Wrong sir.... the xians grew in influence due to Roman political culture of military cults and official gawds/icons....hebrew aramaic and arabic cults all are rooted in the Mediterranean Sea.....African Asian Polynesian and "American" tribal religions are not "infected" by your alleged virus nor have all religions died out for lack of viral attributes

What I've noticed is that a well-crafted lie, tailored specifically to appeal to preexisting fear/ anger/ prejudice, tends to be believed immediately and thereafter because it is comforting in a time of uncertainty and insecurity--even if it is absurd at face value, has no evidence to back it up, has experts saying it is wrong, or has known liars propagating it.

So few stop to think, "If that is true, it would be obvious to everyone involved. It would be clear in the numbers. The people who work with these kinds of problems every day would have clear insight into this. So...IS it obvious to everyone involved? IS it clear in the numbers? DO the people who work with these kinds of problems every day have clear insight?"

Basically, what kinds of things would I expect to see if this were true? Do I see ANY of them?

If the answer is no, do not pass on to your neighbors that drinking hand sanitizer or bleach will cure Covid-19 (or aquarium cleaner tablets).

I just watched the HBO documentary "After Truth". What I noticed, that wasn't commented on in the documentary, is that the more the lies are delivered with an angry/fearful us/them tone, the more the listener falls prey to believing them. How could the speaker be wrong when they are THAT angry about it? (Hannity, Alex Jones, etc.) I couldn't understand how a random dude could take a gun and go to a pizza parlor thinking there was a sex trafficking dungeon in the (non-existent) basement run by famous politicians and celebrities, until I realized he was listening to Alex Jones continuously, reinforced by an internet underbelly.

There is a religious fervor element here. If you don't believe Crazy Thing X with as much passion, anger, or fear as the rest of us, you are not one of us. You are not only alone, not only ostracized, but despised and hated as the enemy.

At least it is a nice hope.

I have, in past post and discussions, explained to people how to go about possibly eliminating Christianity and Masonic Lodge secret religion racist devil worship.

One, it is not a simple explination to back up this synopsis of a statement: Biblical text theme follows out of Egypt Osiris/Horus Father to Son/Father reincarnation myth and the New Testiment is written as eye witness statements that it really occured as Jesus being angelic lord of host lucifer the devil leading the Masonic Lodge secret religion racist devil worshipers in such as but not limited to therir capitalism wage slave labor.

Two, if Christianity, Masonic Lodge secret religion racist devil worship government terrorism European invadors and the general public, in general, were to understand this, then it could potentially bring them to an end for Christians are not Christians because they think they are worshiping the devil, but rather they think they are worshiping the oposite. So to ask the queation, "If Christians understood how the biblical text actually indicates that Jesus is lucifer the devil, do you really think they would want to continue being Christians?"

Three, we could then enjoy freedom of free brick homes for everyone on Earth from this Masonic Lodge secret religion racist devil worship most commonly known as United States of America since their freedom from England July 4, 1776 to rape this land, it's wealth and resourses from those of the original indigenous inhabitants that had been here for 1000s of years prior that have been called such things, but not limited to, Mexican, Indian and Native Americans.

As to Osiris of Egypt:

He was married to his sister Isis, who was goddess of the sky and love. Isis and Osiris had a child Horus, who is believed by many to be a reincarnation of Osiris. 

John 14:9 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

Osiris is usually identified as the God of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is also called the King of eternity, King of the living, Master of souls; He who appears as ram in Mendes, and the Sovereign of Amenti.(1) Another curious title that you will find for Osiris is the “Morning Star.”

This same Morning Star of Osiris found in the Book of the Dead, appears to be the same Morning Star that we can find in the Book of Revelation, where Saint John says, “I will give him the Morning Star (Rev. ii. 29).  

John 1:1 In the beginning was the logos, the logos was with God and was God.  

Logos,  thought/word capabilities.  What is anything with out cognition or thinking ability? 

What is the highest of concepts to understand? Knowledge of good and evil. 

Can cognition create? As written, Jesus character say: ... that born of pneuma is Pnuema.  I think "Ruach"would be used instead of Pnuema if originally written in Hebrew.   Ruach and Pnuema translated into English is Spirit which as a connotation of ghost.  This I think is an error to use spirit with or as a connotation for ghost.  

Jesus character referred to himself as "son of man". The man (people) having the Egyptian logos thoughts spoke Jesus character into existence.  This follows with other themes of biblical ideals the "God" created by simply speaking it into existence.   Speaking words is force with information.   Ruach is a force. Air molecules have a force with intellageable pattern when words are spoken.

The biblical text follows out of Egypt and most do not understand nor know the connections that the biblical text actually saying in new testiment that the Egyptian stories come true.

The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance." Isaiah 19:25

The "Lord" of Israel was Egyptian.

As to Osiris of Egypt:
But he did not just represent death in the physical world, also rebirth or what you may call being born again.

a)   John 3:3 

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."

As to Osiris of Egypt:
He was married to his sister Isis, who was goddess of the sky and love. Isis and Osiris had a child Horus, who is believed by many to be a reincarnation of Osiris.

John 14:9 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

Osiris is usually identified as the God of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is also called the King of eternity, King of the living, Master of souls; He who appears as ram in Mendes, and the Sovereign of Amenti.(1) Another curious title that you will find for Osiris is the “Morning Star.”

This same Morning Star of Osiris found in the Book of the Dead, appears to be the same Morning Star that we can find in the Book of Revelation, where Saint John says, “I will give him the Morning Star (Rev. ii. 29).

The uneducated with no interest in mystical traditions and the esoteric may regard Ancient Egypt as little more than a place of pagan worship, strange hieroglyphics, and monuments erected by thousands of Hebrew slaves. But those more learned, especially those having undertaken the initiative rituals of Freemasonry, will see a link between the Egyptian metaphysical tradition and modern mystery schools, of which Freemasonry is one. www dot gaia dot com /article/ancient-egypt-and-freemasonry

Lord of host Lucifer the devil leading the Masonic lodge secret religion racist devil worshippers in the establishment of the mark of the beast 666 identification for taxation and government control. No justice for the innocent, more children can be trained to speak and act abused to wrongfully prosecute innocent people especially those that oppose there Masonic lodge secret religion racist devil worship "my teacher made me touch her p.p ". Take the original indigenous inhabitants of their land call it America call them such as Mexicans, Indians and native Americans

The idea you are describing is called memetics, a relatively new field within biology, introduced by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. Religion or pieces of culture are viewed as replicators, just like genes are, which obey biological principles.

The flaw in your analogy, actually many flaws. Is that there's too many religions that are not dead and are even more viral (more followers) like Islam. Hinduism, Buddhism or still alive but less followed like Mormons, jewish, scientologists, and many dead but not forgotten and are now mythology like the egyptian Osiris et al, the norse Odin et al, the roman Jupiter et al or Greek Zeus et al.

the scientific method
test everything, and keep what is good

anyway, really liking the virus angle, but be sure the virus is IDed correctly eh
imo religion is just a symptom maybe

awesome, prolly stealin it

fwiw this is encoded in the Bible, i shit you not, briefly believers are "Esau" gimme some of that red stew, or i will die! with their human sacrifice pov and you are "Jacob," and understand why the publicans and prostitutes are beating you (Esau) into the kingdom

"jesus of nazareth"="john doe, from nowhere"

I've always a fan of Dan Dennett of Tufts. Check out his lancet fluke video to confirm what you saying.

There is too much entrenched stupidity in the human species for religion to be eradicated.

I think it was a great idea at the time. It brought the Jewish idea of man as made in the image of God and the Greek idea of the logos as the rational for life together in one package. It gave people a sense of independence from both mortal and immortal tyrants and a feeling that ultimately, they determined their own future. No need, I'm sure, to comment on how it all went bad.

If it was a virus, it was the opposite of the Coronavirus.
The Flavian Romans very likely incubated it in a lab (invented it to replace radical Judaism), spread it via their 'mass media,' and worked diligently to eliminate competing religions, including their own, which was so closely identified with the old Caesarian regime.
It couldn't have possibly failed to take root and spread like wildfire throughout the Empire.

Did it go viral?. I don't think so. If it had not been made the state religion by the Romans it may have just remained another doomsday cult.

You could argue the same idea for many religions. It comes down to giving out promises of a better life ahead, just like snake oil salesmen and politicians have long done. All major religions have something else on their side for proliferation - they attracted and snagged leaders who forced those religions on people on the pain of death.