Premium Essay

The Role Of Western Religions In Western Civilization

Submitted By
Words 1593
Pages 7
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

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Western Civilization

...The start of Western Civilization can be traced back to the East where people in Mesopotamia and Egypt developed organized societies and created the ideas and institutions that we connect to civilization. Greeks and Romans also played a big role in the development and were fed and influenced by these older societies in the East. Around 3000 B.C., people in Mesopotamia and Egypt began to develop cities and deal with the problems of states. In order to deal with the problems they developed writing to keep records which then created text. Our memory of humans began with these two civilizations. Many things lead up to the creation of the dynamic western culture, a few of those being religion in egypt, the fall of rome, the creation of new european...

Words: 1479 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Globalization

...(a) What are the eight major civilizations that Huntington presents in his argument? Is this an appropriate or accurate categorization/qualification of "civilizations?" Why or why not? (b) What are the five civilizational traits that Huntington presents in this article? What is one trait/aspect that he may have overlooked? Why was this potential "trait" not included among Huntington's original five? (c) In what three ways may non-Western civilizations potentially "respond" to the powers and values of Western civilization? Please choose two responses and provide and briefly describe/explain One specific real-world example depicting each of the two selected "responses." (d) In Huntington's view, why will civilizations clash? Please discuss in detail the six reasons Huntington uses to explain why a clash of civilizations is seemingly inevitable. (e) Do you agree with Huntington's argument as to why civilizations will clash? Why or why not? Provide at least ONE specific real-world example to support your answer. (HINT: In answering "why or why not," please consider whether Huntington overlooked and thus forget to add an important "reason" or whether he should omit/take-out one of his "reasons." Yao Jingjing Globalization and International Affairs October 9, 2012 Dr. Richardson Chapter 5 introduces a theory, “the clash of civilizations”, proposed by Samuel P. Huntington. According to this theory, “the fundamental source of conflict” after Cold war will be people’s cultural...

Words: 1188 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Political Philosophy

...Clash Of civilisation The Clash of Civilizations (COC) is a hypothesis that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. It was proposed by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington in a 1992 lecture at the American Enterprise Institute, which was then developed in a 1993 Foreign Affairs article titled "The Clash of Civilizations? in response to his former student Francis Fukuyama's 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man. Huntington later expanded his thesis in a 1996 book. Huntington began his thinking by surveying the diverse theories about the nature of global politics in the post-Cold War period. Some theorists and writers argued that human rights, liberal democracy, and capitalist free market economy had become the only remaining ideological alternative for nations in the post-Cold War world. Specifically, Francis Fukuyama argued that the world had reached the 'end of history' in a Hegelian sense. Huntington believed that while the age of ideology had ended, the world had only reverted to a normal state of affairs characterized by cultural conflict. In his thesis, he argued that the primary axis of conflict in the future will be along cultural and religious lines. As an extension, he posits that the concept of different civilizations, as the highest rank of cultural identity, will become increasingly useful in analyzing the potential for conflict. In the 1993 Foreign Affairs article, Huntington writes: ...

Words: 2810 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Our Culture

...Our Culture/ Bangladeshi Culture The culture of a society means the way of living, eating habit, cultural functions, different kinds of festivals, clothes, language, religion, values, policies, tradition etc. It is the complete picture of a nation and the most important and basic concept of sociology. There are some characteristics of culture. Firstly, it must be social and it is developed from the society and social communication. Secondly, all the rules of a culture are not learnt by the people in the society. Some are learned and some are acquired. The cultural activities of a society are totally different from another society. Cultural elements like the way of living, eating habit, cultural functions, different kinds of festivals, clothes, language, religion, values, policies, tradition etc. are totally different from other cultural elements. In our culture, our songs are based on rural and idyllic pictures of life. We have jari, sari, bhatiali, polligiti, religious and mystic songs. Similarly, we have our own food habits like eating rice and fish. Again, we have our traditional dress like lungi, Panjabi, shirt, saree and blouse. Nowadays, it is seen that our cultural activities are changing because of the influence of the western culture. So, our young generation is no longer interested in our folk or idyllic songs. They are fascinated by Hindi or English music. In summary, Culture is a part of our life and we are not out of our own culture. We live and grow up in the midst...

Words: 779 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Clash of Civilisations

...Clash of civilizations script What Huntington thinks * in his hypothesis he thinks that today’s world has actually come to a period where the age of ideology or economically has ended. * Instead he says that the primary source of conflict between nations and humankind will be cultural and religious. That nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations ad even groups of different civilizations * Huntington also suggested that the main reason of world politics tend to be conflict between western and non-western civilizations Why civilizations will clash * differences based on history, language, region, religion, tradition and culture are more fundamental and stable that other differences between people. And these fundamental differences are product of centuries so they will not disappear anytime soon * The world is becoming a ‘smaller’ place and as a result interactions across the world are increasing which intensifies ‘civilization consciousness’ and the awareness of differences between civilizations and commonalities within civilizations * Due to economic modernization and social change, people are separated from longstanding local identities. Instead, religion has replaced this gap, which provides a basis for identity and commitment that transcends national boundaries and unites civilizations. * The growth of civilization-consciousness is enhanced...

Words: 507 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Western Civilization Research Paper

...Western civilization dates back thousands of years as it relates to the development of various beliefs, cultures, perceptions, people, events and other related elements related to early history. Such elements help form the modern civilization we have adapted today. Western civilization is a broad term since there are so many useful and important aspects to learn about. With no doubt, Western Civilization was a useful and important concept coming into Hist 100. Many concepts derived from Egypt and other areas throughout Europe. Concepts such as Islam, Christian culture, expansion of Europe, scholastic culture, and even elements of the bible were developed during this time. One aspect that is an important part of how people live in modern times...

Words: 418 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The Beginnings of Western Civilization

...Genieva Subic HIST – 1110 WESTERN CIVILIZATION I E Journal #1 Chapter one of our text covers a broad range of history beginning with the legend of Babel. (1) The story tells us how spoken communication has been lost over the years and it also creates a foundation for spoken history. (1) The text then moves on to the city of Çatalhöyük, which was established around nine thousand years ago in south central Turkey. (2) This city had eight thousand occupants living in two thousand homes, which is an average of four occupants per home, that’s not so different from how we live today. The people of Çatalhöyük were an organized and technologically sophisticated society that practiced religion, and had domesticated plants and animals. (2) This is just another example of how even though these people lived nine thousand years ago people today are still living in the same ways. I think that has been the most interesting part of the beginning of chapter one; our society still has many of the same values and practices of our ancient ancestors. The next section of chapter one focuses on the Old Stone Age or Paleolithic era. (3) The people of this era lived before written history existed, around 3000 B.C.E. However, they were tool-makers and artists. The cave paintings at Lascaux act as a type of history as do the finely made tools and jewelry that historians have discovered. (3) The Paleolithic people were known to be hunters and gatherers, they did not have domesticated animals, they had...

Words: 3078 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Reaction to Clash of Civilizations

...MB-081015 Reaction Paper on: The Clash of Civilizations By Samuel Huntington The article implies that cultural differences among civilizations will be the dominant source of conflict. Gone are the days in which wars were fought over territory and economy. In our present time differences between cultures and ideologies will take center stage as it is believed that culture is more deeply rooted than political and economic variables. The entrance of non-western civilizations and the larger role that they play will definitely contribute in the shaping of future global affairs. The world indeed is becoming a smaller place; one country cannot stand alone by itself. It must forge partnerships and alliances with other countries in order to survive. It is interesting to note that the article presents the Japanese as a single civilization by itself, but how are the Japanese different? Aren’t Japanese Asians too? Japan found it convenient to compete not with arms but with money. Thru investments and business dealings the Japanese were able to go head to head with western countries. Civilization and Religion are closely related but vary greatly among civilizations. Each civilization has a different view on God and other values. The Catholic Church as well as Islam and other religions have been fighting for their beliefs for centuries. Just goes to show that discrimination of any kind, be it ideology, religion or skin color is very much alive today. ...

Words: 436 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Clash of the Civilizations

...The definition of a civilization according to Huntington is a cultural entity. It is the highest cultural grouping of people and the broadest level of cultural identity people have short of that which distinguishes humans from other species. It is defined by common elements such as: language, history, religion, customs, institutions and the self identification of people. Civilizations may include a large number of people or a very small number of people. They may include several Nation States or only one. They can blend or overlap and even include sub civilizations. Huntington's definition of a civilization matches up well with what we have learned in class. Civilization's are complex and civilizations are dynamic. They rise and fall, and divide and merge. They have many characteristics which include: urban revolution, distinct religious culture, new political and military structures such as bureaucracy, new social structures based on political power, the development of writing and the development of war complexity in material sense. Huntington divided the world into seven other civilizations, Western, Latin American, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu and Slavic-Orthodox. He said that Africa was only a possible civilization. Huntington said that “people's religious and cultural identities will be the main source of conflict in the post- cold war world” and there will be conflict between Western Civilizations and Islamic Civilizations because of seven main reasons...

Words: 579 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations

...Pritchett Dr. Kenneth Currie ISS- 1200 3 September 2012 Clash of Civilizations “The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion, but rather by its superiority in utilizing organized violence. Westerners often dismiss this fact, non-Westerners never do.” Samuel P. Huntington, Eaton professor of the science of government and director of the John M. Olin Institute for strategic studies at Harvard, wrote a thought-provoking article; “The Clash of Civilizations” was published by Foreign Affairs in the summer of 1993. (Foreign Affairs). Huntington’s article given in nine topics, gives the reader a big-picture look at the world which nerved to imagine that a bi-polar rivalry between communism and capitalism was about to be reinstated by a multi-polar world of contradicting civilizations. He argues that the short-term warfare between ideologies is being replaced by the ancient warfare between civilizations. People’s cultural and religious identities will result in future conflicts. Huntington cautions that all this proposes that there will be cultural clangorings in the future. He says the troubling ones "are likely to arise from the interplay of Western arrogance, Islamic intolerance, and assertiveness." This is indeed a debated statement. Such clangoring’s are by no means an evident necessity, after all. Neither is it at all apparent that in the lack of such exterior issues, Western society would not have very uncompromising internal complications...

Words: 1392 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Clash of Civilizations and Radicalism

...THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS AND RADICALISM Dr. M. LAL GOEL Also known as Dr. Madan Lal Goel University of West Florida lgoel@uwf.edu Abstract. The notion of a clash of civilizations has gained notoriety since the terrorist attack on WTC on 9/11/2001. Professor Samuel P. Huntington has popularized the view that the coming global conflict will be among major civilizations, not among different political ideologies. He identifies eight major civilizations: the Western (Europe and North America), Slavic (Russia and Eastern Europe), Islamic, Confucian, Hindu, Japanese, Latin American, and the African. Of particular focus in the present paper is the threat to civilization from radical Islam. Three factors that foment radicalism are described: the Islamic theology of exclusiveness, the nostalgic memory of a Muslim empire that lasted nearly 1,000 years, and the consequences of oil boom in the Middle East. Population estimates for different civilizations are provided at the end. Introduction The theory of a clash of civilizations has been with us for some time. British historian Arnold Toynbee used the term in a series of lectures he delivered in 1953. The Middle East specialist Bernard Lewis wrote in 1990 that the Muslim rage against the West is “no less than a clash of civilizations” (Lewis, 1990, p 60). Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard University political science professor, has given new currency to the notion of a clash of civilizations. His 1993 article in Foreign...

Words: 3926 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

American Police Officer Shootings

...significantly more frequently than police in France, Sweden and other European countries” (Hirschfield 2). Through making this comparison in fatal deaths between the USA, Sweden and Finland, one can better understand the scope of the issue of gun control in the USA. While the scope of the issue may now be apparent, this leads to further questions such as why police officers in the USA are more lethal than police officers in other states. Hirschfield chalks it up to racism and training. He states that although racism is prevalent in the USA, it is actually a worldwide issue, meaning it cannot explain the magnitude of the problem alone (Hirschfield 4). Hirschfield believes that the training of police officers in the USA plays a much bigger role. He compares the training of American police officers to those in Europe. Hirschfield states...

Words: 1268 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Clash of Civilizations?

...The Clash of Civilizations? by Samuel P. Huntington (SAMUEL P. HUNTINGTON is the Eaton Professor of the Science of Government and Director of the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University. This article is the product of the Olin Institute's project on "The Changing Security Environment and American National Interests”. THE NEXT PATTERN OF CONFLICT WORLD POLITICS IS entering a new phase, and intellectuals have not hesitated to proliferate visions of what it will be -- the end of history, the return of traditional rivalries between nation states, and the decline of the nation state from the conflicting pulls of tribalism and globalism, among others. Each of these visions catches aspects of the emerging reality. Yet they all miss a crucial, indeed a central, aspect of what global politics is likely to be in the coming years. It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will be the battle lines of the future. Conflict between civilizations will be the latest phase of the evolution of conflict in the modern world. For a century and a half after the emergence of the...

Words: 9742 - Pages: 39

Free Essay

Early Societal Culture

...culture. Values may have consisted of ones desire for cleanliness, need for achievement, and alertness to trespassers. Behavior claimed a major part of the characteristics of culture. Behavior determined how we treated our neighbors, our families, and the roles men and women played in a society. In early cultures men were the decision makers, the ones who governed or ruled. Religion played a significant role during early culture as well. When cultures encountered each other, they were taken aback by their differences. The fact that they may have spoken different languages or revered dissimilar Gods may have been a conflict of interest. Their inability to communicate effectively would have cause a hostile situation, as they would have felt threatened as if their territory was at risk of being invaded. The main cultural influences on earl civilizations were religion and geography. The geography of a culture determined if they would have the ability to farm the land or if they were close to the sea to they would have the ability to trade resources with other cultures. These resources and ability to create wealth were valuable to the survival of a culture. Greek and Roman culture depended upon the gods to guide them, so religion would be emphasized among the people within the culture. Revisionist history is definitely something to be considered. I have always believed that everything you read in history books is not always truthful. I believe historian do their best to find...

Words: 507 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Humanities 303

...beliefs, religions, families, countries, etc. Others when warship and religion were setting ground work for today’s beliefs. Whatever the case may be, many of the actions that our forefathers of the world have taken and fought for throughout time are still in place today and have become the basis for life as we know it. Religion, education and literature are examples of parts of life that have been impacting the world and people’s lives for centuries and it is because of ongoing practice that they have been passed down for hundreds of years with each new generation adding information and bettering the subject for the greater good. One period of time in the early middle ages is known as the “dark ages”. From approximately 410 to 1095 is known as the “dark ages” mainly because of the ciaos, ignorance, superstition and repression that occurred during that time. The “dark ages” is a derogatory name given to the early middle ages. The fall of Rome gives good understanding to the severity of the “dark ages” because for years Rome was a power house and known for bringing stability to Europe. Roman Civilization began to deteriorate from about 200 CE onward. In the late 400s the weakness of the Empire, caused by corruption and various other stresses, combined with barbarian pressure from the northeast, causing a catastrophic collapse of the Roman government. The eastern portion of the Empire continued until the 1450s as the Byzantine Empire with its own Greek-based civilization. The...

Words: 1771 - Pages: 8