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But as to the reason that Christianity became so popular, I would say that it was, and is, the fact that He is alive and empowers his followers, unlike religions that worship an abstract ideal, the pattern of planets & stars, or someone long dead. The fact that our God is one that is powerful enough to have created the universe and yet still cares deeply about us as individuals. These are the things that set Christianity apart from everything else.
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Sort of...
Let me explain. You believe, and those that follow your religion also believe, that Christ is still alive only He rose to heaven and no longer walks the earth. Now, take Mohammed, the prophet and founder of Islam... he has been long dead, yet is considered just as holy as Christ is. The only difference is that Christ was considered the son of God, while Mohammed is considered the last true prophet of God. Muslims would say that Mohammed is THE holiest, besides the one God Allah. Christians would say that Christ is THE holiest besides God the Father. As a Christian, I very much doubt that you would place Mohammed on equal or greater footing than Christ. And a Muslim would not put as much honor on Christ as they would Mohammed. God is still God in both religions eyes.
But both men are dead, and anyone outside of Christianity would probably have a hard time believing that Christ rose from the dead. Muslims acknowledge Christ as a person that spoke God's word, from what I know of Islam, but they still place a greater emphasis on Mohammed. So you saying that "as to the reason that Christianity became so popular, I would say that it was, and is, the fact that He is alive and empowers his followers, unlike religions that worship an abstract ideal, the pattern of planets & stars, or someone long dead.", has little truth to someone outside of Christianity. You can't say that you're right because you are Christian.
I personally still contend that Christianity became so popular because it appealled to more people (and still does) than most other religions. Islam may be the exception to that, as may Buddhism. Many people from the middle east could identify with Islam (especially since it began where Arabs began), just as many people in southwest Asia could identify with Buddhism (which incorporates traditions and ideas particular to that region). Buddhism and Islam have just as high moral qualities as Christianity, which is probably the reason that both are still around. That is, on top of the fact that all three have "warrior-monk" types (please note the quotation marks
).
Maybe this discussion belongs in another thread, but I'm too lazy to transfer it over to another, and it seems that the majority of the conversation has drifted this way. Plus, it still semi-relates to the thread topic through Bush's statements that his decisions come from his religious views. (Personally, I think that's AWESOME, what I find a bit disconcerting is that he expects others to believe as he does through his actions and policies. A big example of this would be Powell's resignation this last week.... you take a look at the cabinet, or cabinet-select folks and they are ALL people that are in line with Bush's ideas... there will be VERY little dissent if any... there may not be anyone there to say, "Mr. President, your idea is not going to work... or there is a tremendous downside to that policy.")