Shusaku Endo’s Silence and Christianity (4)


Shusaku Endo’s Silence and Christianity (4)
              One may think that Christianity is the best religion in the world because it has the largest number of believers. I would like to show that this understanding is wrong.
              Why has Christianity spread so widely in the world? This question needs to be answered in two steps, first historically and second economically. I want to consider the second step leaving the consideration of the first to historians.
That question can be answered by applying the theory of network externalities. This theory can be understood easily if an example is given. It is beneficial to have a telephone when most others are telephone users. It is not beneficial to have a telephone when only one out of ten thousand people are telephone users. People become telephone users because many others are telephone users.
Similarly, it is beneficial to become a Christian when most others are Christians. It is hard for non-Christians to live in a society where 90% people are Christians. This is why most Europeans and Americans are Christians. They did not choose to become Christians by studying the Christian doctrine and comparing it with other religions’.
              This is the mechanism of network externalities. A striking feature of network externalities is that the quality of what is widespread is not necessarily high. People did not choose it because its quality is high. They chose it because others had chosen it. This is in stark contrast with the quality of an item that each individual chooses independently of others’ choices.
              My claim is that because of the reasons given above Christianity does not bring peace to the whole world. We need a religion more suitable for creating world peace.

Comments and questions are welcome.
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