Historical Standpoint

[abaris]

Yknow, I can't help but think where we'd be today if it wasn't for religion's stifling of knowledge.

Actually, it was a combination of factors. The folks taking part in the migration of peoples weren't the sharpest tools in the shed. At least not the most educated ones. They couldn't even keep the roman aqueducts in good working order and Rome declined from a metropolis of a million people to about 20.000 in the Middle Ages. Again, due to many factors, not least of them losing the hinterlands that could sustain such a citiy.

Funnily it was the muslim cultures preserving the ancient knowledge, since they weren't as afraid of what the Greek and Roman scholars taught.