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The Catholic Church stands with Confucian China as two organizations that have persisted for 2,000 years. Both were created by a ruling class based on moral principles and have lasted due to their adherence to these principles and sacred texts.

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.

The Catholic Church in medieval Europe allowed for a surprising amount of political discourse, providing structures for what could be agreed upon and what could not. This openness to disagreement is a notable aspect of the Church's influence at the time.

The Catholic Church positioned itself against modernity, and as modernity proved impressive, people began to see the Church as outdated. This irony lies in the fact that modernity itself emerged from Christianity.

Catholicism's competitive advantage lies in its deep, holistic tradition, including cosmology, internal structure, and mystic traditions, which surpass those of Protestantism.

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.