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If you look at history, the original Christians of the first century were like sheep led to the slaughter during the persecution by Rome and others. They lived by these words and Christianity perservered.
By the fourth century AD, Christianity became the official religion of Rome. Rome was not the official secular of Christianity. Rome was the overdog. The Christian church changes, more in the image of Rome. The mass was spoken in Latin and even Pagan festivals were added. The new Church did like Christ had said; it rendered onto both God and Ceasar, with the Caesar aspect of the church tough, ceremonial, powerful, empire, senate (college of Cardinals), wealthy, cruel, rational, artistic, scholarly, etc.
By about 1500 AD the composite Caesar-God church, like a cell preparing to divide, began to separate the secular from the Christian. Germany which led the birthing pains, later spawns the Emperor Hitler. The German goose step and salute was used by Rome. Hail Caesar. Little by little secular factions leave the church, allowing it to approach true spirit of Christianity.
Rome went from killing people because they were Christian to killing people because they were not Christian. Not killing people over which religions they do or do not belong to is still something that people apparently can't figure out. Christianity never made a dent in this trend, it just changed who was being killed.
I think the main message of Christianity is "Don't be a dick". It's supposed to be a religion based on love and acceptance of people for who they are, forgoing judgement (leaving it to god) and accepting all humans with open arms.
That's the message of pretty much every religion, and of secular humanists. Why we needed to spend thousands of years at war with each other (and still do) because we can't agree on who told us not to be dicks or who will or won't punish us for being dicks is beyond me. How about we just stop being dicks?
I did the same. Baptized, raised, confirmed Catholic. I'd say it's more "don't be a dick ... unless we interpret the Bible in a way that says a group is wrong.
It was the same in my Jewish upbringing, too. Except it was more "don't be a dick... but really it's only to prove that we're better than everyone." How about we just keep the "don't be a dick" part and actually do it en masse for the first time in human history? No one has ever tried it before.