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...by transforming it into an institutional, hierarchical entity that, above all, served the political goals of the state, the process of institutionalizing and co-opting spiritual practice to serve political ends has been repeated again and again.

Or as Talarico puts it, Constantine was essentially the first Christian Nationalist -- the first to corrupt the teachings by embracing the love of power over the power of love.

IMO, the core of early Christianity -- it's embrace of equality, community, radical sharing, and the notion that people committed to putting selfless love into practice were a revolutionary force for good -- can be difficult to discern in the muck that has been piled on in the doctrines of many Christian denominations.

Not all denominations are Christian Nationalist, but it seems to me that doctrine of "mainstream" denominations tends to be co-opted to serve the interests of those who hold the upper hand at a given point in history, whether it be the subjugation of women to the patriarchy, the exploitation of workers by those with wealth and power, or the oppression of minority ethnic groups to the majority.

There are of course exceptions -- denominations or doctrines that empower the oppressed -- but those seem to get co-opted too as they go "mainstream."

I could, of course, be full of shit. I haven't made a formal study of it.

But, as far as the question of when life begins, it is a matter of religious doctrine -- doctrine shaped by political forces.

For example, in the Catholic Church doctrine against abortion at any stage was one of Pope Pius IX's dictums. In 1869 he issued Apostolicae Sedis, which eliminated the distinction between animated and unanimated fetuses, applying automatic excommunication to abortion at any stage.

Unlike many of the other immoral declarations of Pope Pius IX, this one has not yet been deemed erroneous by later Vatican councils. Pius IX doctrine that has been deemed erroneous includes: No Freedom of Conscience, No Salvation outside the Church, No Rights for Non-Christian Religions, No Respect for Other Christian Churches, No Socialism, and No Condemnation of Slavery

If you are curious, erroneous beliefs which Pope Pius IX tried to impose on the Church compares his teachings to the revised teachings of Vatican II.

And, whatever this or that denomination may assert, it appears that the bible is all over the place on when life begins. For example, in When does life begin? Reckoning with surprising answers in Scripture, Rev. Dr. Dan Brockway examines various bits of scripture. His conclusion:

When it comes to the law, the views of any practitioner of any religion are irrelevant. (And would be irrelevant but for the corruption of SCOTUS). Even though the Reverend's conclusion has no place in a legal discussion, we wouldn't be in such a hellish place if his view was more widespread.

BTW, it always struck me as a little odd that Roe v. Wade was grounded solely in the right to privacy, with no corollary that bans of abortion violate the establishment clause (government favoring one religion's view of when life begins) and the free exercise of religion.