Hi Skiguy,

Quote Originally Posted by skiguy View Post
The 'problem' with Christians is there are so many different interpretations out there. Muslims seem a little more united in their belief system, and I find that interesting. Marc says Christians make up 85-86% of the population. I don't doubt that, but how many are Catholics or JW's or Mormons, etc? I have vast differences with those three I mentioned.
JMO.
That was why I used the phrase "Christianity (very broadly construed)" . I think you are correct in saying that Christianity is somewhat more divided that Islam but, then again, Christianity is a lot older than Islam and developed in a very different social environment. In particular, there was no equivalent of the expropriation of Christianity as a state religion during the Tetrarchy (Constantine and his buds), so you don't have the same history of state enforced definition of orthodoxy (and orthopraxy) in Islam that you do in Christianity.

One of the more fascinating things about Islam is its concentration on the "community" (as opposed to the state), and I believe that this is one of the mechanisms that has allowed Islam to develop conflicting interpretations without getting into the heresy model that plagued Christianity. It is quite possible for one Muslim to hold a position that is diametrically opposed to another Muslim without viewing the other as a heretic - a major strength IMO.