| − | '''''The Two Babylons''''', subtitled ''The Papal Worship Proved to Be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife'', is a famous [[treatise]] written by a [[Presbyterian|Scottish Presbyterian]] minister, the Reverend [[Alexander Hislop]], first printed in 1853 as a pamphlet and greatly expanded in 1858. | + | '''''The Two Babylons''''', subtitled ''The Papal Worship Proved to Be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife'', is a famous [[treatise]] written by a [[Presbyterian|Scottish Presbyterian]] minister, the Reverend [[Alexander Hislop]], first printed in 1853 as a pamphlet and greatly expanded in 1858. ''The Two Babylons'' was first published as a book in 1916. The full title is ''The Two Babylons or The Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife''. |
| | The author claims that the [[Catholic Church]], with its [[Pope]]s and [[Sacrament]]s was founded by the Roman Emperor [[Constantine]] in A.D. 325 as a blend of [[paganism]] and [[Christianity]]. He says the cross is a [[Paganism|Pagan]] symbol, that it "was the unequivocal symbol of Bacchus", and "This Pagan symbol seems first to have crept into the Christian Church in Egypt, and generally into Africa."<ref>[https://www.cbcg.org/twobaby/sect56.html The Two Babylons Alexander Hislop - Chapter V, Section VI The Sign of the Cross], third and fifth paragraphs.</ref> The book became widely circulated as being a reliable refutation of the Catholic religion. Hislop presented Catholicism as the [[Whore of Babylon]], and this argument has been taken up by mostly conservative [[Evangelical Christians|Evangelical Protestants]] such as the [[Reformed Churches]], [[Baptist]]s, the [[Church of Christ]], [[Herbert W. Armstrong]] and his [[Worldwide Church of God]], and the [[King James Only|King James Only movement]]. In the 20th century it has been promoted mainly by [[Fundamentalism|Christian Fundamentalists]], and has been a standard source for children's and adult [[Sunday School]] education, and its arguments have been widely promulgated in publications, religious dictionaries and encyclopedias, and [[comic book]]s, and most recently on a multitude of popular [[internet]] sites. It has influenced countless multitudes of Christians and non-Christians, and has been a source (but not the only source) of [[polemic]]al invective against Catholics, particularly against those involved in [[government]] and [[politics]]. For more than a century (1853-1955) it was among the top best-sellers in England and America, and is still being published. | | The author claims that the [[Catholic Church]], with its [[Pope]]s and [[Sacrament]]s was founded by the Roman Emperor [[Constantine]] in A.D. 325 as a blend of [[paganism]] and [[Christianity]]. He says the cross is a [[Paganism|Pagan]] symbol, that it "was the unequivocal symbol of Bacchus", and "This Pagan symbol seems first to have crept into the Christian Church in Egypt, and generally into Africa."<ref>[https://www.cbcg.org/twobaby/sect56.html The Two Babylons Alexander Hislop - Chapter V, Section VI The Sign of the Cross], third and fifth paragraphs.</ref> The book became widely circulated as being a reliable refutation of the Catholic religion. Hislop presented Catholicism as the [[Whore of Babylon]], and this argument has been taken up by mostly conservative [[Evangelical Christians|Evangelical Protestants]] such as the [[Reformed Churches]], [[Baptist]]s, the [[Church of Christ]], [[Herbert W. Armstrong]] and his [[Worldwide Church of God]], and the [[King James Only|King James Only movement]]. In the 20th century it has been promoted mainly by [[Fundamentalism|Christian Fundamentalists]], and has been a standard source for children's and adult [[Sunday School]] education, and its arguments have been widely promulgated in publications, religious dictionaries and encyclopedias, and [[comic book]]s, and most recently on a multitude of popular [[internet]] sites. It has influenced countless multitudes of Christians and non-Christians, and has been a source (but not the only source) of [[polemic]]al invective against Catholics, particularly against those involved in [[government]] and [[politics]]. For more than a century (1853-1955) it was among the top best-sellers in England and America, and is still being published. |