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Catholicism in medieval times
Early christian religion
Catholic church medieval times
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During the beginnings of the early middle ages, after the fall of the Roman World, there was an assortment of problems for both the Christian and Muslim religious sects. While there were other important issues at hand for the two religions, no problem faired them worse than the inheritance of the Greco-Roman World. Whether it should be kept or discarded was the most problematic question to be discussed (Perry, p.171).
It was argued for and against by both the Christians and Muslim. It was argued that the cultural inheritance would be beneficial for learning; for both logical processing and for reasoning. But with this came an issue of trust. Could the Christians and the Muslims trust that this knowledge would not corrupt their people and cause them to turn against their beliefs?
Joined in this argument were two different types of people, and both religions had them. You had the religious intellectuals who were well educated, and they “defended the pagan works,” (Perry, p.171). You also had those who thought this learning would lead to corruption and chaos among the two religions.
Christianity, in the end, “preserved the intellectual tradition of Greece,” and the views of the Christian intellectuals were overwhelmingly supported, but the Greco-Roman teachings on philosophical matters went through a series of transformations, in order to keep in accordance with the Christian faith (Perry, p.171).
Islam, in some cases, took similar actions as Christianity did, in preserving its people’s faith and understanding in regard to their own belief system. However, Islam also took different direction in involving Greco-Roman culture, as well as combining these practices with the aestheticism of l...
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...ilosophy could turn away Christians and give them blasphemous thoughts against God, that the reasoning could create heresies among the Christian population who learned such knowledge.
Tertullian would have responded to Charlemagne’s conversions with open arms if there were not any compromises with pagan beliefs and practices. But the problem is that there were many different accommodations made when the Anglo-Saxons and the Germanic tribes were converted (Perry, p.209). He wouldn’t have reject Charlemagne’s pursuit of spreading Christianity, but he wouldn’t have been supporter of embracing pagan rituals in any form. He also would have been against Charlemagne’s fondness of classical learning. He would insisted that Charlemagne reject such nonsense, because he felt that this reasoning and logical dogma could corrupt a person’s very soul (Perry, p.172).
It is a common misconception of the historically uneducated that the age of the medieval Mediterranean consisted of innumerable clashing conflicts of these three “radically incompatible” civilizations. They were, for the most part, accepting and understanding towards one another as free will is valued highly in each of the Abrahamic religions; it was immoral to force conversion upon one another. Whereas the overall approach
The two most polarizing and influential religious figures of time, Jesus Christ and Muhammad, have been considered to be two people who, at two different times, attempted to bring messages that would change the landscape of the spirituality of the world and gain followings from the masses. Timothy George shows the two for being responsible for creating two of the three historical religions in the world, with both descended from the third, Judaism, in his article in Christianity Today. While both may have lived a parallel path for some parts and shared a similar message amongst a few issues, they severely disagreed in their teachings on others, and encountered different events in their life span, especially towards the end. From their lives’, to their actions, and to their teachings, this paper will examine the similarities and differences in the two great “teachers” of the religious movements of the Anno Domini age, and how vastly contrasting the two truly were at the core of their leadership and values. The heart of Islam and Christianity, examined to the core of their founders.
Islam culture in a way that was not seen in JudeoChristian ones. ( Murray 91). The
The nature of the cultural confrontation that took place between Old and New World cultures was profoundly shaped by the condition of fifteenth century Christian Europe at the moment of contact. Recent scholarship demonstrating parallels between New World and Old World paganism(1) raises the question of whether the reactions of fifteenth century Europeans to the native American cultures were conditioned by their own subconscious awareness of such cultural similarities. Given their history of suppression of their own primitive past, Europeans responded to the New World in the only way they knew how. Everywhere they turned they encountered alien cultural traditions exhibiting characteristics that reminded them of their own subconscious dragons. Acceptance of the Indian cultures on their own terms would have threatened the very catholic social order that had been the sole unifying force in Europe since the disintegration of the Roman Empire. The European predisposition to denigrate everything outside Christian experience was further accentuated by deep internal divisions within Europe that began to rend Christendom asunder in the sixteenth century.
...all, W. The Sources of Islam. Edinburgh, Scotland: T & T Clark Sivan, Emmanuel. Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics. Enlarged Edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001 Spencer, H. Islam and the Gospel of God: A Comparison of the Central Doctrines of Christianity and Islam, Prepared for the Use of Christian Workers Among Muslims. Delhi, India: S.P.C.K., 1998 Stott, John R. & Coote, Robert, editors. Down to Earth: Studies in Christianity and Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000 Sweetman, J. Windrow. Islam and Christian Theology. Part II Volume II. London: Lutterworth Press, 1999 Vander Werff, Lyle L. Christian Missions to Muslims. S. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2002 Zwemer, Samuel M. Heirs of the Prophets: An Account of the Clergy and Priests of Islam, the Personnel of the Mosque and 'Holy Men'. Chicago: Moody Press, 2002
The first part of this paper will explore the mystery-religions, the reasons behind their popularity, and the Hellenistic world in which they grew that began with Alexander the Great. Next, their characteristics and connections first with Judaism and later with Christianity will be more deeply discussed. In the second part it will be shown that the mystery-religions helped to clear the pathway for the Christianization of the Greco-Roman world by men such as Paul the Apostle. Finally, the Emperor Constantine’s role in this story will be mentioned, during whose reign the mystery-religions declined and Christianity became the major religion of Europe and the near east. The paper will conclude with a brief speculation about the significance of these ideas to modern Christianity.
It would let everybody be introduced to other ideas and allow the students to learn what they want to learn. This would appease most people. According to Wikipedia there are 2.2 billion Christians, 1.6 billion Muslims, and 1 billion nonreligious/atheists in the world. In my opinion all of these religions are faith based. One could argue that it requires more faith to believe in evolution than it does to believe another faith based religion. Those are the top 3 religions in our world and everyone should be respected and taught to whomever wants to learn them. Same with all other
Bulman, Raymond F, and Frederick J Parrella. From Trent to Vatican II. 1st ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.)
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
However much Islam and Christianity would seem to share common ground, the discussion is not complete without noting the parallels between this two that have taken center stage. Some of the remarkable differences as they try to answer deep life complexities arise in the areas of religious practices by both their adherents and the clergy (Dorothy 13-28). “There is also a stark contrast to the belief system subscribed to, means of salvation, scriptures”. The most prominent difference present concerns the belief of life after death and practices of depicting the metaphysical
Inglis, John. “Islamic Medieval Philosophy.” ASI 111. Sears Recital Hall, University of Dayton. 15 October 2002.
At the first glance, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common, however; as you go beyond the surface, they appear to have many similarities such as their beliefs of God, their beliefs of life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although two entirely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true way to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout the course of this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the alikeness between these two growing religions.
In conclusion, Irenaeus’ attacks against Christian Heresies had a major impact on the social world of that time and influenced many other heresy hunters to follow, so it is evident that his description Gnosticism and other Christian heresies is historically accurate. We can assume that the heretical groups of Christians still exists but that the true Christians don’t even acknowledge them as a threat. During Irenaeus’ time they were a threat because Christianity was still developing and people were trying to understand Christianity, and what it really is. All these critics and writers helped in developing a true understanding of Christianity.
While the relationship between religion and culture are intertwined and “extends well beyond texts,” one could argue that religion is not a holy, divine thing, but a byproduct of culture— a manmade construction. While the connection between culture and religion is more complex and substantial than what the simple study of literature such as the Bible provides, this symbiotic relationship between culture and religion forms a jumping off point into the study of religion and a clue as to what is often described as
During the Late Middle Ages, Christian followers and clergy were becoming increasingly concerned about the corruption of the church. Some had even declared that the dogma was false, however, the church had dealt with similar challenges before. In the 1500’s a new series of attacks on the church’s authority had started to destroy Christianity creating both political and cultural consequences.