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It is a myth that religions that pander to self satisfaction or earth-based religions cause social breakdown. Several articles on this site have pointed to just those terms, and it is unfortunate that people would discuss such frivolous subjects. First off, let us start with how things USED to be, and then transition into what they are now.

Christianity was not the mainstream religion it was now, in fact, most who viewed the religion considered it heresy, and a fallacy that cannot be justified or even reconciled with their own beliefs. The spread of christanity resembled that of a virus; it started slowly, with its taking hold in major cities, and then moved slowly into the rural areas. The views, ideologies, and methodologies of the christian belief system were adapted from several other religions. So, as we can see, as the religion spread, it incorporated and then eventually squashed all those who opposed it.

Still, as the religion grew, many who lived in the rural areas, or in the areas most isolated from mainstream Europe, earth-based religions still held standing. Major movements took place to 'spread the word of god', everything from inquisitions to holy wars. The spread eventually squashed many religions into underground practices. Many faiths, from early wiccan to that of druid, were sent underground to practice their rituals and beliefs.

That was then. The reality of the situation remains somewhat the same now, with one glaring exception: In countries that offer freedom of religion, the old beliefs are beginning to resurface. Earth-based religion, from druidic to wiccan, from shamanic to native American, are beginning to take hold again. The population alone, in the United States, of earth-based religions has exceeded the millions of people. The main question one has to ask is: 'Why?'

The short and simple of the answer is how the religions incorporate personal belief into a larger good. Instead of pandering to one all knowing god, who has his own set of rules, procedures and deistic requirements, earth-based religions learn to appreciate all things in nature. They learn to understand the change of seasons, the interwoven aspects of our own selves within that sphere, and finally how each of us can benefit the other by showing compassion, understanding and acceptance. How does that afford to social breakdown?

One of the other authors on this site posted this tidbit: "The reason that there was so much resistance towards alternative religions is not because

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