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Hey everybody:

Thinking about it, I wonder why the mystical branch of Islam is considered less extremist while Gnostic Christianity seemed so much more extreme, and also so much more extinct. What was it about Sufism that let it stay alive, and why did other Christians persecute gnostic cults to such an extent? What features of Christianity/Islam make them more/less tolerant of heterodox views? Were Muslims just more accepting of syncretic beliefs and unorthodox views? Was it because the Muslim empire overthrew and governed over other religious traditions, whereas Christianity only sprung up after Rome had done its conquering?
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