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Much as Catholicism faded out after the Roman Empire stopped oppressing christians?

Claims that any major religion is "very weak" are absurd. What major religion has faded away in the last few centuries? Zeus, Jupiter and Wotan are long gone, but they did not "fade out". They were replaced by what the pracbreastioners saw as something better. About the only major western religion that has "faded out" in the last two millenia (that I can think of) would be Mithraism. but then any religion that encouraged sacrificing one's children would have a dim future (yeah I know, it was Roman propaganda....except the bones found at the sites in Carthage were not adults).

Although I'm an atheist myself I'm continually surprised by the "foaming at the mouth" hatred and intolerance of modern religions by so many people who would never consider themselves to be small-minded bigots. My opinion, it's really a fear of anyone who can stand up and say, with conviction, that there are moral and ethical absolutes.

The differences between the major religions are far fewer than the similarities. Though I don't subscribe to the particular metaphysical beliefs of any of them, when it comes to their secular policies I would be quite comfortable living in either the US Bible Belt, an orthodox kibbutz, or even Saudi Arabia.

The wife and I had a discussion about the same subject over dinner the other day, when I mentioned that there could be a (very small) chance we might have to live for a while in a Persian gulf country for work reasons. Though she has a christian viewpoint she commented that like myself she would have no problems in fitting in with islamic and arabic customs.

Religions do not just fade away, because they serve a fundamental need in human society. An unambiguous moral code of acceptable behavior, reasons to follow it for those who lack in self-discipline, and a means to buttociate with the like-minded. Despite the famous cliche about "the opiate of the mbuttes", in my own experience I've found those with strongly held religous convictions are far from the (to borrow a phrase) mind-numbed robots being led about by petty dictators masquerading as clergy. Yes, they accept on faith some beliefs that I could never accept without scientiic proof, but that's a personal choice. Jack Peachicken