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Violent inclinations in Christianity are apparent right from the beginning. Jesus is traditionally portrayed as a kind and loving teacher, such that even non-Christians often have an idealized image of him. However, not all of what he reportedly said or did fits within such a characterization - and some of what he did certainly doesn't reflect the better teachings he is supposed to have promoted. For example, he was quite explicit in his condemnation of those who would not follow his teachings, saying to his disciples: "And if any one will not receive you in your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town." (Matt. 10:14-15).
If Jesus and God have so little regard for nonbelievers, why should any of their followers? If Jesus can relegate nonbelievers to an eternity of torment, why should they expect higher standards from his followers here? In fact, nonbelievers did not fare any better after Christianity gained official support from the Roman Empire. Despite having been on the receiving end of persecution for many years, Christians refused to take any moral high ground and quickly proceeded to treat pagans with as much contempt and violence as they previously experienced.
Despite the fact that forgiveness is supposed to be a central aspect of Christian theology, Jesus was clear that not everyone could be forgiven: "...whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness and is guilty of an eternal sin." (Mark 3:29) If someone considers another person to have committed such an act, they would not need to take their feelings very far into account - after all, if Jesus will not forgive that person, why should anyone else? As we will see, Christians certainly did not act in a forgiving manner to the pagans whom they had in their control.
Harsh History
As Christianity developed over time, such attitudes continued to strengthen. Fear was a key ingredient in the theology of many early Christians. Fear of God is promoted in the Bible, and Church Fathers such as Tertullian and St. John Chyrsostom paraded fear as an important virtue; and indeed it was, both to secular as well as church leadership, since it was essential in maintaining order. Promotion of fear continues down to this day, as people like Pat Robertson tell whole cities that they should fear the "wrath of God" for daring to not discriminate against gays. Fear of some sort is always a key ingredient in violence, and Christianity won't be able to eliminate its potential for fostering violence until it can also eliminate the elements of fear which have played a key role since the beginning.
After Christianity gained dominance in the Roman Empire, it became clear that they regarded their God as very authoritarian in nature - and as a result, they proceeded to imitate their God and become exceptionally authoritarian themselves. Controlling society, they ruthlessly exterminated other religious beliefs, with only Judaism being permitted to co-exist with their own One True Faith. The exclusivist ideology which fostered such attitudes has continued on through today, with little alteration.
Pagan religion was first prohibited wholesale in 392 by emperor Theodosius. Heavy financial penalities were enacted, but it was not initially very effective. In Theodosius' code it was written:
We command that those persons who follow this rule shall embrace the name of Catholic Christians. The rest, however, whom We adjudge demented and insane, shall sustain the infamy of heretical dogmas, their meeting places shall not receive the name of churches, and they shall be smitten first by divine vengeance and secondly by the retributions of Our own initiative, which We shall assume in accordance with the divine judgment.
And later, with regards to Pagan buildings:
We command that all their fanes, temples, and shrines, if even now any remain entire, shall be destroyed by the command of the magistrates, and shall be purified by the erection of th sign of the venerable Christian religion.
This resulted in further legislation, culminating in the death penalty for non-Christians in 435. All citizens had to belong to the official "Catholic" Christianity - the only other permitted religion was Judaism, and Jews were isolated as much as possible from the rest of the population. As the geopolitical and military position of the failing Roman Empire gradually deteriorated, people readily turned towards the activity of trying to appease God - a reaction which is not unknown in contemporary society. Between 429 and 439 about 150 different laws were passed defining and defending the "Catholic faith." Church lands became exempt from taxation and bishops became immune to any sort of secular oversight or punishment.
Christianity is traditionally exclusivist in nature - Jesus made it that way, by declaring that no one could go to heaven or spend eternity with God except through him. Accepting this as fact, what possible value could any other religion have? Moreover, the very existence of another religion competing with Christianity on a level playing field threatens many souls with eternal damnation. If you really care about a person's fate, you won't want them to be tempted to follow the Wrong Path. Although this may lead to rather draconian regulations, we should all keep in mind that Jesus never once praised religious pluralism. If he didn't value it, why should anyone else?
Theological support for repression of religious plurality was formally developed by no less a church luminary than Saint Augustine, celebrated Doctor of the Church and Bishop of Hippo. The influence of his ideas upon basic Christian theology is inestimable, and his opinion of "heresies" (from the Greek hairesis or "choice") is unmistakable. As part of his opposition to the Donatist heresies, he developed his doctrine of Cognite intrare, or "compel them to enter" which was used throughout the Middle Ages to justify the suppression of dissent and oppression of difference. In his own words, Augustine stated:
The wounds of a friend are better than the kisses of an enemy. To love with sternness is better than to deceive with gentleness... In Luke 14:23 it is written: 'Compel people to come in!' By threats of the wrath of God, the Father draws souls to the Son.
We see here perhaps the first Christian formulation of how "love" justifies violence and persecution. When you genuinely believe in the horror called Hell by Christians, it becomes easy to create mini-hells here on earth. When you believe in a God capable of creating torment for all of eternity, what is a short-lived torment here on earth designed to save people from Hell? With friends like Augustine and his ilk, people certainly have no need for enemies.
Sources
- Helen Ellerbe, The Dark Side of Christian History.
- James A. Haught, Holy Horrors.
- J.N. Hillgarth, Christianity and Paganism, 350-750.
- Malcolm Lambert, Medieval Heresy.
- Edward Peters, Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe.
- R. Dean Peterson, A Concise History of Christianity.
