Why were Christianity and Islam so successful at expansion and mass conversion compared to other religions?
If the Aztecs had been more powerful, could they have converted Spaniards to Quetzalcoatl worship?
Seems doubtful, even though the Aztecs were very devout.
If the Romans, who were powerful, had been more devout, could they have converted their subjects?
Again, seems doubtful.
Maybe polytheism is weaker? But then again how come Judaism never managed to mass convert people as well as Christianity and Islam did?
How do we explain the success of Islam and Christianity at expansion vis-a-vis other religions?
The memes of Christianity and Islam were developed and fleshed out at a later point in time where the creators had more knowledge of language-magic.
>>3398912
>How do we explain the success of Islam and Christianity at expansion vis-a-vis other religions?
They can't exist with other religions for long AND they aren't "ethnic"
>>3398912
Unlike other religions (but somewhat like Hinduism and Buddhism), Christianity and Islam were developed and integrated into the concept of Imperium, Roman and Persian specifically.
They are universal religions.
Compare to Judaism, Shinto, or Hindusim, where you can't convert or de-convert according to their own rules.
Abrahamic religions use the cleansing of sin as an impetus to conquer and convert in the name of god. Polytheistic religions don't have a very strong drive to absolve sin and so have a more fatalistic approach to divinity. In polytheism most rituals and practices are to curry favor with a particular god, not to appease one supreme god that's always mad at you for something the very first human did.