Christianity And Its Effect On The World

The positive influence of Christianity is far reaching especially in the rich history and culture of Western Civilization despite a long standing ignorance or adamant denial of its contributions. The Bible itself is responsible for much of the language, literature, and fine arts we enjoy today as its artists and composers were heavily influenced by its writings. Paul Maier, in writing the forward to the book How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt, says this about the profound impact Christianity has had on the development of Western Civilization:

Christianity is a widespread and powerful religion because of its beginning in the Roman Empire. Factors contributing to this included spreading ideas without difficulty throughout the entire empire, the appeal of Christianity to the people, and the rule of Emperor Constantine.

Christianity was born and flourished in an empire where the common language was Latin and Greek. Two important people like Paul and Constantine further influenced and were a major part of the development of Christianity. The history of the Jews leading up to the time of Jesus had a major impact on the development of Christianity. “When Christianity was clearly identified as a distant religion, the new religion was considered by its members to be the fulfillment of Judaism rather than a new religion.” “Since Jesus was a Jew and preached to the Jews, Christianity was closely linked to Judaism.” The development of Christianity was due to several historical, political, and social circumstances.

The above statement can perhaps best sum up the relationship between Christianity and Europe throughout the ages. Christianity has been the strongest single influence in the history of Europe. Regardless of the century, no discussion would be complete without reference being made, at least in small part, to the Church. It is true that in recent centuries this influence has declined significantly, but nevertheless one could argue that it still plays an important part in the lives of many people. Throughout history Christianity has been both a unifying force and also a force for disunity.

Since before the United States was founded, the ideals of Christianity have been integrated into the government in some way, shape, or form. In the early days of the Colonies, Christianity was the centerfold for all government affairs; however, after the constitution was ratified and deemed effective in the United States, the First Amendment was born. The first amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (source). In the early life of the United States, the

Religions take a hold on societies in different ways. Christianity started as a revitalization movement against the Roman hierarchy, and was comprised of mostly woman and the poor. The Roman Empire took up most of the Mediterranean and North Africa. With the death of Jesus, around 33 CE, came a new, unique, religion that was a spin off of Judaism but they believed that Jesus was the foretold Messiah. Although they were persecuted, Christianity took hold in the ancient world because it offered salvation, was fair to all, and preached love and peace.

The Christian Crusades were the biggest cause of the spread of Christianity. The many nations converting to Christianity changed the entire workings of their governments, leading to the creation of many laws still in place today.

Many beliefs of Christianity come from religions other than Judaism. The Jews were the earliest believers of Christ, and had fought over whether to let non-Jews convert. They ultimately decided to spread their beliefs to everyone, and the non-Jews had brought in many ideas from their past religions, therefore, Christianity has many ideas that are based off of other religions, other than Judaism. For instance, some common ideas in Christianity and other religions are resurrection, life after death, and images or metaphors. Another reason one may be led to believe that Christianity rejects the core beliefs of Judaism is that the creation of the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, was greatly based off of the Quran. This is because the original followers invited non-Jews to convert which lead to a greater influence from other religions.

Christianity is one of the most dominant religions in the world today and has a long and complex history. Although Christianity has its roots in Judaism, it was greatly influenced by the culture of the Greeks and Romans it developed in. The Greco-Roman world was polytheistic and full of deities that were petty and faulted. As a young religion Christianity shares aspects with the religions around it, namely in the central stories. Eventually Christianity spread through the Roman Empire and to the rest of the world.

Christianity impacted countries around the world. All of the countries have positive impacts and maybe some negative impacts. Christianity has a high percentage of involvement. On the other hand, all of the countries provide very low percentages of other religions. For example, Costa Ricans are 76.3 percent Catholic, Costa Ricans are also 13.7 percent Protestant Christians. Other countries impact the world and have a percentage that are Christian. In Iceland, they have about 76.8 percent to the churches where they meet together. Another country was Russia, 15-20 percent of the country is Orthodox, 10-15 percent of the country is Muslim, and 2 percent of the country is Christians. Several countries have impacts of Christianity.

The spread of Christianity began as a religion in the Imperial Roman Age. They taught that Christ and Christianity ideology included the concept of equality in the afterlife. Some people believe that the spread of Christianity had direct responsibility for the fall of the Empire, but truthfully, it was more of a failing of Roman culture than the cause of the fall. The single god concept, known as monotheism, wasn’t new to the Romans, but it did initiate a change in philosophy where that one god stood above the Emperor and Rome itself. Other cults had certain similarities, such as Mithraism. Mithraism believed in the son of the sun who came to earth to rescue mankind. Similarities such as this one, aided the growth of Christianity. The idea of Christianity of the early Empire was not as pronounced and was limited. There were several schools of thought that developed as the concept of Christ spread. Eventually, the Catholic Church brought uniformity to the faith and established it as a public institution. The church established strict laws and religious doctrines and also wiped out heretic and divergent thoughts. Early Christians faced scorn and persecution. They were forced to blend in with their Pagan counterparts. In order to celebrate holidays of their religion, they used pre-existing holidays and festivals to blend in. For example, Christmas was originally part of the Great Festival of Winter Solstice. The most difficult challenge was getting people to believe in a single

The single most important aspect of European empires, beginning just prior to the fall of Rome, is the spread of Christianity to all areas of the continent in as little as a few hundred years. Many theologians state that Christianities spread is the indirect influence of God and the adoration of people to one true faith. Though it is true that Christianity has brought about people that even atheists could call saints, it is unquestionable that Christianity was so monumental because it united larger groups of people and its spread is contributed to adherence to local customs and its lack of new ideas in comparison to other religions of the day.

How does Christianity impact individuals, culture, and government? History has proven that religion influences individuals and society. It provides a moral code for individuals to live by and creates structure and unity for society. Some religions however, can have a negative effect on societies, but Christianity has continually proven to improve a society. First, Christianity affects an individual’s view of self, others, and God. Second, without Christianity, a culture’s traditions, family structure, and values are adversely affected. Thirdly, the absence of Christianity in government often results in misguided leaders, a weak foundation, and liberal laws. Overall, Christianity significantly influences individuals, culture, and government

In our modern society, religion can either promote positive, optimistic actions or negative, destructive ones. From Christianity to Daoism, each different religion shapes the lives of its followers. Christianity and Hinduism can propel their followers to achieve moral greatness, while Islam and _____ can cause people to do heinous, damaging acts of violence and self-destruction.

The influence that Churches have created throughout the course of history has greatly impacted lives of many people. Catholic, protestant, Christian, and Islamic churches have all had an effect towards the way their people live, think, and behave. Churches in each society have an effect that positively influences people. When people know that they have a God and savior who is at their side they feel comfortable, this keeps people together. Many societies base their whole life around their religion. Their religion is the rulebook, their faith, and their go to when in need of help.