alternatehistory.com

During the decline of the Roman Empire, many religions promising personal salvation became popular. One of them, Christianity, eventually took over.

However, there were other faiths like Mithraism and the cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis. I don't think Mithraism has a realistic shot at taking over because it excluded women and lower-class men (both of whom Christianity accepted), but Isis seems to be a different case.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis

The article describes Isis worshippers taking over old Hellenic-pagan worship sites, much like how Christianity occupied pagan sites and turned them into churches.

So, what might be necessary to get the Isis cult to take over instead of Christianity?

I suggested this a long time ago and Carlton_Bach said the religion lacked a "persecutory meme" that put it at a disadvantage vis-a-vis other religions. I suggested that the religion could become anti-Judaic (and by extension, anti-Christian) due to the perceived blasphemy of the story of the Exodus, in which the gods of Egypt are defeated by the Hebrew god.

I could also imagine the Isiac religion "stealing" Exodus by claiming the Ten Plagues were Isis chastising the Egyptians (and the other gods) for their maltreatment of the Hebrews. According to the Wiki, Isis was concerned about the proper treatment of the poor, so enslaving an entire ethnicity and murdering their sons would be a sin against her.

Also, in Bernard Cornwell's Arthurian novels ("The Warlord Chronicles"), there's a scene in which Isis is invoked to determine who among men shall be king. Yes, it's fiction, but Cornwell is one of the better authors.

IF the Isiac religion taught that Isis determined who would rule among humans, I could imagine would-be rulers seeking her blessing. Perhaps Constantine or some analogue to him credits her with his victories and becomes a major devotee of the Isiac religion?
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