This thread has been more entertaining than educational, so keeping with the theme, I would like to share my observations of life, the universe, etc. Throughout the historical and archeological record, religion is inextricably bound to civilization. All religions incorporate practices (do this) and taboos (don?t do that) which form a social model (how folks behave to each other) and an economic model (how the community produces goods and services) which are key to the success of the community. The group with the better model will tend to prevail. The Egyptians produced strong armies and good science, the Greeks good science and wealth from trade. The Greek social model left each city with its patron god, and though wealthy, not organized (unified) enough to ward off the Romans who incorporated the Greek economics, engineering (adapting Greek and Egyptian science to their construction projects) and a strong single-state unity. The Jews at the time had a strong economic model (trade and small business, tithes reinvested in the community), robust but very limited social model: Eat this, not that, take lots of baths, etc. helped preserve health. Do not kill Jews helped strengthen the community, but their exclusivity (this is only for Jews only, chosen people clause) prevented them from ever acquiring enough of a population to be a dominate political entity. Early Christianity was week all around (Share your money, be nice to everyone), but appealed to people surrounded by Roman wealth and brutality. When the empire finally disbanded and the emperor fled to Byzantium, ambitious bishops across what used to be Roman, sized political power aligning their congregations with local strong men, set up feudal states and reinvented Christianity as Catholicism. Science, health and economics were abandoned in a struggle for power that drove Europe into the dark ages. About this same time, Mohammad came along, was very saddened by the strife through Arabia (12 gods, cities would choose a patron, and go to war with its neighbors to see whose god was stronger) studied Judaism, and did a good job selling his adaptation. One small change to the Jewish model mentioned above (Anybody can convert to Muslim) and was built the dominant culture in the western world for the next millennia. The only advance encouraged by Catholicism was art, and once this renaissance produced a critical mass of educated individuals, a new model emerged in a new religion. The Protestants adopted the Jewish economics (educate people, bathe, eat right, work hard, re-invest in the community) and ushered Europe into the age of science and industry.