...Question 1. How did Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam spread across the world, and why are they practiced so far from their origins? Question 2. How did these three major world religions change and adapt to diverse cultural circumstances? Question 3. Why did Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam emerge when and where they did? Question 4. How did Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam interact with, provide justification for, and conflict with various states and empires in Afro-Eurasia? The Big Picture How is this topic related to Increasing Integration? As Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam spread across the borders and frontiers of Afro-Eurasia, they integrated diverse peoples by means of a common religion. How is this topic related to Proliferating Difference? The spread of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam introduced new beliefs and practices to a wide variety of peoples. These beliefs and practices were often quite different from indigenous religions. In addition, indigenous beliefs and practices often changed the new religions as they adapted to local conditions. These changes frequently resulted in the development of different sects within the new religions. Unit Purpose ß Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam spread across borders and frontiers as a result of missionaries, pilgrims, and trade. Each of these three major world religions changed over time, and all served as elements of change in the societies where they were introduced. ß 1 ß Conversion to the three major world religions...
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...Buddhism and Christianity have their similarities and some differences of their early spreadings around the world. Both religions are offshoots of other religions. Christianity spread throughout the Roman empire after Jesus had died and the Jews wanted a messiah to help them. Buddhism spread through Southeast Asia because during the time of the fall of the Han Dynasty people went to Buddhism as a comfort religion. The two religions have different ways to reach salvation. In both religions, Jesus and Buddha never wrote down their teachings and the spread of their teaching was through their disciples and or missionaries. Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism and Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism. In Christianity, Jesus was born a Jew and lived as a Jew for many years of his life. Jesus followed and worshiped the Jewish law. Just like in Judaism, Jesus emphasized God’s love and teachings of the need of morality, justice, and do good work for others, but because Jesus claimed to be the messiah everything changed. Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism...
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...Some regions were under the control of several different societies during this period. Christianity, through its religious practices, education, & economics, became one of those societies that became very dominant in Latin America. Through the exchange of cultural beliefs & ideas, Christianity has changed society in Latin America. Christianity became adapted through the different cultures & ideas the Latin Americans experienced as stated in the 1st & 5th documents. The 1st document talks about how Domingos Fernandes Nobre traveled the world looking for gold & slaves while practicing holy customs along the way. It is linked to the change that Christianity has had in Latin American societies because this brought different customs & religions...
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...characteristics of each religion. Christianity for example bases its faith on many different things such as God the creator, Jesus the son and savior, the Word of God as documented in the Bible and also a belief in the devil or Satan who is an enemy to God and his people. As we began to review other western religions, the similarities to Christianity become clearer, for example all religions believe in a God or higher power for example in Judaism they believe that God spoke to Abraham and in Islam God is Allah and he speaks to Muhammad. There are also rules to follow that usually include a divine spoken word like in the Torah and the Qur’an. The Golden rule is also found in these religions in one form or another but mainly one should show love for all by doing good for others and be mindful of the sick and the poor, and lastly of everlasting life. Throughout history, religion has evolved and changed that may be due to people moving and traveling and by their own perspective and understanding of the existing religion and then merging the best of their own and the new to create another style of religion. Christianity, because of these influences has changed and even branched off into many sub religions that follow the basic principles but add a characteristic or ritual from another religion or culture. In current times things such as cultural clashes and media influences have altered the way people view any and all types of religion. Although in today’s world, all branches face a similar...
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...Fundamentalist Christianity is more of a threat to society than Fundamentalist Islam. Last year, a Kingstone colleague of mine stood before this debate to challenge the audience about the power of words and initially I’m going to do the same. However, my challenge is not about the power of words plural, but the power of only one word and the effect that it inevitably brings. When mentioned, the power of this word and the feelings that surround it, can change an upbeat atmosphere like ours tonight into one less gregarious and for this I apologise in advance. I can see you all bracing in anticipation, so here goes ……………………Fundamentalism. What image just sprang to mind? Was it women dressed in hijabs, young, teenage boys standing with guns or the appalling image of tortured soldiers? Whatever image it is, I expect the connotations to be associated with a religion that has become synonymous with death and revenge. There is little doubt that Fundamentalist Islam is seen by many as a threat to our society, but I stand here tonight to challenge you to consider something a little closer to home - that it is actually Fundamentalist Christianity that is more of a threat to our society rather than Fundamentalist Islam. To explore this radical concept with you, I’m going to focus on three objectives: first, I’m going to discuss the meaning of fundamentalism, second, what is fundamentalist Christianity and third, why I feel that fundamentalist Christianity is more of a...
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...Jesus vs. Mohammad “Compare and Contrast” Introduction The information contained in this document is to depict two highly religious idols, and how they influence many during their ages. Jesus was the center and founder of Christianity, while Mohammed was a great prophet of Islam. Christianity and Islam are the largest religions in the world. They account for over 2 billion of the world’s population. Christianity and Islam also share many things in common, but they differ in other aspects. Although, Jesus and Mohammed lived righteously by the principles that were created by them, they affected humanity like an echo in the past and present. This research is to compare and contrast the key elements of Jesus and Mohammed historically, respectively, and how their legacy is still being carried out in the world today (Wikipedia, 2008). (1) Trace the lives of Jesus and Mohammed historically The Life of Jesus Christ (**6** BC - **29-33** AD) Historians do not exactly know the birth date of Jesus Christ. It has been said his birth took place on or around December 25th 6 BC in the city of Jerusalem. This day is traditionally celebrated by Christians as the birthday of Jesus. Jesus was born unto a father Joseph, and a mother “The Virgin Mary. Other than shortly after his birth, little is known of the life of Jesus other than what is recorded in the “Four Gospels”. These events were written some fifty to eighty years after the death of Jesus. These Gospels are derived of an...
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...Apostle Paul visited the religious and cultural experience of the Greco-Roman world through cities like Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, and Rome; this lead him to the brazen act of spreading christianity beyond Palestine. In Rome, there were an innumerable amount of religions that were assimilated after a people's conquer; this was due to the fact that polytheism, in Rome, was accreditted. Eventually, the Pantheon was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in the early second century in honor of his building program that pushed architects to build new and better landmarks as well as sculptures from artisans; also being Emperor, he was tasked with making temples. Easily distinguished Christian art is traceable to late of the second century, and early of the third. Although, the Old Testament writes off graven images, this did not defer future artisans from continuing their Greco-Roman culture, which was heavily based off of imagery, buildings, sculptures, and etc. As the religion, Christianity, continued to expand and gain more converts, many of whom were raised to appreciate images from previous religions, naturally wanted to continue their way of doing so. For example, there was a change in burial practices in the Roman world, and I quote, "Outside the city walls of Rome, adjacent to major roads, catacombs were dug into the ground to bury the dead. Families would have chambers or cubicula dug to bury their members. Wealthy Romans would also have sarcophagi or marble tombs carved for their...
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...At the time, the Roman Empire had strict laws about religion in their empire. The Romans had it set that current religions can continue, but no new ones will be forced. During this time period, Christianity formed out of Judaism as a reform movement, and at the time, had very few members. Slowly, the descendants of the apostles passed on traditions and it became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire. This success was because there was organizational strength within the religion. Paul, an early Christian leader, wrote the “Letter to the Romans” to give the Romans a concrete foundation to serve God effectively. Paul incorporated many ideals into this letter, and one is how to follow and obey the law. Paul wrote, “You must obey the governing authorities. Since all government comes from God, the civil authorities were appointed by God, and so anyone who resists authority is rebelling against God’s decision” (Paul, Letter to the Romans, 267). Paul also wrote about respecting your enemies, which also became important during the period of persecutions under the Roman Empire. From roughly the year 64 C.E until 312 C.E, Roman authorities felt as if the Christians lacked a respectable...
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...Immanuel Kant coined the motto of the Enlightenment to be “Dare to Know!” That being said, one can describe The Enlightenment as series of philosophical, cultural, and social movements in thought, which occurred during the late 17th century to through the 18th century. (Gay, 1966). The Enlightenment changed Europe and made Europe more modern through emphasis of knowledge and questioning the way that society was structured. The changes are seen through the debate surrounding religion, shifts in societal thinking, and the ideas of Philosophes. The Enlightenment changed a lot about Europe to make it more modern. One way that Europe developed during this time was, many people started to view religion in a different light. Specifically, this change and view was seen with Christianity, people started to question whether Christianity should control how society believes the world should function. From this, theists and deists emerged, theists did not want to outright get rid of Christianity but rather remove the irrational portions of the religion;...
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...The Conversion of Constantine Constantine was the first Emperor of Rome to convert to Christianity. His mother, Helena, exposed Constantine to Christianity at a young age. Constantine didn’t declare his Christianity until he was over 42 and did not get baptized until shortly before his death. Writing to Christians, Constantine made clear that he believed his successes were owed to the protection of that High God alone. In 306 A.D, when Constantine came into power and for the next thirty years of his reign Constantine elevated Christianity and the Church within the Roman Empire. By the time of his death in 337 A.D. he had changed the landscape of both the Church and Roman society. Constantine had increased the Church leaders duties and responsibilities. Before the end of century, Constantine outlawed traditional sacrifices and the state cults were forbidden. The Impact of the Fall of the Western Empire on the Church A better question is: How big was the impact of the fall of the Western Empire of Rome on the Church? Constantine’s edict legitimized Christianity and additionally the duties and responsibilities given to Church leaders. As the Western Empire began to deteriorate the people began to look towards the Church and the Bishop of Rome. The Church began to grow, collecting money, land, and power; these resources and authority of the Bishop offered the people of Rome security that the Empire of Rome could no longer provide. As the Empire lost it’s ability to protect...
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...Islam and Christianity are two of the largest and fastest growing religions that have impacted the livelihood of billions of people around the world. Their philosophies and teaching has established a bridge of cooperation and dialogue that has been recognized in both government and society. Both of these religions were discovered in the Middle-Eastern and they are considered as the Abrahamic religion. Even thought both religion share common ground of being monotheistic religion of believing the existence of one God, yet their tradition and mythology is what sets them apart. Islam is a religion that teaches in order for one to gain peace of mind with the universe and humanity he/she must submit to God and follow his rules. On the other hand,...
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...The Decline of Christianity in Europe Over time all things in life deteriorate unfortunately that’s how life goes. That car you bought years ago is beginning to show signs of age. We can mask or disguise things to make them look better than what they are but at the core its dying. Our bodies could be affected by illnesses but who can actually see it? It is a nearly impossible to name every factor playing into the decline of Christianity in Europe. As scripture suggests judgment should begin in the house of God. The Church in Europe has to its credit centuries of violence and oppression of other cultures and its own supporters, which consistently glare out striking the perceptions of the Church’s history of compassion and charity. The Church has also gripped tightly to its tradition as the root of its once great social and political power. This territory that was at one time the hotbed of Christian growth has become a land, which has become more and more liberalized. The liberal views are in direct conflict with the authoritative back and white nature of the Church, Christian morality and Christianity because they are slanted with no absolutes. It seems to that the New European Union is distancing itself from the memories of the checkered history of Christianity on the European land. The Churches in Europe have been in a sweeping down swing over the last 100 years. Not ever country in Europe is having an immense collapse, some are having success while others...
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...believed in, how people should relate to one another and even the view about death and afterlife. Before the coming of missionaries and the introduction of Christianity African had their traditional religion that not only helped in bringing them together but was used to ask for favors from their gods. African theologians have been trying to establish the relationship between Christianity and African traditional religion. One bone of contention that theologians face is on the relationship between Christians and their dead ancestors. Among the Africans death does not mark the end of the human relationship as they consider those who die to have entered the spirit world. African theology is the key to understanding Christianity in Africa. The saying that it is ill-advised to run randomly in African forests is quite applicable in the case of African theology. It is always advisable to get the guidance of someone who identifies with its paths and the landscape. This essay will, therefore, look into the life of Bediako Kwame as a guide as to understanding African Christian theology. The essay will look into the biographical details and description of historical, social, cultural, economic and political factors within which he lived and worked. Moreover, it will examine the ways in which his work relates to the discussed context and appreciate four of his major themes. Lastly, it will study the contributions of Bediako Kwame to the theology field in general and discuss how his thinking...
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...One of the largest religions in the world is Islam, with more than one and a half billion followers nationwide which is rapidly growing today. Islam and Christianity appear to be very different, but core beliefs behind them are very similar. Most of Islam’s population came from the Middle East, but there are still large amount of Muslims throughout the United States (Nation Master, 2010). Islam has grown significantly in the past twenty years within the United States. They both, belief in one God and that both religions result from the direct descendent of Abraham, a quality that is also shared with Judaism. The doctrinal beliefs of each religion are each different. Islam is the most important figure in the world, and a name that is recognized by most around the world is the prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was born in approximately 570 C.E. in the town of Mecca. At the time of his birth the area of Mecca was populated by many people who practiced polytheism, and a minority of the population was devoted to Christianity and Judaism. Instead of pursuing any of these practices, instead Muhammad would find himself meditating in a cave on the outskirts of town quite frequently, and it is there where Muslims believe their religion was founded. One night while meditating it is said that an archangel visited Muhammad and declared him as one of God’s prophets. Over his lifetime he had many more visions and through the help of his wife and cousins the words he received were written down, and...
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...Public Relations and Religion The media is a dangerous place when it comes to informing the public about accurate information regarding news, culture, events, and history. As an executive media specialist at CNN I decided to sit down and go over a very pressing topic with other specialists about three monotheistic religions that are skewed across the media. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are three major monotheistic religions in the world. It is important that each of these religions are accurately portrayed across the media because there is a growing dissonance over truly understanding a religion and the followers it has. Today I will be discussing in this report four key points about these three religions. I will be explaining each religion...
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