Imo, there is indeed something specific to Judaism and even more so to Christianity that is not easy to see and understand but is absolutely fundamental.
Then state it. I would wager again it is not specific to Judaism and Christianity (which the latter doesn't even make sense seeing the amount of schisms and dominations it birthed, what exactly what would one even define Christianity as at this point. Even when it was a cult, there were at least three different groups such as the gnostics).
My stance is that Christianity itself is successful because of factors like siphoning off of successful empires (ie. Roman) and its tendency to be nebulous/appropriate ideas and claim them as its own. It is more like a patchwork quilt with some loose common tenets (even those are not agreed upon).
Political leaders always seek the support of religion. Sometimes, they stumble upon something really valuable. In itself, this does not prove Christianity is either good or bad. More investigation is required.
Yes, they stumbled upon the value of controlling and fleecing the populous through their superstition and tribalism. That in 'itself' doesn't prove Christianity good or bad, this is irrelevant and not the point I was making. The point is that religion is a very suitable vector and social meme through which the elite classes to control and impoverish the masses.
You may require more investigation on this point, but I do not. The excesses of the political elite, rich and clergy are well documented. You can see it in real time with televangelists and the ur example is the Vatican and Catholic church.
No, see above. This is a fallacy. Just bc an Emperor used Christianity for his own purposes does not prove it is wrong in itself. If anything it shows that Constantine noticed there was some potency in that sect, although he probably did not realize how far it went.
There's nothing fallacious about it, this is not some random example being shoehorned but we are explicitly discussing Christianity, its rise to influence and how. So dismissing it by saying its 'may not be wrong' (again irrelevant, we are not discussing morality here) is nonsensical.
Maybe, maybe not. That is speculation.
Speculative perhaps, but with more foundation than whatever your alternative may be. It would seem to be quite safe assumption given the history of religion across cultures and how they function but that may be something you need to look into yourself.
It does not such thing. Many religions went through a codification phase under political tutelage. The first one was Buddhism under Ashoka. In itself that does not indicate that the religion in question is not beneficial. It just goes to show that religion and politics interact. So what?
So what? I've already noted the connection between political interest, religion and the relationship between those in power. Yes, obviously they interact. And obviously this is a very, very important connection to account for when discussing the topic. You can't simply dismiss it out of hand.
Again, this is too general and too vague. A more precise investigation is required, which I plan to continue doing in the RGS xxx threads
In which case, carry out your investigation and report your findings (which presumably disagree with what I'm arguing). But invalidates your responses here to no small extent if your stance is basically "well, I need to research more". Which is fine - but then why even initiate a debate if you admit you are uninformed or ill equipped for a conclusion?
Going back to religion is not the goal here.
Good.
We need to understand how it worked so that we can emulate their earlier success. We need to understand the principles involved, not copy blindly of course.
I disagree that 'we' need to understand it. I assert I understand it just fine. And I don't even think the faucets behind religious success are even particularly complicated for a layman to understand. I feel you are attempting to overcomplicate the topic for whatever reason and its not as if this subject hasn't been studied extensively anyway.
Exposing how this happens, in detail and with precision, is the goal I pursue. To reach it, a careful examination of historical data is necessary. Please be patient.
I will no doubt read any information you post in the future, however I need not be 'patient'. Begging your pardon but again, I feel this topic isn't some great mystery as you seem to frame it. I've been very invested in religion and its effects for quite some time now. Do not assume everyone is stumbling around in the dark for answers.
That is a fallacy that has been implanted into your brain (and many others) by left-wingers who also happen to be the biggest foid worshipers of all time. That should give you pause.
There is nothing 'fallacious' about following the money and influence of those who abuse religion. The billions of dollars possessed by the Vatican is self-explanatory and any study into the history of religion bears out its tendency to hoard wealth by clergymen and the elite. Also, right wingers are just as worshipping of foids as the far left. Your ignorance of this fact is unsurprising given the amount of people on this site
that actually think things like Islam are a solution.
I propose to show that is was a pretty effective antidote to it in the past and that the underlying principles can be used to do it again in a new way.
And I propose that the only reason it may have been effective is precisely
because it was the past, and whatever principles you seek to apply will not work in the modern era.
Yes, decadence will always set in. That is why civilization constantly needs to be rebuilt. It has always been like that.
Perhaps the problem is that the so-called decadence is actually a foregone conclusion to the very concept of civilization itself. Something that is unnatural to the current psychology of humans.
Every 2 or 3 millennia, a major reconstruction is needed.
Thus proving my point. We have been through this cycle at least several times. Obviously this means trying to re-implement what worked in the past is problematic. I am more pessimistic on this issue - I don't think there is a ideological or social 'solution'. I think humans either must adjust their psychology (particularly women) so that they are suitable for functioning in the modern age or evolve into something different.
No solution is permanent. Silver bullets don't exist. Everything has an expiry date. Yes
And this is a problem as I stated above. What is the point in even discussing temporary solutions anyway. Retreading old so-called 'fixes' that will not only fail, but you even acknowledge they will inevitably fail. Such a thing seems mindbogglingly pointless to me and frankly I have no interest in such a discussion.
It is not because the previous model that we used successfully for 2000 years has reached the end of its useful life that we can conclude that it never worked. All historical evidence points to the fact that it worked beautifully during that period.
Oh? I vehemently disagree with that notion. Rather I think at best religion was a stepping stone for civilization that came with both pros and cons but to say it 'worked beautifully' is frankly delusional.
Now, what we need to do is an honest, unbiased post-mortem and then move on to the building of the next version with the benefit of what we have learnt. That is what I am proposing to do in the next RGS xxx threads.
Again, 'we' don't need to do anything. I will check out whatever you have to say in the future (and will change stance if I find your argument compelling) but I feel quite comfortable on this topic enough to state religion is largely obsolete and even regressive (as in dysfunctional). Its only suitable purpose, along with its 'underlying tenets' is to control people for the sake of the powerful. And of its other supposed benefits, be they social or not can be achieved otherwise.