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The Role Of Western Religions In Western Civilization

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Since the establishment of Western religions, the role played by these religions throughout history show that there is a direct relationship between the surrounding environment and the unique identities of these religions. For the most part, religions gain power through the number of followers they have, and one of the best ways to gain supporters is to morph into a religion that would incorporate the existing lifestyle of the surrounding culture into the religion. The religions of Western Civilization have continuously been in flux with their immediate environments, and over time, gained the popularity of many because of their ability to adapt.
Adapting to the surroundings was a strongpoint in Judaism. In Judaism, the Hebrews had to adapt …show more content…
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 element and were violating the law. Many Christians were persecuted during this time period, often in very gruesome and creative ways. Paul helped preserve the Christian faith …show more content…
Religion was important because it was a code of rules to live by for many civilians, plus it provided greater meaning to the lives of its’ followers. These religions have been able to adapt and accept surrounding environments, which lead to greater numbers of followers. Throughout time, the importance of these Western religions has increased because they have become more widely recognized and practiced. Also, religious philosophy played a role in shaping Western Culture by providing many different standpoints on religious issues. In Judaism, Saadia combined Jewish theologies with Greek philosophies based on what he alleged the religion to be. Saadia believed that you cannot fully understand God, but introduced ideas like sense observation, logical inference, reliable tradition, and self-evident truths to give Jewish followers their best chance at understanding Judaism for what Saadia believed it to be. Overall, religions shaped Western culture because it provided greater meaning to the lives of the followers. With people having something to live for, religion became of greater importance, thus leaking into facets of everyday life. If these Western Religions wouldn’t have adapted to their surroundings, their success would have been limited and the cultural impact would be of much less significance than it is today. Just imagine, if one of these religions wouldn’t have adapted and fought through the

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