I mostly agree with Olondi on this. Apparently those of us who don't automatically knock down foreign temples are in a minority. So my answers go like this:
1. Yes - benefits remain the same for ALL factions - this is the main reason I don't always knock down foreign temples. Especially when you conquer cities > 6000 population, temples might give you +30% public order from law + happiness, or +15% happiness AND +3 experience (or equipment upgrades). Even if you can build similar benefit temples, it's gonna take you 6 turns + about 2k denarii to replicate this benefit! There aren't ANY money-earning buildings you can build 1st? There are NO military buildings to be upgraded? You can't upgrade the blacksmith? the farms? sanitation? the entertainment buildings? NOTHING? There are NO nearby military units you can cycle thru this city to get upgrades?2. No degradation of benefits - but like Olondi says, see #4.
3. As #4 - foreign temples, LIKE SOME OTHER FOREIGN BUILDINGS, cause a culture penalty (seen in the city details display). For MOST buildings (INCLUDING TEMPLES!), the maximum culture penalty is 10%. The largest culture penalty, by far, is caused by the governor's building!!!! When a town/city grows into the next size category, if the governor's building isn't of your culture, you REALLY want to upgrade it ASAP! I've seen culture penalty drop by 35% (!!!!!!!) when the governor's building became my own kind. You can easily watch these chages in your own campaign - no matter what faction you are playing. For a few turns or whenever you want - cycle thru all your city build screens - in each city where there is only one turn left to complete a building & that building will replace one of another culture's, take notes on city name, governing tax style (with or without family member in place), public order, old building (& culture that built it) & new building being completed (your faction's), culture penalty & # of "unhappy faces" shown in city details panel. After the end of turn, go back & see how things have changed. I have a couple pages of notes like this on college ruled notepaper - 1 line per build change. .....interesting.....!!!!! You'll find that upgrading roads, fortifications, & military buildings have no effect on public order or culture penalty. hmmm....
4. As far as I can tell, a temple, no matter how big it is, causes no more than -10% to public order from the culture penalty. Since I can often live with this level penalty, I usually concentrate on improving economics, growth, military features of the town before I even think of tearing down a foreign temple! If you were to take over a minor Carthagian city with large temple to Baal, for instance, that's +15% law +15% happiness -10% culture penalty = NET +20% public order. What's the hurry to knock it down?
5. I think the big attraction to "always tear temples down & build your own" is you get a 15-20% boost in public order ( 10% of it from the decrease in culture penalty) IN ONE TURN, for 400 denarii (less, if your governor has %-off building bonuses). But - see my version of #4, above. I usually run most of my cities "blue in the face" most of the time - as long as they don't actually revolt. I worry a lot more about cities pumping out money and/or military units than how happy they are. It's TOTAL WAR, ya knowThe one kind of temple I fear are straight "happy" temples - Bacchus, Aphrodite, & ???. Also the barbarian's friggin' taverns! You wanna screw over one of your Julii generals? Build even a shrine to Bacchus in some Gaul town - & leave the tavern standing too! You'll have a good times boy pretty soon, I'll bet (from sad experience with a general who WAS a great field commander!)
[This message has been edited by mikecz (edited 06-01-2006 @ 07:46 PM).]