Does the mafia predate Christianity?

I could tell you but I’d have to make you sleep with the fishes.

Assuming you mean the Sicilian Mafia (aka Cosa Nostra), then no. The best historical evidence we have suggests that the Mafia-like activities started in the early and mid-1800s as a result of political and economic upheaval. The passing of feudalism, the rise of a new class of landowners, and the general lack of law enforcement made Sicily ripe for protection racketeering, and various gangs that would eventually become the Mafia took advantage of that opportunity. (See here for more.)

Pontius Pilate on judging Jesus…“arma gonna crucify tha sonofabitch already, get outta ere”

@ucme Exactly.

Well the concept of organized crime does, but the mafia specifically, denno…what @SavoirFaire said.

@Symbeline Organized crime has probably existed for the same amount of time as criminal law itself—give or take a few minutes.

Dang, what came first, the robbing of bear skins or the Cave Gang of gk’hgtplrtdgh?

Jesus to Judas…“whaddya mean, i’m funny? Funny how, like I amuse you? Funny like a fuckin clown?”

@Symbeline Hey now, don’t fuck around. The Cave Gang of gk’hgtplrtdgh predates everything. And postdates everything, too. It is is ETERNAL!

Oh I know. I do not mock, good sir. I recognize them as even older than the most basic philosophical questions. FUCK the chicken or the egg, gk’hgtplrtdgh forever!

All hail gk’hgtplrtdgh.

I’m pretty sure we just started our own mafia. Or more likely, our own cult.

Cult, I’d say. So how do we pay homage to bones, blood and Sun? Something new and revolutionary, like creating some new kind of rudimentary siege engine that shoots wolves brandishing blunt weaponry?
Or are we going more traditional, and dance naked in the full Moon, covered in the blood of all the people we killed for their bear skins? after they refused to pay us for providing them with poached mammoth tusks

There’s nothing that says we can’t do both. But I suggest we find a secret place to talk about it. No point in having a cult if we let the normals in on all of our secrets.