This would leave its followers bereft of those customs that supported their attachment to it and make them more likely to abandon it. Taking this a logical step further we could draw another conclusion: that if a hostile entity wanted to inflict damage on a religion, the way to do it would be to attack its religious capital. This is supported by a large research literature showing that converts overwhelmingly are recruited from the ranks of those having a very weak commitment to any other religion. The greater their religious capital, the less likely they are to change. The perfectly pure unsullied Mind of the universe, transcending virtue, transcending knowledge, transcending good itself and the beautiful itself. He was chosen by the Jews of Alexandria to represent them in an appeal to Emperor Gaius (Caligula) in AD 40. Philo of Alexandria, a contemporary of Jesus and a classic example of a diaspora Jew, interpreted Judaism in light of Hellenistic philosophy. They primarily spoke Greek and had collectively lost the knowledge of Hebrew, explaining the need for a Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. Intermarriage with non-Jews was not uncommon, as were Greek and Roman names. Not surprisingly, evidence shows that Jews living throughout the Roman Empire were less attached to the religious culture of Judaism than those in Jerusalem. Īn example he cites were the diaspora Jews of the first century, who were far more likely to convert to Christianity than those in Palestine. …Expressed as a social scientific concept, one’s religious capital consists of the degree of mastery of and attachment to a particular religious culture. Over time, people become increasingly attached to their religious culture. One of his interesting discoveries had to do with conversions he found that a person’s attachment to the cultural aspects of their religion, specifically its unique rites and doctrines, corresponds to the likelihood that they will remain a member of that faith:Īny religion requires an adherent to master a lot of culture: to know the words and actions required by various rituals or worship activities, to be familiar with certain doctrines, stories, music, symbols, and history. Baylor University sociologist Rodney Stark has written numerous books on religion and particularly on the rise of Christianity.

Rodney stark catholic