Sunstone said:
It sometimes seems to me that Christians have often been divided into two camps: Those who think the essential message of Christianity is love your neighbor, yourself and your God, and those who think the essential message of Christianity is you're going to hell if you don't accept Christ as your lord and savior.
I think a little of both. My God is a loving God, but he also wants everyone to follow him. He is a jealous God only wanting us to worship him and no other. He also provided a way for all to be saved from hell without sin getting in the way. From a Christian perspective, this is only through Christ. That being said, he does want you to love your neibor as yourself. I believe both of the items you mention above, although I tend to gravitate towards loving your neibor rather than telling them constantly that "you're going to hell if you don't accept Christ". People seem to respond better to true love.
Are Christians really divided into these two camps to some extent? If so, to what extent?
Yes, I believe many if not most Christians are divided into these two camps you mention. I really don't know to what extent, but I have seen many preachers preach one or the other and that's there only main topic in their church.
Of the two camps, which is truer to the Christianity practiced by the early Christians?
A little of both. You see throughout the scriptures, the love of Christ, but you also see the correction that God provides to those that disobey which included not following him.
Of the two camps, which is the dominant or majority position among Christians today?
Love. I think most try to focus on the Love of Christ rather than the punishment. I know from personal experience, that I don't like authority and tend to rebel from it, but I know I've always gravitated towards love or true caring. All I'm trying to say with this is that most Christians goals are to see someone saved through Christ and Love is typically the best way IMO.
Are the two camps in some way compatible, or are they basically incompatible?
Yes, they are compatible, because both tend to believe the same thing. It's just that one decides to focus on one topic instead of the other.
Does the division of Christianity into these two camps represent a deeper division of people into optimists and pessimists?
Not really. Like I said before, it's a matter of focus. From what I have been told, is that I'm a pessimist, although I typically talk about the Love of Christ rather than the Punishement of not following Christ.
Of the two camps, which is truer to what Jesus preached?
Love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
This chapter talks about the gifts of the spirit, but as you can see from this passage, Love seems to be the greatest. The whole chapter talks a lot about Love. You can read the whole chapter here:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=53&chapter=13&version=31