“How do you think pre-Christian Europe, which had a multiplicity of native polytheistic religions, eventually came under single a faith that originated in the Middle East?”
Much of Christian conversion was peaceful, but the unification of Europe was done by force, under various kings, over a long period of time. It is actually rather complicated.
Christianity is simply superior to the pagan belief systems.
Ireland was converted to Christianity by a single man, it appears.
If you read “The Conquest of Mexico” by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, the only first person account, you find that conversion of the Aztecs and others had to be voluntary. No forced conversion was allowed.
That did not mean that the Spaniards did not conquer; it meant that they did not force Christianity on the natives.
At the same time, they did force the natives to give up human sacrifice and cannibalism.
When the British conquered India, they did not force conversion of the population to Chrisianity.
Rome fell apart only two centuries after Constatine converted to Chrisianity.
So the conversion of Europe was a long and complicated process. Much of it was peaceful, and there was considerable forced conversion under Christian kings as well.
Here is a site that summarizes it rather well.
I’m going to entertain these digressions away from the main subject, because it speaks to the larger issue — the social and political one.
2. “It’s a really poor starting point for discussion when the author conflates choices by political and military leaders with religious theology and teaching.”
Slaughter the unbeliever who will not convert is going to win against a willingness to live in peace with many Gods and religion every time.
Those who hold that practitioners of every other religion on the planet are kneeling before false idols are going to be tempted to believe that such people are by definition damned anyway, so killing, raping and plundering such Infidels is nothing compared to what awaits them in the afterlife. The mere existence of such people are an abomination that must not be tolerated by the truly faithful.
Christianity has gone past this. Islam has not — and may not ever.