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The Counter-Reformation, led by figures like Ignatius Loyola who founded the Jesuits, spurred a burst of creativity in Catholic Europe, influencing art and culture. However, this culture eventually fossilized, while Protestantism continued to innovate and embrace new ideas and technologies.

Protestantism has a natural evolutionary capacity because it's based on a personal relationship with God, allowing new sects to form easily. In contrast, Catholicism requires centralized approval from the papacy for shifts, which limits its flexibility.

Catholic apologetics involves three levels: theistic apologetics (does God exist?), Christian apologetics (who was Christ?), and Catholic apologetics (did Christ establish a church?).

The irony of the Catholic Church's fear of Protestant volatility is that their rigid response may have inadvertently fostered atheism. Both Catholics and Protestants over-relied on religious rules to combat each other, leading to centuries of brutal wars, including the Thirty Years' War, which devastated central Europe.

Catholicism emphasizes the embodiedness of human beings, countering modern strains of thought that separate the mind and body.

The Catholic and Protestant churches were powerful in pre-modern Europe due to the weak state, providing social organization and fostering ideals of personal responsibility and individualism.

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Church positioned itself against modernity, and as modernity proved impressive, people began to see the Church as outdated.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.

The Catholic Church's continuity is remarkable, especially considering the logistical challenges it faced in maintaining tradition and civilization through fragile communication networks in the past.

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.

The Catholic Church's historical ban on cousin marriages led to societal traits like individualism and trust, contrasting with more collectivist societies where such marriages are common.