Christianity: The Growing Years
An analysis by Shawn Snow RLO (Real Life Observer)
Ok, first off, this is only my opinion, and just my current one at that, so don’t take it too seriously. I do not have a PhD in theology or any other academic credentials to qualify me to make these statements, nor do I spend a great deal of time or have a lot of experience studying different religious faiths and their interaction with one another. I simply offer my own personal observations and invite people to accept or reject my conclusions at their own discretion.
I would like to suggest a possible reason for the tendency of Christianity to reject or villainize (demonize) other faiths, and, in some cases, even other denominations within Christianity itself. I would like to do this by comparing the Christian faith to a person.
First, we have the beginnings of Christianity, in the days of its founder, one Jesus of Nazareth. In this time it was like an infant. Cute, loveable, and willing to give it’s love to all unconditionally. It is almost regrettable that the faith couldn’t remain in this stage indefinitely, but all things must mature, including religious beliefs.
Then we have the short time after the crucifixion. Christianity was like a toddler, taking it’s first steps, adapting to the big new world that has suddenly opened up to it, and basically learning to be an individual, separate from those around it.
Third, we have the dark ages, the “terrible twos,” “terrifying threes,” “fearsome fours,” and all the other stages of childhood where the concept of me, me, me, becomes central to the makeup of the child. This was the stage when Christianity decided that anything which might take people away from the church was a threat, the equivalent of a small child throwing a temper tantrum when people decided to pay attention to another child, followed by the later childhood where the “younger sibling” decided to get it’s older siblings (other religions) in trouble by making up stories.
Finally comes the most recent stage, the ‘tween to teen stage, (from the end of the dark ages to now) where the now teenage child slowly decides that even though all the other siblings are idiots, they have to be tolerated. This is the stage when the younger sibling (Christianity) can’t understand why others don’t understand that “everything would be a lot better if people would just do things my way.” Like all adolescents, Christianity thinks it’s way is the best and really the only right way, while the adults (Pagans, Wiccans, Buddhists, etc.) just stand around and hope this stage passes quickly.
In conclusion, I feel that Christianity acts the way it does towards other faiths because it is simply to young and immature to realize that it’s way is not the “one and only true way,” and that others ideas are just as valid. Maybe in another few hundred years this maturity will come, and we can start getting ready to deal with the next one, whomever that may be.