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We (i.e. those who rule us) just choose not to do this. It is not inevitable.

If you look at the Christian Roman Empire, maybe it is. Rome did not fall. It committed suicide - on a perfectly parallel course. They debased the silver currency (even before christianization), frittered away the gold on imports, exported nothing else, built up a large urban poor population whose peace it bought off with bankrupting free food and entertainment, stopped reproducing, stopped serving its military, allowed accelerating immigration to replace its dwindling military and workforce, kept those immigrants in resented second-class status, eventually turned against those immigrants resulting in civil strife. Late Rome betrayed its allies at every opportunity. (Who "lost" China, half of Korea, Vietnam? Who is now turning on Israel? Giving away British nuclear secrets?) The Goths and Vandals were often more Christian than the Romans they sacked and conquered.