Short answer: no.
Long answer: no, and they didn’t function that well in pluralistic Roman society, either.
Many of the qualities of high-control Christianity–spiritual warfare, fascistic tendencies, the desire to bring on the end times through war in the Middle East, Christian persecution complex, refusal to follow societal norms, demons–were there at the beginning, date to very specific times in the Church’s early history, and threatened Roman society in a way surprisingly similar to how they’re threatening ours now.
Join us as we attempt to chart the connection between the religious nonsense we’re all being tortured with today and its deepest roots in history–with Brad Onishi, scholar of religion, author and co-host of the podcast Straight White American Jesus. Get the show notes here.
