A Distortion of History

Spokesmen of the Christian Right, including Robert Knight who I referenced in a prior post, like to parrot as one of their anti-gay talking points that “every society that has embraced homosexuality has fallen.” Without specifically naming Classical Greece and Rome, obviously these societies are among the societies the Christianists have in mind. Of course the reality, when one actually knows history, is far different. Classical Greece fell to the superior military power of Alexander the Great of Macedon, who adopted Greek culture and whose empire went on to be the basis for Hellenistic culture that survived for centuries. In the case of Rome, the fall had nothing to do with homosexuality. Here’s a brief overview of why Rome really fell:

Fall of Western Roman Empire: Too disorganized to stop invasions; City of Rome's population dropped from 1 million to 20,000; 455 AD - Gaiseric led Vandals, sacked Rome; Germans fought each other for territory; Visigoths controlled Spain; Vandals controlled North Africa; Ostrogoths controlled Italy; Saxons controlled Britannia; Romulus Augustus - last emperor; 14 years old; deposed in 476 by German General Odoacer, signaling the fall of Western Empire

Byzantine (Eastern) Empire - flourished while Western Empire Fell: The
Eastern empire ruled from Constantinople; saw selves as heirs to Augustus' power; preserved Greek/Roman culture until 1453 fall to the Ottoman Empire

Causes of fall of the Western Empire:
**Political - no longer an honor to be emperor, military interferences in politics, civil war and unrest, division of empire, capital moved to Byzantine

**Social - lack of political interest, low confidence in empire, lack of patriotism, contrast between rich/poor
**Economic - poor harvests, trade disruption, no war plunder, less gold/silver, inflation, tax burden, widening gap between rich/poor
**Military - threat from N European tries, low defense funds, non-romans being recruited into the army, lack of patriotism; pressure from Huns, German/Hun invasion, sack of Rome, conquest by the invaders.

Thus, the Greek and Roman culture prevailed from Classical Greece, beginning in about 500 B.C. to the fall of Byzantium in 1453 A. D. Meanwhile, the USA has existed for a mere 231 years. Just another example of how lack of education and a knowledge of history are the Christianists' best allies.