One of the very first concerns of any biological organism is to replicate and reproduce. Without replication, they die out. Some factions of Christianity, just like some other religions one could name, resemble a cult, and one of the first things a cult has to do is self-preservation, just like a replicating organism, so that means make lots of babies and proselytize like mad. There's safety in numbers. They then keep their members in line and gain new ones by convincing them all these dire things will happen to them if they don't follow the rules, plus convincing them all these wonderful rewards await them in somewhere the sky. Rule by fear and promise them pie. All these religions are convinced THEY posses the "truth", so they then slaughter each other (and anyone else who doesn't believe as they do) to prove it, and whoever is left, wins. Welcome to the human race.
We have a fairly devout cult here; a Mormon offshoot called "General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn". They are very male dominated and anti medicine. I personally handled two death investigations of preventable origin: an infected wound that went untreated (of an adult), and appendicitis (of a 15 year old boy). Ironically, the adult was the father of the son, whose mother had remarried a man who lost his wife in childbirth (preventable, had there been medical intervention). The latter ended up as a criminal investigation that netted a conviction of Criminally Negligent Homicide for the parents.
I am a HUGE proponent of the separation of church and state. The 15 year old was a very difficult investigation for me, personally. It boils down to protecting children.
A good example about a religious organism dying out was the Shakers-they didn't marry/have children. They took in outsiders or orphan children who would live with them for periods of time by the individual's choice or grown up. But boy, were they great craftsmen, believed in laborsaving devices for workers, and entrepreneurs. (What we consider the standard flat corn broom was invented by them.) They came up with the concept of packaging seeds for sale, which still exists today. (a tidbit about the Shaker chairs-the cross bar slats were so the chairs could be hung on the walls to make sweeping easier.) (Yes, I've been to two or three Shaker villages.)
It's evolution in action. Just like biological organisms, the religions that reproduce the most are the types that dominate.
One of the very first concerns of any biological organism is to replicate and reproduce. Without replication, they die out. Some factions of Christianity, just like some other religions one could name, resemble a cult, and one of the first things a cult has to do is self-preservation, just like a replicating organism, so that means make lots of babies and proselytize like mad. There's safety in numbers. They then keep their members in line and gain new ones by convincing them all these dire things will happen to them if they don't follow the rules, plus convincing them all these wonderful rewards await them in somewhere the sky. Rule by fear and promise them pie. All these religions are convinced THEY posses the "truth", so they then slaughter each other (and anyone else who doesn't believe as they do) to prove it, and whoever is left, wins. Welcome to the human race.
We have a fairly devout cult here; a Mormon offshoot called "General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn". They are very male dominated and anti medicine. I personally handled two death investigations of preventable origin: an infected wound that went untreated (of an adult), and appendicitis (of a 15 year old boy). Ironically, the adult was the father of the son, whose mother had remarried a man who lost his wife in childbirth (preventable, had there been medical intervention). The latter ended up as a criminal investigation that netted a conviction of Criminally Negligent Homicide for the parents.
I am a HUGE proponent of the separation of church and state. The 15 year old was a very difficult investigation for me, personally. It boils down to protecting children.
A good example about a religious organism dying out was the Shakers-they didn't marry/have children. They took in outsiders or orphan children who would live with them for periods of time by the individual's choice or grown up. But boy, were they great craftsmen, believed in laborsaving devices for workers, and entrepreneurs. (What we consider the standard flat corn broom was invented by them.) They came up with the concept of packaging seeds for sale, which still exists today. (a tidbit about the Shaker chairs-the cross bar slats were so the chairs could be hung on the walls to make sweeping easier.) (Yes, I've been to two or three Shaker villages.)