Bowtie, opinion disregarded.

The pagans of Greece and Rome built and cultivated successful civilizations, not without their flaws, but far and above what the subsaharan africans, australian aboriginies, or American continents achieved.

Catholicism brought them to even higher heights yes, but this blank slate thinking is nonsense, there are other factors. Mud huts can be surpassed without Christianity. If you want civilization at the level of the Sistine chapel, ok yes you need Christianity, but Europeans can get to the Acropolis, proto steam engines and philosophy before then. Why can't the sub-Saharans?