Why Christianity became the superpower religion it did is quite debatable. But it probably wasn’t through all that much violence. The violence happened later.
Isn’t their secret sauce that you’re obliged to proselytize, otherwise the souls of the filthy heretics will be unsaved and will burn forever in your fantasy fire world?
It’s a religion that aggressively displaces other religions.
According to the article I linked, it seems to be due, in part, to aggressive proselytizing. But also possibly due to (in no particular order): Christians having more pro-social values than alternative belief systems at the time, those pro-social values resulting in better plague survivability, or their pro-natalist stances. There are all sorts of possibilities, and it is quite interesting. But Christians before the time of Christian Rome were certainly not out conquoring other people - at least not at scale. They weren’t that powerful.
But Christians before the time of Christian Rome were certainly not out conquoring other people
so… all of like, three hundred years of their history? maybe closer to 250. Around the time of Constantine’s conversion, Christians were estimated at about 10% of the roman empire- mostly centered around Antioch and in Egypt. the Edict of Milan made it legal to be a christian in 313, following his conversion in 312.
At that point, Christians were able to find themselves increasingly in government leadership roles, until we bet to 380, when Theodosius I issued the Edict of Thessalonica, essentially mandated that all christians be catholic (specifically, adhere to the nicene orthodoxy.) leading to the consolidation of political power to what we would now call the catholic church.
Why Christianity became the superpower religion it did is quite debatable. But it probably wasn’t through all that much violence. The violence happened later.
Isn’t their secret sauce that you’re obliged to proselytize, otherwise the souls of the filthy heretics will be unsaved and will burn forever in your fantasy fire world?
It’s a religion that aggressively displaces other religions.
Sure, but other religions do this too?
According to the article I linked, it seems to be due, in part, to aggressive proselytizing. But also possibly due to (in no particular order): Christians having more pro-social values than alternative belief systems at the time, those pro-social values resulting in better plague survivability, or their pro-natalist stances. There are all sorts of possibilities, and it is quite interesting. But Christians before the time of Christian Rome were certainly not out conquoring other people - at least not at scale. They weren’t that powerful.
so… all of like, three hundred years of their history? maybe closer to 250. Around the time of Constantine’s conversion, Christians were estimated at about 10% of the roman empire- mostly centered around Antioch and in Egypt. the Edict of Milan made it legal to be a christian in 313, following his conversion in 312.
At that point, Christians were able to find themselves increasingly in government leadership roles, until we bet to 380, when Theodosius I issued the Edict of Thessalonica, essentially mandated that all christians be catholic (specifically, adhere to the nicene orthodoxy.) leading to the consolidation of political power to what we would now call the catholic church.
Christianity is as big as it is because it is the truth.
It’s about on par with Islam. So which one is the actual truth?
-Islam.
That’s a crusade’n.
“My parents couldn’t be wrong about cosmology, no way.”