AHC/WI Make Christianity formally become a kind of "second ethnic identity" similar to Judaism

[baltur2]

Judaism is not just a religion, but a cultural and ethnic identity. Technically Christianity is too, especially in Europe, but only informally.

What if Christian Churches have actively incorporated this into their theologies and encouraged for the particular denomination of their brethren to become a kind of "second citizenship" for their flock.

For example one is not simply "Polish", but "Polish Catholic".
A Polish person converting to Orthodoxy would be considered so strange as one taking up Ukrainian or Russian citizenship, or an Israeli Jew converting to Christianity.


Another similarity to Judaism could be that Christian churches organize their flock by how orthodoxily religious they are. These levels could be found across most mainstream denominations.
For example there could be these degrees of religiousity formally recognized:

-Orthodox Christianity (not the same thing as what the term in OTL means): Christians who obey every dogma of the Vatican/Luther/Calvin

-Conservative Christianity: Christians who believe in God and obey most important commandments, but not others, similar to most Central/Eastern European Christians

-Reform Christianity: Doesn't even require belief in God, just identifying as a Christian and supporting your Church, similar to Belgian and Danish Christians

What changes would need to occur in Christianity to have the religion gradually become like this, and have this recognized formally?

 

[A Most Sovereign Lady]

Being Culturally Christian and not religiously Christian is already a thing.

 

[BenC]

Protestantism and Catholicism basically amount to ethnic identities in Northern Ireland and Scotland, used to be the case in England too.

 

[Anarch King of Dipsodes]

"Christian" is not an ethnic identity; however, some ethnicities identify with certain Christian denominations.

For Christianity to parallel Judaism, it could not be a converting and proselytizing religion.

 

[Analytical Engine]

For Christianity to parallel Judaism, it could not be a converting and proselytizing religion.

So, basically, the Christianity of St. James, brother of Jesus, not of St. Paul.

Which means that it probably ends up as a strange Jewish sect.

 

[Petros >Peter Fergus<]

A couple of options -

Christian Jews doesn't become larger than non-Christian Jews after the split over whether Jesus is the Messiah, and they never accept gentiles, so it remains linked to the ethnicity of the first century Hebrews. If this side of the schism is a bit larger, non-Christian Jews could be considered the strange Jewish sect.


One branch of Christianity somewhere in the world could be linked strongly to one ethnic group, more strongly than with Greek or Russian Orthodox, or the Anglicans in England.

When Britain was mostly pagan but Ireland and Scotland were rapidly Christianizing, outside of close contact with other Christian populations, it might have become linked to the Celtic ethnicity. The Church centered around Iona doesn't enter into communion with the Church of Rome, but continues on it's own course. Then if the rest of Britain is converted from the south up to Catholicism, and the two begin to define themselves in opposition to each other. This strengthens the ethnic connection on the Celtic Church side, and they could gain members from Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. Then later, if they survive and remain influential, converts from Anglo-Saxon areas could have to prove their British ancestry to join.

 

[Jürgen]

Plenty of a Christian are ethnic Christians, if we look at Yugoslavs, the main difference between Croats, Bosnians and Serbs/Montenegrins is religion. The Armenians are also pretty much a ethnic group bound together by religion.

 

[Superninja76]

Have judaism and christianity blend together instead of splitting off and taking their own routes. Early messianic christianity, anyone?

 

[Ultima Ratio]

Have all the Jews convert... and noone else.

 

[Lampiao]

For example one is not simply "Polish", but "Polish Catholic".
A Polish person converting to Orthodoxy would be considered so strange as one taking up Ukrainian or Russian citizenship, or an Israeli Jew converting to Christianity.

Maronites, Melkites, Assyrians, Copts, etc.

 

[DracoLazarus]

Why not have Christianity be so intertwined with Romanitas that being Roman and Christian mean the same thing ?

 

[Basileus_Komnenos]

Why not have Christianity be so intertwined with Romanitas that being Roman and Christian mean the same thing ?

I mean Orthodox Christianity was part of the national identity of the Greeks which they used as a rallying point against the Ottomans. The Balkan nations like Serbia and Croatia also saw Orthodox Christianity as part of their national identity. Maybe a surviving Eastern Roman Empire would form a national identity centered around Orthodox Christianity against the Latin Crusaders in the West and the Muslim Turks of the East.

 

[sadurreira]

This is already the case in Lebanon. In Lebanon, you are not simply Lebanese, and religions often act as ethnic groups. This is because of relative isolation from each other in terms of mixing. As a result, there are Lebanese Muslims, Lebanese Melkites, Lebanese Maronites, and they are all considered different ethnic groups due to religion as well as genetic differences due to keeping to themselves.