Did the Roman Empire collapse because it took Gods out of its public square?

Answer 1

Yeah, turns out those were load-bearing Gods.

Answer 2

Hello,

To some Roman religion practitioners it did.
Blaming that and the rise of Christianity is a little simplistic.
There were social, economic, and disease factors as well. Much of the empire's population was devestated by plagues:


Christine A. Smith. Plague in the Ancient World: A Study from Thucydides to Justinian. http://www.loyno.edu/~history/journal/1996-7/Smith.html

"Although many disastrous epidemics probably occurred between the Athenian and Justinianic plagues, few sources detailing these plagues have survived. Unfortunately, the accounts which do exist, are meager; and because of this, the microbial origins of the described plagues cannot be diagnosed. These sources frequently copy the literary style of Thucydides; however, they do not generally adhere to his belief regarding the noninvolvement of the gods.

One such disease, known as the Antonine plague, occurred during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 A.D.). It was brought back by soldiers returning from Seleucia, and before it abated, it had affected Asia Minor, Egypt, Greece, and Italy. <18> The plague destroyed as much as one-third of the population in some areas, and decimated the Roman army. <19> In 180, Marcus Aurelius caught some type of infection and died in his army camp. There has been some speculation that this infection was the plague. <20> Another plague occurred during the reigns of Decius (249-251 A.D.) and Gallus (251-253 A.D.). This pestilence broke out in Egypt in 251, and from there infected the entire empire. Its mortality rate severely depleted the ranks of the army, and caused massive labor shortages. The plague was still raging in 270, when it caused the death of the emperor Claudius Gothicus (268-270). <21>

After the third century, there is not another well-documented plague until the Justinianic plague in the mid-sixth century. This plague originated in 541-2 either in Ethiopia, moving through Egypt, or in the Central Asian steppes, where it then traveled along the caravan trading routes. From one of these two locations, the pestilence quickly spread throughout the Roman world and beyond. Like the Black Death which followed it in 1348, the Justinianic plague generally followed trading routes providing an "exchange of infections as well as of goods," and therefore, was especially brutal to coastal cities. <22> The movement of troops during the campaigns of Justinian provided another source for the plague expansion. <23> These two factors, trade and military movement, spread the disease from Asia Minor to Africa and Italy, and also to Western Europe.

Michael:

Also even if Gods are not abandoned Empires like the Assyrian through to the Aztec still rise, shine, eclipse and fall just the same. Even the Roman "Republic" fell in 60 "BC" with gods and alters intact. In short God and gods care diddly squat for empires.


Michael Kelly

Answer 3

No

The Roman Empire collapsed due to degrading morals.

Also

When the peasant class got tired of being trod upon by the rich... they revolted. But that was a reaction to the degradation of the upper class.

Answer 4

NO, roman western empire was vanished due to degrading military power. They couldn't hold the large empire, due to barbarian invasion from the north. Slowly they just vanish and lost since financially decreasing too.

Answer 5

Some sociolgists have suggested that rates of growth in early Christianity simply outnumbered the Roman state to unmanagabilty.

Answer 6

You can take the Gods out of the square, but you can't get the square out of the Gods.

Peace!

Answer 7

Whatever he actual reason, the Roman empire is no more, but the Catholic Church still remains, today.

Answer 8

Wasn't the collapse precisely coincident with Christianity's rise? ... Hmmmm...

Answer 9

No, it got fat and greedy, just like America. (sorry but sometimes the truth hurts)

Answer 10

possibly, california's on fire...again, perhaps hollwood has something to do with it?