If you're not Muslim you tend to group all the sects together, if you're not Jewish you look at them as one. If you're not Christian you group them together. If you're none of the above they all look quite similar. Same foundational books and prophets, same basic beliefs, same debates over history.
same debates over history.
By which I mean that they have gone through very similar intellectual developments at different times in history.
1) It is the religion of the underclass (unlike any other ancient religion, it needed 200 years to become "established" - it was not a religion of the ruling upper class) - this has dogmatic consequences till today - it is not a state religion like Islam, or Judaism, Buddism or Hinduism which all originated within the ruling classes of the society they came from.
2)As much as sacrificial traditions are common in other religions, however twisted you think the death and resurrection story is, it is unique in its interpretation as death for others, so they don;t have to die. (at least as far as I know)
Therefore there remains an uneasy tension between the ruling classes and Christianity, due to this background.
I am not making a value judgement here - i am simply pointing out a difference that is often overlooked, by equating Christians with the ruling class.
It has major consequences for example for the question of separation of Church and State - or living in a society that has different set of laws.
Ad two - I have to look into soteriology again - it is so long ago...
No wonder evangelical groups are having a field day proselitizing in Latin America. Catholicism has failed the downtrodden masses. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
in 1817 the then Prussian King was a Calvinist who wanted to have Eucharist with his Lutheran wife(or the other way round), but could not - their churches did not allow that, so he drafted a confessional and set up the Prussian Union. a not very successful amalgamation of Lutheranism and reform traditions.
Basic democratically all the churches in Prussia had to vote in their synods to introduce the mainly liturgical changes in their churches which took a couple of decades, but at least the king could have his Eucharist. So all the churches that are on the territory of the former Prussia are nominally United. But some are still more Lutheran.
The only "important" United Theologians are Schleimacher and Juengle in this century
(Not until the Leuenberger Concordie in 1973 did Reformed, and Lutherans share Eucharist)
In this respect Luther was a true spiritual leader, as he advocated that the faithful actually read the Bible (so it should be translated) and that services be carried out in the vernacular. guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
Maybe you could give an example of what you mean by "an uneasy tension between the ruling classes and Christianity?"
Is the easiest answer.
Quakerism, Amish . probably more but have to think about it.
We're back to Class Wars...
