Long term prospects of a Pagan Europe?

Let's imagine that Europe is never Christianized. We can safely take Islam out of the picture as well. How would it develop in the long term? Would all of the various Germanic, Greco-Roman, Celtic, Iberian, Slavic, and Baltic belief systems remain separate, or would they all blend together? Would one overtake the rest?

How would this affect European history in other ways - Would pagan Europeans still be inclined to colonize the entire world as their Christian parallels did when the time came, and would they still have the power to do so? Would pagan Europe need the Enlightenment? Would pagan Europe develop democratic republics, and free-market capitalism? Would pagan Europe have an industrial revolution? Would pagan Europe develop as large a Jewish community as Christian Europe did?
 
Some other religious movement from the era would likely gain prominence in the empire (or a mish mash of various things taking over certain regions), the big ones I could see being interesting would be what happens to the Norse pagans. They where centralizing and had the potential to be truly lasting in the region, I could see Russian and Finnish gods being integrated into the pantheon with time. The thing to really look at in this TL is Zoroastrianism though, it very well could become something similar to what Islam became OTL if things go right.
 
If we can get an Alemanni Chief who converts to Isis Worship and fights the Emperor Who Re-Converted to Polytheism....
 
Hopefully the Cult of Bast could become prevalent, Cat Woship FTW!

Actually, I should start working on the map again...
 
If not christianism, possibly a reformed Mitraism.

And guys, some peoples may be disapointed - it may not change a lot on some aspects.. WORSE than OTL in some aspects, better in somes..

Or maybe buddhism filter slowly to Europe...
 
Possibly, I mean afterall the story of Buddha was known in Europe as early as the 2nd Century BCE.

Possible paths - eitheir passing by iranian world minorities and/or converts, from indian sailors and merchants to near east ports, or maybe oddly, nomadic peoples of the 'Ex USSR area'. Maybe the levant, the greek world, russia-slavic lands...
 
Let's imagine that Europe is never Christianized. We can safely take Islam out of the picture as well. How would it develop in the long term? Would all of the various Germanic, Greco-Roman, Celtic, Iberian, Slavic, and Baltic belief systems remain separate, or would they all blend together? Would one overtake the rest?

How would this affect European history in other ways - Would pagan Europeans still be inclined to colonize the entire world as their Christian parallels did when the time came, and would they still have the power to do so? Would pagan Europe need the Enlightenment? Would pagan Europe develop democratic republics, and free-market capitalism? Would pagan Europe have an industrial revolution? Would pagan Europe develop as large a Jewish community as Christian Europe did?

As long as there is a large tome of written theology, or a permanent priesthood which holds a certain collection of myths to be true, that give any religion, whether it is polytheistic or monotheistic, a good starting base to expand into a universal religion.

I think a Europe that practises some form of "paganism" could potentially achieve what OTL Europe did. As for a home-grown Jewish community, there might still be one, but I wouldn't expect them to have some monopoly on money-lending as an alternate pagan culture isn't guaranteed to have the same prohibitions on banking.

If they start out as early Medieval Europe did, they might need an "enlightenment". Without some Church organisation with a stranglehold on education, there would likely be many private individuals with collections of books, and these would be counted among the Romanized ruling elites whom collaborate with the barbarian conquerors, working in the capacity of accountants and secretaries, and even educators for the new aristocracy.
 
I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
Looking at Eastern religion and the way buddhism came in and merged with existing pagan beliefs- how would western religions look if melded with buddhism in the same way?
In particular I've been thinking about how the Germanic gods would be mellowed out and buddhism incorporated. Quite an interesting dichotomy to have on the one hand the die in battle with a sword in hand to go to a heaven of endless fighting, drinking and feasting, and on the other hand this idea of peace and meditation to attain a non-material enlightenment.
 
If not christianism, possibly a reformed Mitraism.

And guys, some peoples may be disapointed - it may not change a lot on some aspects.. WORSE than OTL in some aspects, better in somes..

Or maybe buddhism filter slowly to Europe...

Culturally and aesthetically speaking, I wouldn't expect a pagan Europe to look completely unfamiliar to us. Many people don't realize just how much compromising European Christianity did in order to establish itself, and how many pagan traditions survived as "folk beliefs". The bulk of society in the pre-modern era would still be superstitious peasants growing and eating the same foods, playing similar music, and wearing similar clothing.

It's the larger scale that I'm having trouble imagining.... The aristocracy, the social order, the political organization, the development of academia and sciences, the evolution of philosophy...
 
I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
Looking at Eastern religion and the way buddhism came in and merged with existing pagan beliefs- how would western religions look if melded with buddhism in the same way?
In particular I've been thinking about how the Germanic gods would be mellowed out and buddhism incorporated. Quite an interesting dichotomy to have on the one hand the die in battle with a sword in hand to go to a heaven of endless fighting, drinking and feasting, and on the other hand this idea of peace and meditation to attain a non-material enlightenment.

Perhaps one could look at the spread of Buddhism in Mongolia, and its interactions with Tengrism, as a possible source of insight?
 
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