Here's a list of Roman emperors. Tiberus ruled at the time of the Crucifixion. Constantine did not arrive for another 300 years. Further his "conversion" was the result of a dream followed by a successful battle, not missionary activity. In no way did the early Christians seek out Roman emperors for conversion
> Have you ever read the Bible? . . . Yes. Relevance?
You don't seem to know the basics -- when it was written, the first converts etc.
>>Did the Christianization of Scandinavia go top-down or bottom up? >Bottom up. Nope, top down. King Olaf Tryggvasson slaughtered those who did not convert.
And what Christianity ended
>>Did or did not the fall of the Icelandic Republic as a going concern happen after the place was Christianized and the churches started collecting all the wealth? . . . The answer you're looking for is "yes."
Anyway, as noted the Icelandic Republic was Christian for almost 80 percent of its history, so it's pretty silly to say that Christianity was the the reason for its fall.
> People were tricked because they love martyrs? Well, people joined up with the Heaven's Gaters and lopped their nuts off, so...
So with all the new martyrs, how is Heaven's Gate doing now?
> Further his "conversion" was the result of a dream followed by a successful battle, not missionary activity.
Ah.... no. He knew of Christians, otherwise he woudl not ahve understood or have 3even *had* the dream he supposedly had.
> > Have you ever read the Bible? . . . Yes. Relevance?
> You don't seem to know the basics
Yes, I do. However, what the Bible says isn't actually relevant here. We're discussing history.
> The Life of Anskar
Interesting choice of links there to bolster your view that Christianity wasn't imposed, but chosen by the masses:
"The Emperor Charlemagne, who died on January 28, 84, had waged a series of seventeen campaigns extending over thirty-three years (772805) against the Saxons, his avowed object being to compel them to accept the Christian faith."
More than a few historians are of the view that Charlemagne was responsible for the Viking Era... by stomping into lands where the Norse/Teutonic gods were worshipped and slaughtering the worshippers, he initiated a response. And if this view is true, the Viking raids on Christian monestaries, rather than being acts of barbarism, were retaliatory strikes against an aggressive alien religion.
> And what Christianity ended
Yes, Christinity wiped out the Vikings. Also wiped out the light of "pagan" Greek scientific learning from Europe for nearly a thousand years, only rediscovered from the *Arabs.*
> So with all the new martyrs, how is Heaven's Gate doing now?
Well, they reached their chosen end-point. So I guess they're doing ok.
Of course, Buddhist monks have a tendency to live lives of poverty and non-violence and being persecuted, and sometimes set themselve son fire in protest of this or that, and Buddhism seems to have been rolling along just fine for rather a long time. Hell, Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism seem to stress that "life sucks," so by your arguement, the "only explanation" for the success of those religions is that they must be true.