Atheists, do you think that Christianity ... "special"?

Question

Meaning, do you think there is something inherent in Christian theology that has enabled its popularity, or do you think it was just coincidental circumstances?

Answer 1

Ding! Fries are done!

Answer 2

Christianity was very popular amongst the lower-classes of the roman Empire. It's philosophy, that the oppressed and miserable go to heaven, while the rich tyrants go to hell was very attractive to these people.

Still, it would've remained a cult and would probably have died out unless the Roman Empire had become unstable when it did. This forced some higher-class roman senators to make a politic move and decided of the leading religion of the empire. Constantine solidified his position by choosing christianity, the new fashionable religion popular among the young, over the Imperial Cult, the old tired religion.

Today, Islam is choosing the same strategy to recruit it's members: it converts people of the poorer countries and seeks out occidentals who feel the classic chrisitanity is old and tired and offers no answers.

Again, this is all politics.

Still, christianity was the first religion to preach peace and self-sacrifice, which explains part of its popularity.

Answer 3

I only got through a tiny portion of "The God Delusion" when I realized it was nothing than the exact same atheistic claptrap which you see on these boards all of the time. I skimmed the rest and it confirmed my suspicions over and over again. What Dawkins does is just as many here do.... create a completely different "version" of God than what people actually believe and then say that HIS version is stupid. He seems to convince himself, but the fact that his version is not what people follow never seems to enter his closed mind. He does the typical illogical atheistic ploy of insisting that the Bible must be interpreted literally because he, and other atheists, has no answer for the vast majority of Christians who do not interpret it literally. I thought I was looking at another version of the incredibly dumb book "The Passover Plot". Just because someone writes a book that does not make them a scholar.

Answer 4

I think it happened to be picked up by some very powerful people. Those powerful people imposed it upon their subjects. The descendants of those powerful people happened to invade North and South America. Religion was a convenient justification for some of the atrocities of that conquest (and others). It was a tool, that people have found very useful and effective. THAT is why it has gained "popularity" - specifically Christianity because it was in the right place at the right time.

If India had invaded the "New World" 1/3 of the world's population would be Hindu.

Answer 5

Well, in some parts of the world it's not all that popular. You need to think globally and put it in perspective. But Christianity had some great public relations guys--none better than St. Paul--and it sure helped if the king of whatever country you were living in back in the middle ages was Christian and pretty much forced everyone to be the same. After a couple of generations, people forgot that their families never actually chose that religion to begin with.

Answer 6

Special? As in eSPECIALly disingenuous? SPECious? Then yes.
There is nothing inherently distinctive about the Judeo-Christian religions except that they are currently the major monotheistic religions of this era. Asking if they are special because they happen to be flourishing now, is like asking if Ra was "special" when the Egyptians reigned as the most advanced civilizations. It only seems special now. If you looked at it in the past, or perhaps from the future, I doubt if it will still seem any more"special" than Odin.

Answer 7

Being the state religion of the Roman Empire and many of the states that succeeded it was certainly a large factor. For many centuries you could be put to death for not being a Christian in Europe, so there wasn't much competition. Christianity has evolved a strong reward/punishment emphasis, too, which coerces a lot of people into following it.

But Christianity does have some attractive aspects that help keep it going, for example, its emphasis on community.

Answer 8

I don't think it's really any more "special" than other religions. I think the one aspect of Christian theology that might have led to its preservation is the fact that many Christians throughout history have believed that they had a duty to spread the religion.

In that sense, I think the popularity of Christianity can actually be explained by appeal to natural selection.

EDIT:
Sam: Hinduism (not Judaism) is actually the oldest recorded religion that is still practiced.

Answer 9

There is certainly nothing special. Granted, there are some nice Christian values- I personally like the one about forgiveness.

Christianity rose in popularity through 1. it's value to convert others to the religion, and 2. geopolitical events.

Emperor Constantine was probably the single biggest advance for Christianity.

Answer 10

It came along at the right moment when there was the Roman Empire to spread it once the Emperor had converted.
After that it was just a question of convincing the rulers of various countries and tribes that this was an ideal religion for their people because it promised them riches after death if they remained humble and meek in this life.
This was an ideal method of making the population servile to the ruling elite

Answer 11

I think there is something special in religion in general that people find comfort in. Christianity just got lucky that it was picked out of an obscure cult and turned into the official religion and then enforced with a sword.

Sam: Christianity is NOT the fulfillment of Judaism.