Are we the next Roman Empire? part 2

Continuing from last time, let's look at some other notable similarities between the Roman Empire and the present-day United States.

After the capital city was sacked by Alaric, Roman society collapsed. In the west, militant religious revival eliminated all vestiges of the once-luxurious Roman lifestyle, paving the way for the Catholic church to rise as both a religious and political entity as the sole remnant of civilization. In the East, the shrinking Empire moved to Constantinople, then finally died out as Muslim invaders moved across the land, taking back with them all of the advances in science, architecture, and mathematics. In short, art, science, and mathematics all moved east. In addition, the increasingly religious society that remained condemned the "infidel" Muslims and their technology, thereby extending the ensuing Dark Age far longer than necessary.

Most people would say this has no relevance to the United States whatsoever - we aren't dominated by religion...or are we? Recent advances in medicine, such as stem cell research, have been severely attacked by religious institutions of all sorts (not just Catholic). The issues of ethics and morality have caused America to hesitate before pursuing the latest advances, particularly in biological sciences, while scientists in other countries push forward unchecked by a governing body so consumed with politics that it bows to the will of its constituents - most recently, religious conservatives - in an attempt to prolong its stay in office. The "infidel" technology has since moved east, where it can be developed without interference by government that has slowly become more religious (or at least moral-conscious, which tends to point toward religious conservatism) over the past several decades, despite the Constitutional declaration of "separation of church and state."