An idea's chances of survival are based on its ability to propagate, and not how truthful it is. Everyone has likely contracted at least a couple of viral ideas. Perhaps a fun fact.... that just happens to be fictitious! Something like "men think about sex every 8 seconds", or "If you manage to sneeze with your eyes open, they pop out". Science and education have squashed most old wives tales and urban legends, but some have evolved extreme resistance, and others thrive in poorer less educated countries.
One of the most disturbing modern viral ideas is the virgin cure for AIDS. Throw a life threatening STD amongst an uneducated population, and its no surprise people are willing to believe something appealing is the cure. Stemming from virgin purity ideas, it may have been an offshoot from Africa's most common viral idea - the deadly and highly evolved idea of Christianity.
Even in its simplest form, Christianity can be very persuasive. Love god and go to paradise, disobey and rot in hell for eternity. However, you'd have to be a child to fall for that alone, so Christianity comes equipped with all sorts of mechanisms to convince people of its truth, keep them believing, and compel them to pass it on. Read nearly any popular bible verse and it will likely contain information to aid one of those three things.
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You misunderstand the prevailing stance on Salvation. When Christ took the sins of the people of the past, the people of the present, the people of the future, he took all of them. All the sins you would EVER commit are already accounted for and forgiven. YOU do not have to take Christ as your savior, he already saved you. This is actually a pretty prevalent interpretation and most denominations have been going over reform policies due to the increasing support. But it is still a very old interpretation. Now, people like you will whine about the lack of free will in that take, or the stalemate of it all, or you might get mad that, without your permission, you are included in something you despise. Well, SURPRISE, your ignorance is again revealed and your hypocrisy is immense.
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