Someone here started a timeline where this happens because the East (I thought it was way) embraced Markionism as their state religion, while the West kept to roughly the orthodoxy we are familiar with. Thus the vehemence of the religious conflict directly transferred into a political one, not really military actions, but with "secret services" on both sides eradicating the respective sectarians.
The postings were long, with a high level of both literary quality and disgusting bloodthirstiness. However, it ended after a couple of postings and didn't go far ...