Looking for a book regarding Christianity's influence on nations

[Strat]

I have a theory that Christianity has been promoted in the west by governments because if folks follow it they will become productive individuals. Since a nation is built on the backs of it's people, the more productive the people are the stronger a nation can be. Christian principles make more sense when perceived in this light. These cookie cutter principles aren't necessarily in the best interest of all people, but it sure helps the folks at the top of the pyramidal power structure.

Surely there's a book out there about this? Have any of you read anything about this and if so can you point me in a direction? Thanks in advance.

Oh, and I'm not anti Christian by any means. I actually enjoy the Bible and I read it often.

[Pam]

I have a theory that Christianity has been promoted in the west by governments because if folks follow it they will become productive individuals. Since a nation is built on the backs of it's people, the more productive the people are the stronger a nation can be. Christian principles make more sense when perceived in this light. These cookie cutter principles aren't necessarily in the best interest of all people, but it sure helps the folks at the top of the pyramidal power structure.

Surely there's a book out there about this? Have any of you read anything about this and if so can you point me in a direction? Thanks in advance.

Oh, and I'm not anti Christian by any means. I actually enjoy the Bible and I read it often.

You have an interesting premise. While I see where that may have been true in the past, there seems to be a definite sway in our programming against Christianity over the last few years. What do you think that is about?

[Kryztian]

My theory is that government leaders tend to promote the religion that they are already attached to and then adapt it, stressing certain precepts and ignoring others, according to the needs of the state. But there are, however, exceptions to that rule, as rulers did convert to different religions and may have stopped religious persecution, or they may have changed the official state religion, or may have instituted persecutions of other groups. When this happens, I think the tendency is for religious leaders to move away from polytheism towards monotheism. This would explain how Christianity and Islam became the world's predominant religions. Also then there is the case of the Khazars who were pagan/shamanistic with a kingdom bordered by Muslims in the South, and Christian Russians in the North and didn't want to either alienate one of the other so they converted to Judiasm, a religion not really looking for converts.

If you want to look at historical periods where this was happening in the Christian world, look at the Roman Empire from the time of Constantine to Theodosius, or the Frankish Empire in the time of Clovis I, or the various Goth groups (Ostro-goths, Visi-goths) who all eventually embraced Christianity. I might also be helpful to look at the Reformation and ask why certain nations and their leader converted to Protestantism.

Two book I can think of don't answer the question about how politics and power shaped religion, but do look at how the end result effected society, including on the level of productivity:

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism) by Max Weber

Suicide (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_(Durkheim_book)) by Émile Durkheim (part of the books looks at the very different suicide rate between Catholics and Protestants in the late 19th century).

[sleepydumpling]

A good book I read about the origins of Christianity is called
The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey.
it goes into detail of the destruction of the classical world by a militant religious sect called Christianity.

they were not meek and mild but instead were a ruthless bunch of fundamentalist's intolerant of any other beliefs
destroying everything they could get their hands on.

its a very good read

[Praxis]

Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval have a great book about different sects of Christianity that appear to have been at odds from the start.

Also, Christianity is a very broad term.

There are many types of christian, both eastern and western. You seem to be talking particularly about Protestant as you have probably heard the name protestant work ethic thrown around. I would start by searching using this term.

[Strat]

You have an interesting premise. While I see where that may have been true in the past, there seems to be a definite sway in our programming against Christianity over the last few years. What do you think that is about?
I'm not sure what you mean. Can you elaborate a bit?


You might want to check out Ceasars Messiah, by Joseph Atwill. He gives a strong case for the invention of Christianity by the Flavian Roman empire as a response to the Jewish uprising (war) against the Romans. The Romans won the war and wrote the history.


Fantastic! Thanks a million. I'm about done with the book I'm reading now so this will probably be next on the list.