Unconventional Religion

[genkaus]

One of the greatest grievances against religion is that it is used by the powerful to keep the masses in line.

No, the greatest grievance would be that its a pile of bullshit. Close after that is that it peddles more bullshit. The whole "keeping masses in line" is somewhere around number 8 or 9.

Does Christianity fit this description? By Christianity, I mean its early followers, and not the sad imitation of the church that we see today.

Hell yeah.

Oh, you mean your greatest grievance? Yeah, that too.

Christ and his disciples had a thing for being the hipsters of the ancient world.
They lived and died poor.
They willingly suffered public humiliation.
They did not found an independent state, unlike Judaism and Islam.
Their were relatively inclusive with low standards.

As some wise man once said: "Its not the size that matters, but what you can do with it".

Early Christianity might not have had huge masses to control, but its control over the small masses it did have was extrordinary. Just look at what it got those masses to do - live and die poor, willingly suffer public humiliation, live without an independent state, be inclusive with low standards. People don't willingly do that without a great deal of controlling being done.

In the shadow of distorted vision of Christianity born from the Middle Ages, could it be possible that the problem with Christianity lies with Christians themselves?

If so, Christian morality is being misrepresented by Christians.

That makes sense. When something is twisted to begin with, it doesn't take much to distort and misrepresent it.