Definitions HQ

Christendom (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a signpost: seeing at the start of a journey that this road leads to your destination does not mean you have arrived.

Christendom (n.) confuses ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠both loves: poets relax passion into loving many times, Christians relax eternity into thinking that loving a great deal is Christian love — and what results is neither.

Christendom (n.) contains ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no “world” at all if every baptized man is a Christian — as proved by the lists of the sexton and the police superintendent.

Christendom (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in its secular form, always dead against: where Christianity wants inwardness it wants the external, and where Christianity wants the external, it wants inwardness.

Christendom (n.) made ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠Christian by removing the offense is now offended at the real Christian — not enough to kill him, only to mock him: worse confusion than the first persecutions, which at least had meaning.

Christendom (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠so far behind that one must begin with paganism: begin straight with orthodoxy and people say "that isn't for us" and go on the defensive.

Christendom (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its own heathen, sunk deeper than those abroad: these were never lifted up, those were lifted and fell again, further.

Christendom (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠mocked most briefly by quoting Peter to its worldly Christians: "Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee." It fits them perfectly.

Christendom (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the preacher cry like a navigator in a starless storm, "Great God, where are we?": so many baptized, confirmed, as many Christians as inhabitants, and what does that settle?

Christendom (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠it far easier to become a Christian, or at any rate far easier to fool oneself into living one's whole life in that conceit.

Christendom (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the believer more a stranger than he would be among heathen: another people's indifference to a faith not theirs is natural, but those who claim the same faith being indifferent to it is strange.

Christendom (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a monstrous illusion: the belief that in a land like ours everyone is, of course, a Christian of a sort.

Christendom (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠where even those who say there is no God are Christians — recognized by the State, buried by the Church, certified for eternity.

Christendom (n.) turns ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠becoming a Christian into a problem of reflection: how to become one when one is already a Christian of a sort.

Christendom (n.) established ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is a caricature of true Christianity: masses of misunderstanding and illusion mixed with a sparing little dose of the real thing.

Christendom (n.) commits ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its original sin by slowly trying to trick God out of his rights as owner of Christianity, as if the human race had invented it.