I find these things very redundant and can acknowledge that these are probably the a factor of being a religion that was born in a time when there was much disparity, injustice in society, in a place where the living was hard and oppressive (ruled by the romans etc. )

If you look at it academically, it makes sense that newer religions liked christianity and islam had to be more exclusive and rigid to survive and push their way up into the mainstream. (Which it took christianity a couple of centuries to do) because if you are proposing an alternate to a well-established way of life, challenging the existent scheme of things, it seems understandable that it had to be touted as a ‘i’d rather die than give this up’ kind of thing for the common man to buy into it.

That however is no longer relevant.. Still, people can’t seem to let it go because their faith seems tied in with every little detail. Especially all the newer sects. They take each little thing as ‘gospel’… and interpret it literally ,refusing to think about whether it even means anything anymore. A religion (in my opinion) that is old enough doesn’t need fresh touting…it needs fresh interpretation. So, while it isn’t masochistic, it’s quite ridiculous. As a christian myself , I distance myself from this.