end the Roman Empire's attempt to eliminate Christianity through persecution.

The temples he built in Constantinople which are now regarded as Christian churches were not originally Christian. Instead they were dedicated to the pagan monotheism popular in Greece at the time.

Constantine himself was even worshiped as a god after death and had temples dedicated to him.

Answer 2

After the apostles died there was a great falling away and false teachings creap in. In an effort to keep the people from fighting he allowed pagan customs to be incorporated into Christianity.
He was a ruler and as a political dictator he pretty much called the shots. The Church rather than saying that is a pagan custom went ahead and sanctioned those things into their religion.
Say the Sunni and shiite got a mediator and to stop the violence between them incorporated some of the beliefs of both religions and said, "okay that is what you believe now"
going on further to say, "anyone who questions this has to die." Which in effect is probably what will happen over there.
But on a personal level we should sort out the true from the false and believe the truth. Not carry on some false religion.

Answer 3

If Constantine held such sway over the Church, then why didn't Arianism prevail? Constantine was very clear in favoring the heterodox position, but was out voted by the bishops at Nicea. After the council, Constantine exiled all of the Orthodox bishops from Constantinople, and brought in excommunicated Arians. Considering the strength that Arianism had in the Church following Nicea, it is strange that Constantine couldn't even come close to tipping the scales in his favor.

And not only that, but Nicea was designed to ratify pre-existing canons, which it did. Again, isn't it strange that Constantine, for all his supposed influence over the Church, was unable to sway them from only accepting pre-existing canons?

And why is it that Constantine labored to resolve the Arian controversy for over three years without success? He ended up having to let the bishops follow ecclesiastical precedent and convene a council. Even when he issued explicit threats, the Churches refused to even change a single Greek letter "iota" (homousios to homisios) to conform to his wishes.

Answer 4

He made Christianity popular with the majority of people by merging all of the known religions of his day into it.
If you will study the religion of the sun god mithra, you'll see the priests wore the same clothing as roman catholic priests, they also had confession and communion with round wafers9like the sun0 with the same Inscription I H S(isis horus seth) , the statues they have of the apostles and Mary were old statues of the greek/roman gods, they just renamed them using the names of the Apostles and Mary.
All of our Holidays(except Easter(which was about the same time of JESUS resurrection) were all borrowed from pagan religions and "Christianized" including Christmas which Dec. 25th is the birth day of the sin god mithra and also the festival of saturnalius.There is so much more.
Just read the New Testament and see if it lines of with roman catholic dogma.

Answer 5

Because it was Constantine that made Christianity mandatory, he simply took Christianity and made it law under his rule, the rest is history.

Answer 6

Well, for starters he was an Emperor. And he later converted to Christianity and was instrumental in spreading it.
And he wasn't a Heathen......those are Asatru.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_of_the_Roman_Empire

http://www.roman-emperors.org/conniei.htm

http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwconstantine1.htm

http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/constantine.php

http://rumkatkilise.org/constantineXI.htm

http://jeru.huji.ac.il/ed31.htm

Constantine was a Christian, I suggest you start providing links to your quotations. I can support mine with 50 more if you like.

Answer 7

And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah JESUS son of Mary, Allah's messenger They slew him not nor crucified, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture ; they slew him not for certain,

Surah/Chapter 004 - An-Nisâ. Verse 163