...THE DECLINE OF EUROPEAN CHIRSTIANTY A Paper Presented to Professor Joshua Earls of Liberty University Lynchburg, VA In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for Christian Church History CHHI 302 By Tracy Barber November 8, 2012 INTRODUCTION In this paper I will focus on the reasons why European Christianity (both Protestant and Catholic) has declined. In order to do this we will study a couple of factors. First, the major factors that aided in shift of the decline. What effect did the “Thirty Year War’ have on the overall decline of European Christianity. What effect did “The Thirty Year War” have concerning religious commitment and civil and political concerning life? Then I will focus on other factors that brought Europeans Christianity to the point that it came to in the past, and look at other factors as well. Finally, I will paint a clear picture as to the effect of all the concerns that I have taken place (years of war), and look to see the positive and the negative effect all the different changes has brought. Wars of Religion These wars set the stage regarding the progress and the decline regarding Christianity, one would think that this form of action (War) would somehow aid in the advancement of Christianity (this not the case). Then religious values were regarded as of primary concern. The great thinkers on political and economic subjects usually based their ideas...
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...Empire | How Christianity played a part in the decline of an Empire | | | | 8/1/2014 | Paper outline 1. Introduction 2. Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire 3. How Christianity played a part in the decline of the Roman Empire 4. The situation after the fall of the Roman Empire 5. The situation in the dark ages 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography “Why did Rome fall?” still remains one the greatest questions of Western history. Many books have been written about this topic and many theories have been advanced about the reason of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Several reasons are issued for the fall. These reasons are issued to be sequacious and interwoven. For example, one of the most influential modern historians, Edward Gibbon wrote “The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire” in 1776, where he stated that the initiation of Christianity was one of the reasons for the decline. The transition of religions in the Roman Empire, from a polytheistic religion to a monotheistic religion, leads to instability within the Empire. (Gibbon, 1782) How Christianity was a factor in the decline of the Western Roman Empire will be discussed more extensively in this paper. In the beginning, Christianity was not more than an insignificant sect of Judaism and began its spread from Roman Judaea during the life of Jesus, but in only four centuries Christianity had become the state religion of the Roman Empire. The rise of Christianity is a much...
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...The Rise and Spread of Islam •The Post Classical Period: Faith and Commerce - Spread of major world religions o Budhism o Christianity o Islam 1. Spread through preaching, trade routes - Development of Systematic o Boat trade 2. Indian Trade spread disease, religion, ideas - Three Big Ideas o Trans-regional communication and exchange networks o Forms of state organize. Diversify o All societies increased productive capacity • Pre-Islamic Arabia - Bedoin culture based on Kin/clan/tribal networks o Survival dependent on loyalty to clan o Magnified by harsh environment - Shayks- clan/tribal leaders o Conflict was frequent o Society was fragmented - Fierce inter clan rivalries and struggles for resources o Emphasis on revenge, “male honor” - Towns and long distance trade----Mecca and Medina o Medina (Yathrib) (established on oasis) o Mecca more important – Umayyad (ruling clan) – Quraysh; (Ka’ba) - Status of women varied by clan o More respect vs. less respect - Little art/architechture (no big civs) o Focus on poetry 1. Gives glimpse into daily life - Bedovin religions- blend of animism and polytheism o Animism- nature worship - The life of Myhammad and Genesis of Islam o Born around 570 CE – Merchant, married Khadijah ...
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...argued that this has happened recently largely in Europe, where many of the white population in particular, move away from religious beliefs and more towards arguments such as science. However, many argue this isn’t happening, or that it isn’t exclusive to Europe. In addition, it is a highly contested concept, where there are deep methodological and theoretical debates over what it is, how to measure it or if it is occurring. It is often contested there was a golden age of faith, and those who suggest secularization is occurring need to prove society was more religious. The idea of this golden age is based on the belief that everyone previously went to church, but there lies problems in examining the past. Historical data records are sparse and there were no opinion polls or interviewers to carry our surveys to explore this, and therefore this argument lacks validity, reliability and representativeness. The idea of Golden age is far-fetched, however, as it was found by the first Census of religion in 1851 on England and wales that 40% of the population attended church. This suggests that there is no secularization, as European countries such as England weren’t largely religious then and there are not so now, so secularization hasn’t taken place. Secondly, Christianity still remains strong in the UK. Pentecostal denominations are growing, and evangelical Christianity is the fastest growing form of religion. Evangelical Christianity is a form of fundamentalism, where god’s literal...
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...that this has happened recently largely in Europe, where many of the white population in particular, move away from religious beliefs and more towards arguments such as science. However, many argue this isn’t happening, or that it isn’t exclusive to Europe. In addition, it is a highly contested concept, where there are deep methodological and theoretical debates over what it is, how to measure it or if it is occurring. It is often contested there was a golden age of faith, and those who suggest secularization is occurring need to prove society was more religious. The idea of this golden age is based on the belief that everyone previously went to church, but there lies problems in examining the past. Historical data records are sparse and there were no opinion polls or interviewers to carry our surveys to explore this, and therefore this argument lacks validity, reliability and representativeness. The idea of Golden age is far-fetched, however, as it was found by the first Census of religion in 1851 on England and wales that 40% of the population attended church. This suggests that there is no secularization, as European countries such as England weren’t largely religious then and there are not so now, so secularization hasn’t taken place. Secondly, Christianity still remains strong in the UK. Pentecostal denominations are growing, and evangelical Christianity is the fastest growing form of religion. Evangelical Christianity is a form of fundamentalism, where god’s literal...
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...Decline of the Roman/Han/Gupta Empires Diverse Interpretations Assignment COMPARISONS TO FOCUS ON: * The causes for the decline of the Roman, Han and Gupta Empires * Understanding of how and why the collapse of the empire was more severe in Western Europe than it was in the Asian Empires. * Comparison of the role that religions played in the declines * The impact of missionary outreach of the Christians and Buddhists in these empires RESOURCES * Upshur – “The Decline of Empires” * Stearns - Decline of Empires. * Frank Smitha - “Decline and Fall” * Johnson and Johnson – “Why Don’t Empires Last?” * Spodek – “China and Rome: How do they compare?” * Bulliet pages 168-170 and 186-189. ASSIGNMENT 1. Construct a Venn comparing and contrasting the causes for decline of the Roman, Han and Gupta empires. Information will come from the documents and not the lecture…you already wrote the lecture notes once, why write them again? Rome Han similarities Gupta 2. Write 3 comparative analytical mini-paragraphs about the decline of empires. (generalization, facts, analysis…) Remember that analysis answers the question “why?” Example: The AP World History teachers have very different tastes in beverages. Ms. Forswall likes tea while Ms. Patch likes cola. Green tea and Earl Grey are Ms. Forswall’s favorites; they taste nothing like Pepsi or Coke because soft drinks are much sweeter. Ms. Patch usually chooses a diet style of...
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...this surge in influence. Starting around 590, Pope Gregory I sought to convert Teutonic invaders to Christianity. Islam was also in play, as it had taken over most of Asia and Africa. According to Earl Cairns, by trying to win Teutonic tribes to Christianity, the medieval church “…further centralized its organization under papal supremacy and developed the sacramental-hierarchical system characteristic of the Roman Catholic Church.” In addition, the church had started with Christ, who made Peter the first Pope in Rome. Hence, it was evident that this would be fitting for the location of the papacy. Jesus had given Peter the keys to the kingdom, asserting that Peter was the rock on which he would build his church (Matthew 16:18-19). Basing the Church in Rome enabled close coordination of political and ecclesiastical leadership, especially since it was still under Roman rule. Another factor, which gave the Roman church its authority, was Damascus I (366-384), who called the church in Rome the apostolic see and named himself pontifex maximus, a name once held by the emperor of Rome. This elevated the authority of the church in the minds of Christians, and it elevated the political power of the church, making the pope the elect representative of God, similar to an emperor. This behavior of self-importance would later be repeated with King Charlemagne. When Christianity became the official religion in 451, the Church became very popular. The Council of Chalcedon in 451...
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...Byzantine Empire, survive past the decline of its Western half, it managed to thrive and produced many valuable works that are just as inspiring as those produced...
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...Historical Foundations Laketa Byrd American InterContinental University Abstract Latin was once the official language used in religion, education, law, business and government until the sixteenth century. Although Latin’s were able to adapt to the native language of other regions, the Latin language became less used and less recognizable to people and many vernacular languages were already beginning to form and spread. Because the vernacular language was easier for anyone to be able to read and write, it became the native language in the later part of the middle ages. Before this time, most texts and literature was written by either the French or Latin and only by those that were superior in literacy and education, professional and rich as they were the main ones using and able to read and write in Latin. When average everyday people started learning how to read and write, they created their own language as a way of communicating with each other, the vernacular language. This language was later used in in everyday life. In this report, I’ll discuss the origin of the vernacular language, how it became widespread and the impact this language had on society, religion and the Latin language. Historical Foundations Latin was once the only language of the Roman Catholic Church and was one of many common languages being used to worship God and was mainly used among the rich and those that were educated and highly literate to help people from...
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...The middle ages is a period that most certainly cannot be addressed as a period that no events occurred and all was so called "dark". Many Tragic events did happen, but during this period many events happened that weren't so dark. Such things as the rise of new Universities, the division of Christianity and the Renaissance. Let's begin to think of the middle ages as the birth of Western Civilization, instead of the images we have in our heads due to movies and high school history. During the High Middle Ages(1000CE-1300), ideas were changing, society became more interested in art, sports, education, and literature. Occupations and preoccupations differed from the feudal nobility and labouring peasants(McKay,Hill, Buckler,Crowston,Wiesner-Hanks, & Perry, 2012, p.298). Cities were now crowed and polluted and caused improvement in legal status. The sumptuary laws were laws that social groups needed to wear certain items clothing to distinguish from one another. The high social group wore velvet , silk, pearls while peasants wore dark clothing made of linen and wood blending(McKay,2012., p.300). So the interaction between the wealthy and peasants was common. Games and sports were a popular form of entertainment that united society. With that, Primary schooling was most of the time in monasteries, convents and cathedrals. By the 12th century the demand for trained officials increased, trade and feudalism were the cause of this development(History of Western Civilization...
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...Roman Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings around the Mediterranean in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Population: 56.8 million (25 BC) Capitals: Rome, Constantinople, Ravenna Area: 1.062 million sq miles Founded: 27 BC Continent: Europe Government: Autocracy, Stratocracy The Founding of Rome The Founding of Rome is very much embroiled in myth. Traces found by archaeologists of early settlements of the Palatine Hill date back to ca 750 BC. This ties in very closely to the established legend that Rome was founded on 21 April 753 BC, which was traditionally celebrated in Rome with the festival of Parilia. Two founding legends exist - Romulus and Remus and Aeneas. Rather than contradict each other, the tale of Aeneas adds to that of Romulus and Remus. King Numitor of Alba Longa was ejected by his younger brother Amulius. To do away with any further possible pretenders to his usurped throne, Amulius murdered Numitor's sons and forced Numitor's daughter, Rhea Silvia, to become a vestal virgin. However Mars, the god of war became enchanted by her beauty and had his way with Rhea Silvia while she slept. As a result of this Rhea Silvia bore twins, Romulus and Remus. An enraged Amulius had Rhea Silvia thrown into the river Tiber where she was caught beneath the waves by the river god who married her. The twins were set adrift...
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...Greek and Roman financiers: from the 4th century BC Banking activities in Greece are more varied and sophisticated than in any previous society. Private entrepreneurs, as well as temples and public bodies, now undertake financial transactions. They take deposits, make loans, change money from one currency to another and test coins for weight and purity. They even engage in book transactions. Moneylenders can be found who will accept payment in one Greek city and arrange for credit in another, avoiding the need for the customer to transport or transfer large numbers of coins. Rome, with its genius for administration, adopts and regularizes the banking practices of Greece. By the 2nd century AD a debt can officially be discharged by paying the appropriate sum into a bank, and public notaries are appointed to register such transactions. The collapse of trade after the fall of the Roman empire makes bankers less necessary than before, and their demise is hastened by the hostility of the Christian church to the charging of interest. Usury comes to seem morally offensive. One anonymous medieval author declares vividly that 'a usurer is a bawd to his own money bags, taking a fee that they may engender together'. Rome The Roman Empire inherited the spirit of capitalism from Greece (Parker).During the time of the Empire, public deposits gradually ceased to be held in temples, and instead were held in private depositories. The earliest recorded evidence showing banking...
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... Time of the Dark Ages The Dark Ages as a term has endured many evolutions. This time was referred to the Dark Ages because among all citizens, Europe went from having absolute leaders into adopting the Roman law system. The expression of the “Dark Ages” came into play during the 17th century when many enlightenment writers convinced that they were much greater to their ancestors and began using this term to scorn an era that they found to be very difficult to survive in. The Dark Ages can be referred to the entire time of the Middle Ages from 500-1500 A.D. or mostly for the early Middle Ages from 500-1000 A.D (Curtis, 1992) (O'Sullivan, 2012). It is also commonly referred to the period of time that accompanied the fall of the Western Roman Empire. When the Western Roman Empire was destroyed, unknowingly many people were going to begin to engage in a practice and experience devastating changes in their lives. Fewer career opportunities, literacy, and education were just the beginning of the fall. Cities then became smaller in size because the Roman Empire wasn’t able to provide the Roman tax revenues to maintain the services. Society inadvertently prepared to emerge in modernity through the preservation of classical literature and scripture. Over time education and literacy was mostly offered to the ministry. Christianity itself remained to spread East throughout the lands. During this time, most of the old crafts and arts were destroyed or lost. During the time...
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...Assess the view that secularisation has been a feature only of modern European societies. Secularisation, as stated by Wilson, is the process whereby religious beliefs, institutions and practices have lost their social influence. Max Weber concluded that society is undergoing a process of modernisation – a transition from religious tradition to rational and scientific ways of thinking – and rationalisation – the process by which rational ways of thinking have gradually replaced the religious teachings and understandings of the world. This secularisation is said to have started by Marten Luther when he challenged the principles and ideas of the Roman Catholic Church. This religion was the main religion especially within the UK that most of the population believed to be true. Luther undermined the popular religious view by writing 93 reasons challenging the churches beliefs and this initiated the processes of modernisation and rationalisation. Luther had started the end of the rule of the church within the UK by causing a Protestant revolution and disenchantment. Weber talks about disenchantment as a way of escaping the beliefs of the church, this caused the thought that the world operates according to its own laws of nature based on science and reason instead of religion and superstition and that God is transcendent. There is strong evidence to suggest that secularisation is very high within European societies, especially the UK as we can see from church attendance statistics...
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...existed between the Civil War and religion, with both influencing and being influenced by each other. As a result, religion during the Civil War did not remain a static entity during 1861-1865; instead, it became an institution that constantly changed and adapted itself, as well as its devotees. Americans used religion to interpret their experiences during and after the war. People on both sides of the conflict believed in a God who was actively involved in their affairs. To them, the war was not a secular event, but one guided by God. The God of the Civil War judged, chastised, and liberated people. Religions is a very serious topic, there is all types of beliefs on religion. Enlightenment thought gained influence in Europe and elsewhere,...
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