PortalsOS

The Romans referred to Christians as atheists because their concept of God was so different from the Roman's. This difference was akin to how Marxists view materialism, where making God so materialistic invalidates the concept of God itself.

The conversion of the Franks to Catholicism was a strategic alliance with the local ruling class, enabling them to become the predominant military power in Western Europe. This contrasts with the Visigoths and Ostrogoths, who opposed the local ruling class by adhering to Arianism.

In the pre-Christian era, Judaism was one of the fastest growing religions in the Roman Empire, with a huge percentage of Alexandria being Jewish and large Jewish communities in Egypt.

The Catholic Church played a pivotal role during the Dark Ages by preserving knowledge. As the Roman Empire fell, the Church acted like Asimov's 'Foundation,' maintaining and reintroducing civilization through social engineering and the preservation of classical Greco-Roman lore.

In the classical world, religion was based on blood lineage, which made assimilation difficult. The Romans cleverly created a parallel system of gods to unify their empire, suggesting that all gods were essentially the same under Zeus. This was a polite mirage that the Christians challenged by claiming theirs was the one true God.

Christianity is growing in places where it is suppressed, like China and Iran, showing that suppression can lead to flourishing faith.

In the High Middle Ages, the Catholic Church's influence was so pervasive in Western Europe that it shaped the very identity of its people. They identified first as Christians rather than Europeans, and this religious framework influenced everything from science to ethics.

The speaker's conversion to Christianity was influenced by a personal tragedy and a friend's persistent sharing of the gospel, leading to an urgent faith.

During the Dark Ages, the Catholic Church faced theological disputes, particularly with Arian Christians like the Visigoths and Ostrogoths. These groups believed Christ was a man connected to God, not divine. This theological stance led to political tensions and oppression of local Catholics by these Germanic elites.

Christianity's status as the largest religion on earth is due to a consistent effort to revitalize it in various contexts over the centuries. This universal recurrence of Christian leadership has helped maintain its influence.