Comparing Religions In Empires

Religious fervor increased during the imperial period in Rome, and it has increased during the American imperial period. According to Eliade, as the traditional Roman religion ended, exotic religions expanded, such as the Hellenistic-Roman synthesis. Perhaps we could compare the neoconservatives to the imperial cult that put up temples to emperors.

The Pagan writers used Plato to try to bolster their ancient religion as Christianity was greatly expanding. The Christian “totalitarian” worldview was opposed by pluralistic religious proposals. The Roman elite could chose from a large synthesis of paganism. Until the empire fell.

As secularism has greatly expanded in the West (along with the polarity of fundamentalist religion) it is the Christians who are now presenting the array of a Christian synthesis, using science and secularism to bolster religion.

Speaking historically, Christianity triumphed over the Roman empire but it did so by including pagan thinkers, Plato, Aristotle etc. Secularism could triumph over religion by including religion as well. In the Evolutionary Christian Church we continue to synthesize religion and science, Christianity and the primordial tradition, in the Twofold Path. This bodes well for us in the future.