I suppose my question is what actually happens when a church(s) says no because they lost out on dictating "correct" orthodoxy or their dicks or they prefer a seat of religion closer to home. What does "condem" them mean in practice.
Are we talking sternly worded essays or people being ostracized for religious beliefs?
I didn't say "condemn", I said "proscribe":
a dooming to death or exile; outlawry; specifically, among the ancient Romans, the public offer of a reward for the head of a political enemy.
The era in which this becomes pertinent is not a time for messing around or writing sternly-worded letters. (Although there may, in fact, be some exceedingly
polite letters, which graciously inform the recipient that he may now commit honourable suicide, and thereby avoid the execution of any and all relatives within the seventh degree of consanguinity with his person. That sort of thing.)
This, however, is going more into the nature and... "culture"... of an incipient universal state, rather than specific religious harmonisation policies. Regarding that matter in particular, I'll provide some elaboration below. I do stress that (as I'll detail further on) a broad tendency (and a favourable sentiment) towards harmonisation is to be expected during the age in question. While there will be resistance, the crushing of such dissent will -- I expect -- be overwhelmingly popular.
I have no idea how this is expected to work, protestantism is kind of anti-clergy or at least anti-one church hierarchy and they are the most powerful from a military and economic standpoint (unless the US somehow breaks catholic.)
Playing Devil's advocate I could kind of see all the main denominations coming together setting up some universal guidelines for "Christianity" regardless of faith. Ie homosexuality is a sin and any church that says different isn't preaching Christ's teachings for example but leaving the individual churches to govern themselves as they see fit.
Something like that might work but it seems looser than what skallagrim seemed to be suggestion where all the churches unify into one.
I would love to see such a church but it's gonna be a hard sell. It was hard enough keeping Christians united on a single continent now the faith spans the globe.
What is described above is, in practice, actually rather close to what I expect. The key difference, I think, is that I expect it to be more of a formalised process that is guided and... strongly encouraged... by the imperial authorities, and which is rather more formalised than the more organic "come together" kind of thing that Crom's Black Blade outlines. In
practice, that makes no difference. It's the same kind of outcome: even if it's a very formally-structured Universal Church (which it will be!), its actual practices will allow all kind of heterodoxy on the "ground level".
Just... don't dissent from the big important points. Because if you do...
Well. This could of course go in various ways. I could see Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons getting pogrom'd out of existence for not playing along adequately. But at the same time, either or both (or any other fairly "out there" sect or denomination) could make some kind of deal, and get a place in the new hierarchy of things. That's the key to it. If's you've read
Dune, you know that the governing edict of the Empire is "
everything in its place, and a place for every thing". As usual, Frank Herbert cut right down to the essence of such matters. That simple phrase is the core of any universal state.
The universal state emerges from violent anarchy; from civil war, famine and despair. It rises up out of division and danger, and it promises unity and certainty. It gives safety and stability. And unlike more other governments of the preceding age, it generally leaves you alone in the day-to-day. What it expects is that where it
matters... you
get into line. If you make trouble, your existence is
over. When the Principate arises, men will have seen enough trouble for several lifetimes, and they'll want no more of it. At least not domestically. All trouble is now to be externalised into neo-colonialism or new crusades or things of
that nature.
But that strong and popular urge towards unity and harmony will make it so that the government, in most cases, will not have to fight much against dissenters. They'll have been dealt with by their angry neighbours
long before they become a real problem. The main issue, in these times, is dealing with those pre-existing movements that oppose unity and harmony. Political movements will have been exhaused by that time. Literally cut up and burnt up in the civil wars. Potential trouble remains on the religious side. But to cite another example: consider how in 40K, Big E makes a deal with the Mechanicum, and both sides hold up their end.... and don't look at each other's dealings
too closely. I could easily see the Mormons doing something like that, and maintain their own religious hierarchy, while paying lip service to the notion of a more universaled Ecclesiarchy.
This will no doubt be helped along by the fact that there may only be one solution to the issue of the Papacy. And that solution is Ceasaropapism. The Emperor will be the head of the Universal Church. There will no doubt by some wondrously Byzantine structure of synods and bishops and cardinals and patriarchs and all such things... by it will be the shape of a pyramid, with the Emperor at its apex.
An aside, with mentioning because the topic was brought up: there can be little doubt that Christianity extends beyond the boundaries of any Western universal state. The universal Church may be expected to encompass the Empire, but will have limited means to reach beyond it. This means that "other Christianities" will continue to exist outside the Empire. The universal Church will view these as heretics, no doubt. but regardless, they are foreign and alien. They are... "not like
us".
This rather addresses the point
@Poe raised, about spanning the globe. The Empire won't, and neither will its Church. So if large parts of either South America or Africa remain outside the Empire (and I believe that at least one of them
will), then one or more independent Churches may flourish there.
Also something of an aside, but perhaps worth mentioning: in the more immediate future, I first expect something like the charismatic movement to be more successful. In fact, I expect the populist movement to increasingly have religious overtones, as it puts itself in existential opposition to the secularist established order.
We've already passed the apex of secularism. Religiosity is already on the rebound, globally
and in the West specifically. As times get harder, this process will almost certainly accelerate. The underlying selective process will favour more 'zealous' denominations, although the too-crazy ones don't tend to provide the stability that people seek in religion (particularly in uncertain times). Which is why something like the charismatic movement appears to be on the upswing right now. It's capable of co-opting existing structures, Catholic and Protestant alike, and thus combines zeal with legitimacy... and has an institutional backdrop available.
That's a winning recipe.
Initially, and especially in an American context, this overall development will chiefly have Protestant characteristics, of course! But what I'm saying is that future "Caesarism" will very much have "Christian patriotism" as its identity, and its leader (our "Caesar") will almost be as a prophet to his followers, beyond just being their political champion. Because of the selection towards extremist denominations in times of great division and conflict within a society, this particular "brew" will become rather threatening to a lot of people once the "Caesarists" have
won.
Which feeds into the general trajectory of a "Caesar" either getting martyred
or becoming a widely hated tyrant.
And that's about when the civil wars get to their last and bloodiest chapter, which paves the way for an Augustus to restore order and be
thanked for it. Because since the more 'zealous' religiosity is the cult of the Populares, and they initiate a great big slaughter and are central in one or more horrific civil wars, then we should expect the aftermath of those terrors to bear witness to another shift. One back to tradition. That's always the safety-net, after great upheavals. So the really zealous folks (the ones that haven't killed each other already!) get stomped into the dirt, and things get... harmonised.
That's where a Universal Church comes from. Its emergence is fed by the same social dynamics that feed the creation of a Universal Empire. From division, unity. From chaos, order. From civil war, domestic peace. From weakness, strength.
Final observation: whatever Universal Church is created during the Principate is -- by its nature -- to a significant degree an astroturfed edifice. It's
not naturally grown. It's designed and imposed. Men
allow it to be imposed, because it's a symbol of order and certainty (which they crave and even
need at that time), but it never really stirs their passions. Or their souls, for that matter.
Which is why it will die.
Just as Christianity conquered Rome from within, a new religious tradition will spring up in our future civilisation, as if rising through the pavement from the earth beneath. And it will conquer from within. And that will be the
true univeral religion that our Empire produces. It will not be the defining religion
of our civilisation-- but it will be the thing we leave behind when our civilisation ends. The way Rome, in its old age, incubated Christianity... and left it to the world.
Toynbee argued that universal states, in fact, existed to
produce universal religions in this fashion. I have some doubt about that degree of supposed teleological drive in the process, but the fact that universal empires
do incubate universal religions can hardly be called into question. What it will be, in our case, cannot be predicted. It can be a more vitalic and organic branch of Christianity, which replaces the overly-formalised and (in the long run) calcified Universal Church. Or it can be something else entirely. We'll have to wait and see.