Christianity in the Roman Empire

In our society today we seem to have a hard enough time remembering what happened last week, let alone last year. But imagine a society that existed over thousands of years ago whose legacy still lives on, it must have taken a great deal to bring this society down. What affect did Christianity have on this mighty empire and what factor did it play in the decline and fall of the Roman Empire?
Rome was not always an empire; it started out as a republic, but with the many reforms of Augustus it rose to a mighty empire. Rome began expanding and developing its culture and its love of life. Augustus had to play a hard political game " He had to be vitally aware of what men were thinking, and if possible pre-empt their actions or meet them half way". (Southern) By doing so he also reformed the government into an extremely balanced government with checks and balances.
Christianity was at first considered to be a sect or different version of Judaism but through the Disciples, Apostles a...