Because the fall of Rome and tribal invasions had nothing to do with it. Lol. Christian monasteries are the only reason anything was preserved at all. Twisting history is never a good thing.
The rise of Christianity was a major contributor to the fall of Rome through culture wars. They used the empire infrastructure even after the fall to proselytize and force their beliefs on tribes
Hmmm bet the Cathars thought it was pretty dark. I don’t think my relatives living in The Pale thought it was great. Might want to check with anyone under the thumb of inbred monarchs and cultist religious fanatics about it. Shall we go to the status of women?
Historians don't use the term "dark ages" anymore and for good reason. In the actual medieval period, excessive wealth was often seen as a bad thing – especially on religious grounds...
A Zehnt in the original sense (10% of income) is lower than modern income taxes. People being on average much poorer in the Middle Ages was due to lower productivity, not higher taxes or worse inequality.
But the lower productivity was a result of no education, healthcare or infrastructure, which was a result of the rich / government not investing in them, since it would require them to be taxed. Middle Ages economy was closer to the free market than anything we’ve had for centuries.
And yeah, secular government rarely invested in popular education (but there were educated people at many courts and the first universities were founded in the medieval period)
Ironically it was the church where people could go to get an education most of the time. In some cities there were "secular" schools and sometimes they even had a system of scholarships for talented kids. But if your parents weren't rich and you wanted to read and write...
What the US is doing now is moving closer to that model, even though it was the role of government that led to the improvement of productivity, living conditions, and wellbeing that we’ve enjoyed. Hence why I refer to us regressing to ‘neofeudalism’.
Plus, it didn’t help that the Bible wasn’t translated out of Latin into English until the mid 1400s. Kinda hard to refute the church if you can’t reference the scriptures.
Also: all those altar images and stained glass windows that iconoclasts hated so much? They had the express purpose of teaching illiterate laypeople the Bible stories
Well people were not educated enough to have critical thinking or any alternative to compare with. The church was the main guidance in life, they feared the overlords and just had to work without any protections to survive, and just hope for the best.
It’s more a dig at how obscene the Catholic Church was (and is) in terms of wealth and still twisting people’s arms with hell to give their money (implied).
Like, Jesus doesn’t need that tricked out, jewel-studded golden version of his murder method. What’re y’all on about!?
Actually this is not good history and not a good use of history. If we care for truth and critical thinking skills please, not these tired false stereotypes
The irony there is, during the dark ages, there was still a commons for farming and enjoying. Enclosure came later. Aside from the stench and the plagues, it wasn't as dark as we were taught.
Obscurantism is like Cancer, if you don't uproot it completely, it returns to fester society once more. I always said that Anti-Vaccination Zealots and Flat-Earth Goonies were the precursors of what happens now. Now, history proves me right, once more.
Organized Religion has a spectacular track record of murder, torture, slavery and genocide. Stay at home , or gather in churches ,and pray , commune with others and worship your God. Governance has to be secular to be humane.
As I recall, WWI (over 15 million dead over 4 years) and WWII (estimated between 70 and 85 million people killed over 6 years) both happened in the more recent dark ages: the 20th century. We could add other wars, politically induced famines, torture and disappeared people in various countries...
And how much is this trip costing?? Super Bowl $20 million, nascar $5 million, golf trips every weekend $3.7 million. Not very efficient and adding to the national debt. He must be the most expensive president in history. Can we get a refund??
Here's just one well-documented and cross-referenced example. In many ways more *actually* rich than today's wealthy, as it was more due to physical, materials assets.
Got any evidence for your statement other than "I know you are"?
They had plenty of personal wealth - Mansa Musa (the guy above) gave away so much of his own gold when on pilgrimage that he destabilised the value of it. His *personal* wealth defies modern calculation.
Plenty of other examples of very, very rich people pre-capitalism (C16th).
Not just the Dark Ages. The Inquisition from the Catholic Church lasted for centuries. During the Spanish Inquisition, a person was not told the charges against them, had no lawyers, & was tortured until they came up with what the church wanted.
#BigTruth: 1. There is currently no functioning #oppositionparty in America. 🔵🐀🔵 #ShumerDemocrats, #VichDemocrats & the #DNC are NOT #opposition; they're #fascism #enablers.
2. #Anticorporate activists have NO federal home in the Democratic Party except in a few #HOR districts.
Dark Ages? How about the Age of Colonial Empires, conquistadors and priests offering a convert or die choice to people who couldn't even speak their language? When did that stop, 1900?
India saw most advancements in math, astronomy and metallurgy. China developed the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing. So yes a very eurocentric view because they didnt experience the dark ages like Europe did.
The existence of the "Dark Ages" and this infamous chart in particular are considered very ahistorical. There's plenty of awful stuff going on right now, but it's not really the same awful stuff that happened in any one era of history.
One of the main reasons there is a lack of written sources during the Dark Ages is because everything fucking sucked all the time and everyone was fighting everyone else. When they would win, the victors would then burn down the town, destroying any written records.
And that’s if there were any written records at all because the only way people could learn to read and write was through the church or being really rich. So yeah, it’s technically called the Dark Ages because of a lack of sources, but stop and think about why there aren’t many sources from then.
Religions are Evil. They were created as a way to control people and to create hate in the World. If only people would learn that being a Spiritual person like Jesus was is better than following any of the fake b.s. evil Religions created by man.
The best time to invest in Bitcoin was yesterday; the second-best time is today. Hit me up to get educated and earn from crypto on a daily basis https://t.me/WatersAbove_Crypto
Then: But but those town gatherings when we go to watch people suffer was so much fun!!! I love the draw-and-quarter the best! And a burning witch! The best!
Me: don’t worry, it’ll come back. Just wait a couple of centuries for people to forget the horror. They’ll find someone to hate again.
HEY! I don’t know about you, but I had plans 🗒️🖋️, projects I was going to work on this new year. Saving democracy 🇺🇸 was not on my agenda! But here we are. So, let’s get to it. You in?
That period is now called the Dark Ages because of the relative scarcity of documentary evidence we can use to understand it, not because it was worse that what came before or after
I loathe this graphic. The Dark Ages refers only to the period immediately following the fall of the Roman Empire. It was so called b/c literacy was basically nil (in W Europe). P much the only writing going on was in monasteries, which is the only reason we have any records from this time period.
I'm not sure the comparison is inaccurate, given we're seeing attacks on education, reduction of truth as a basis for anything, and deliberate removal of all online information that conflicts with The Narrative. Is there a bird flu outbreak? No records. Are people dying of disease? No records.
We're not gonna get the Dark Ages again, but it'll be because of thousands of backups of Internet Archive and similar. We have better tools to fight it this time around, and they're trying to start the darkening with a more educated populace.
Definitely not arguing that they're trying; we'd be better off w/o a lot of religions.
Just saying that, this time, we've made information resilient. Nobody will ever burn the digital equivalent of the Library of Alexandria, because there exist a thousand copies in obscure places across the planet.
includes stoning , burning at the stake , and most medieval torture methods .
one thing stands out in history was Vlad the Impaler was christian until his mother and father were killed during a war .
It was called the Dark Ages because they didn't know much about it, and now that we do, it's no longer called that. Innovation and preservation of knowledge in that period, at least in Europe, was largely done by the Church.
I think it’s specifically Christian Nationalist not really affiliated with Christians the religion. Much more concerned with race. The documentary God + Country that explains how we got here.
Yeah I was going to write something to this effect, that the term "Dark Ages" are an outdated and inaccurate historical term, but I generally agree with the sentiment opposing a kind of return to feudalism with a technocrat spin. I worry that that kind of nit-picking might be unproductive for me lol
It sucks to see people fight against powers that wield terrible disinformation with their own (albeit unintentional) misinformation. It's like when people use AI images to protest-- I'm of the mind that that just obfuscates the truth more, when a commitment to truth is what we need
Also, incapacity to seek or find nuance, coupled with refusal to adopt new beliefs to accommodate new information if it smacks as too complex or demanding too much rigor is HOW WE GOT HERE. This is a riff on the same thing that makes people think Trump is his character from the Apprentice.
This is how I feel every time I see one of those red white and blue hammer and sickle posts attacking Trump-- I get the intent is to highlight the authoritarianism of his actions, but it smacks of McCarthyist propaganda
This is so orientalist. Christianity is not a white religion. It’s white people who stole the religion and turned it into a putrid colonialist cult. Go after the whites.
As a Christian who is absolutely appalled by this cult, please don't lump us together. My frustration with them runs as deep as yours. Believe me, I get it.
I blame all US citizens, you are all extremely individualistic, it's part of the culture. The appalling things that Trump is doing and you haven't got yourself arrested at a protest yet? He's aiding the murder of children in Gaza and Ukraine, deliberately giving African babies AIDS, and fucking you.
You also seem to think that protesting is going to change something. Trump doesn't care about people protesting, he's totally ignoring them, because unless and until they're carrying pitchforks and guillotines, they don't matter to anything he's doing.
I wish we were 1789 France. I hope we will be.
Umm, seriously??? You're welcome to come here and get arrested... it's literally only a matter of days before he starts having protesters shot... I can't afford that right now, I'm struggling to get the rent for next month....
I get it, but there are huge protests in Georgia (the country not the state), Hungary and Slovakia, which you will never see in the USA, because of the individualism "I got to pay MY rent". You don't have the culture to serve the greater good. Therefore, you are all responsible.
For MOST of the USA joining ONE place for a protest is not a reality. It would mean taking an expensive flight. Most can not afford to. the top 10% of U.S. earners owned almost two-thirds of the total wealth, while the bottom 50% owned only 2.5%. There are protests going ALL over USA. MSM won’t show
Lisa, the Christian zealots were not born again Christians. Born again Christians live by the Golden Rule - "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." Please reserve your copy of "Churches For Sale. Where Have The Christians Gone?--" from https://ArchwayPublishing.com. Please see my Facebook.
America is not going to return to those dark days! America is the land of the free…not the land of racist, corrupt , uneducated, unintelligent, incompetent, lying, evil, sociopathic, narcissistic white men that has an inferiority complex. Trump is not a leader…he’s a LOSER! Everything he touches die
as someone who took a medieval history class, you are wrong. the concept of dark ages is largely seen as innaccurate cover for the renaissance which was far less egalitarian and far more brutal by many metrics.
Sorry. No evidence for "Dark Ages". Yes, bad stuff happened in some locations. Good stuff happened in other locations. In Spain some of the bad stuff was done by religious leaders; in other places it was mostly the civil authorities.
In Europe there are now rich people and atheist/scientific zealots. No more burning on stake, but they can make you lose your job and reputation if your research is too far from mainstream and you have been suspected to be no true believer in most holy evolution.
Is that why those people hate the Muslims so much? If it wasn't for the islamic world so much knowledge would have been lost and maybe the way back to enlightenment
If you ask them if Arabic numerals should be taught to their kids in schools, they said absolutely not... lol...
I've never met or heard from a republican who didn't eat paste and crayons through elementary school and flunk out of high school... even the rich ones are morons...
Evangelism is a scam that hides behind freedom of religion. They've grown so rich it's no longer enough. Now they want power, too. Greed knows no bounds.
It's time to expose the racket. No cult should ever be allowed to grow this big again.
I think it bears mentioning that suppression of religion is literally a fascist tactic, and religious freedom is supposed to be for everyone, not just people you don’t agree with.
I’m pretty sure they’re not using Islam or Shintoism as an excuse to subjugate and oppress people. You’re conflating religion with religious fundamentalism, which is reductivist and also quite frankly fucking stupid
How about instead of sitting here trying to go to bat for religions im not interested in against someone who made a throw away comment. why don't you go and argue with OP?
Or did my trans flag make you think I was easy pickins?? You're obviously just looking to argue for the sake of it.
Not into it
Imagine getting upset because I don't like religious people as a queer person. But sure go ahead and defend the most oppressive organizations of queer people and call me stupid over and over again.
I'm with the Bears on this one. And They are telling me to ignore you
But then we would revolt. Now we sit around with worthless degrees and debt and no jobs, but the state still profit off use. 5yrs is wanted with masters for entry level and now one cries foul. Then we support other nations with a stipend while or Vets, domestic abuse cases, mental illness ^
Comments
To be honest, technofascism and AI driven mass propaganda with climate change ?
It will get worse than everything we ever knew.
JOIN THE PROTEST SATURDAY, APRIL 5. Click the link and find a protest near you or organize one.
You see what’s happening in all them red states???
Women Warriors Rise Up!🗡️🗡️🗡️
And yeah, secular government rarely invested in popular education (but there were educated people at many courts and the first universities were founded in the medieval period)
Also: all those altar images and stained glass windows that iconoclasts hated so much? They had the express purpose of teaching illiterate laypeople the Bible stories
Like, Jesus doesn’t need that tricked out, jewel-studded golden version of his murder method. What’re y’all on about!?
Bigliest you’ve ever seen
😵💫
#ChristopherHitchens
It would suck if so many people went to protest Orange Turd in your turf
Or bring out signs that say "F*ck Trump"
That would just be soooo sad 🤷♀️🚨
Got any evidence for your statement other than "I know you are"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa_Musa
Plenty of other examples of very, very rich people pre-capitalism (C16th).
https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Inquisitors-Manual-History-Terror/dp/0061732761
Because we know how dark it can get and yet we’re going there again
2. #Anticorporate activists have NO federal home in the Democratic Party except in a few #HOR districts.
TBC
#resistance
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is martialing the power
to bring back the Dark Ages.
#DarkAges
#DarkEnlightenment
And XXI is going same way as the last two...
https://t.me/WatersAbove_Crypto
Me: don’t worry, it’ll come back. Just wait a couple of centuries for people to forget the horror. They’ll find someone to hate again.
God Bless you
I AM Praying RIGHT NOW
Jewell
https://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/jews-in-the-media-hollywood/
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
@americansunited.bsky.social
Freedom From Religion Foundation
@ffrfaction.bsky.social
American Civil Liberties Union
@aclu.org
Please consider joining and/or donating.
Fighting our own battles here
But I do get the sentiment
Globally religions have ensured the masses remain uneducated
Just saying that, this time, we've made information resilient. Nobody will ever burn the digital equivalent of the Library of Alexandria, because there exist a thousand copies in obscure places across the planet.
one thing stands out in history was Vlad the Impaler was christian until his mother and father were killed during a war .
Coming Soon: Heretic Bonfires
Coming Soon: Heritic Bonfires
It got so bad, White Europeans fled it to find sanctuary on Brown continents.
Since then it's being spread to the rest of the world.
I wish we were 1789 France. I hope we will be.
This time AI will be the enforcer, for absolute monarchs.
The Dark Ages was all about Vikings, Hungarians and Saracens looting stuff and enslaving people, while the Carolingians battled each others.
It’s a meme
I've never met or heard from a republican who didn't eat paste and crayons through elementary school and flunk out of high school... even the rich ones are morons...
It's time to expose the racket. No cult should ever be allowed to grow this big again.
I’m an atheist, btw.
Or did my trans flag make you think I was easy pickins?? You're obviously just looking to argue for the sake of it.
Not into it
I'm with the Bears on this one. And They are telling me to ignore you