The Like/Hate Thread

[Piper Juunanagou]

Regarding the fall of Rome... Why do you feel that it was the opposite (I assume you mean lack of Christianity is what lead to its downfall)?

No, I meant that I believed Christianity played an important underlying role in the collapse of the Western Empire.

Christianity and its spread created whole throngs of conflict within the Roman state by destroying the traditional values that had held most of society together during the Republic and early Principate (namely, paganism and the cult of the Emperor). The rising influence of Jesus/God and the Church ruined the legitimacy of the emperor and caused a lot of people to turn away from the state at a time when everything was going to hell. This was worsened when Christianity became the state religion. The emperor was unable to keep a lid on it and thus the Church began to rival him in authority. Christians were also less willing to serve in the military, which, when coupled with a change in citizenship laws and general apathy, forced the Roman state to enlist thousands of mercenaries to defend their borders. And mercenaries do not an efficient army make.

Of course, it didn't help that the Roman state was collapsing economically and being constantly harassed by folk movements and the Persians.

Lastly, my opinion is just one of many that ancient historians have about the fall of Western Rome (I specify, because the Eastern half dragged on for a thousand more years). Others up-play the importance of economic decay, while others will tell there was no reason and it just sort of happened.