Is Christianity unique or not?

[Angrboda]

I'm not sure what the question is. I haven't read the article and so am relying on the earlier poster's representation of it, so there is that. But I can imagine what it likely says. Is Christianity unique? Yes. Of course it is. Even syncretisms are unique in the way they blend prior elements into a new whole. Is that to say that Christianity is "merely" a recombination of prior elements? I'm not entirely sure how the word 'merely' functions in that sentence. Even combinations of pre-existing elements can be original in their unique expression of those elements. Do I believe there are no original elements to Christianity? That I rather doubt. There are at least some things that are new, or, at least, renewed by their incorporation into Christianity. As expressed in a previous thread, I consider most movements and inventions to be more products of their times rather than the creators of them, and I imagine in that sense, Christianity is likewise more of an effect than a cause. To be explicit, I don't believe in the divine and that shapes the interpretations available to me. So was Christianity unique? Sure, as much as any prior movement, I suppose. Was Christianity strikingly original and a major influence on society? I rather doubt it. At worst, Christianity is just that movement which held the winning lottery ticket. Is Christianity unremarkable because of that? In some ways yes, in other ways, no. I have no doubt that there had to be "a Christianity" of some sort, and that this movement would be partly syncretic and partly original -- is that remarkable? Not in general, no. Was the unique entrance of Christianity into society and its effects upon it remarkable? Of course! So one can go either way. I suspect that people who ask such questions, whether the author of the article cited, or the originator of this thread, have specific, more or less rhetorical questions in mind. I don't see that we've succeeded in drilling down to a meaningful question, rhetorical or otherwise.