Christianity usually set out immediately to destroy and obliterate any evidence, knowledge or remnants of such Identity, Religion or Culture.
At the risk of straying off topic, I think that while this is true to an extent, Christianity has also demonstrated a phenomenal capacity for absorbing and incorporating aspects of foreign culture and competing religions - which is undoubtedly one of the reasons for its success.
I agree with Tusko's well thought, and well written post about religion as a response to fear of death; and while I agree to some extent with the argument that religion helps group survival by imposing rules in the guise of morals, I don't see this aspect of it as much different from self-imposed laws and rules of the secular variety.
In effect, humans show the ability and affinity to self-govern, but they don't need religion to do it. I think this argument weakens the 'survival' aspect of religion.
This message has been edited by custard, 03-02-2005 13:43 AM
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