How did Christianity negatively affect the Roman Empire?
Christianity was adopted as the state religion in the fourth century CE, with the public worship of pagan gods banned in 391. In the decades that followed, many ancient texts were destroyed, the famed library of Alexandria burnt down, and the study of texts that conflicted with Christian doctrine was banned. In order to enforce this ban, the Christian Church insisted that education should be limited to the clergy. Certainly, the Western Empire had weakened and would have fallen to the invaders, but the “Dark Ages” that began in the fifth century were more the result of Christian decrees.
