dear Terry...
you said: "What we have is a slow and steady tidal wave that can be traced back to an impact when a pagan-cum-christian Roman Emperor came down on the side of establishing ORTHODOXY among fanatical believers. That was ground zero.
The Authority and Power of Rome put an eight cylinder engine under the hood and zooooooom!
A loud sucking sound was heard around the world as the Church vampired the life's blood out of the secular state for its own propserity and power."...
christianity became the state religion...rome wasn't "run" by the church as a totalitarian theocracy...no one was killed if they didn't convert...not like earlier when christians were tortured, maimed and killed if they didn't show allegiance to rome...christians also gave to caesar what was his and to God what was His. Jesus didn't tell the centurion to quit his post either.
love michelle