This paper discusses the various ways Christianity has shaped Western culture and civilization, including its role in ending slavery, elevating the status of women, and improving interpersonal relations.
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Running head: ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY IN SHAPING THE WEST Role of Christianity in Shaping the West Name of the Student: Name of the University: Author note:
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1ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY IN SHAPING THE WEST The role played by Christianity in the field of civilisation has been intertwined in historical manner with the history and the formation of the Western society. There are several positive contributions of Christianity in the formation of Western culture (McMohan, 2017). However,thepositivecontributionofChristianitytowardsthehistoryiswidely underestimated and ignored by many. This paper will elaborate on discussing the various ways by means of which Christianity has shaped the Western culture and civilisation. It is to note that Christianity has significantly aided to the ending of the practise of slavery in the West. The efforts of William Wilberforce along with all his Christ followers for ending the modern practise of slavery while facing the then stiff resistance was something that stand out. According to Duderija and Rane (2019), the evil rationalisation of some of the relatively modern owners of the slave got contradicted with the teachings and the character of Christ. However, it should also be mentioned that the true form of Christianity never played in for of or have supported the idea of slavery. Even the shortage of the criticism of slavery in some versus of New Testament in relation to the prevailing cultural institution of slavery is different from the modern abuses practices in the western part of the world including Haiti, England, Africa and the Southern part of United States. The slaves present in the ancient culture were all merged very easily into the then population. There were some who also held the government offices. As per the New Testament, it did not call for abolition but have admonished the owners of the slave for treating the slaves in kind way and at the same time, have also admonished the grant of freedom for some specific individuals. Furthermore, it is also to mention in this context that Christianity has also helped in elevating the status of women in the Western society and culture. The status of women was once extremely low, particularly the Jewish, Roman and the Greek women (Grant, 2017). This low status was radially positively influenced by the appearance of the Jesus Christ and his values. As claimed by Scotland (2018), the culturally defying acceptance of the notion
2ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY IN SHAPING THE WEST that Jesus Christ have accorded the women in the society, was not lost on the then apostolic churches. After the precedent of Christ, the early Christians started ignoring the restrictive and confining cultural rituals and norms for which the women of the then society were subjected. Very soon, after the physical resurrection of Christ, all his followers started assembling on every first day of the week on a regular basis for renewing their joy and happiness of such a unique miracle. They started getting assembled in their homes or synagogues that were earlier known as the house churches. Latter, gradually, the women were often treated predominantly, not only as worshipers but also as the leaders. The prominence and importance that were given to the women, taking into consideration the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not heard of in the Western Culture ever before. Moreover, Christianity has also contributed significantly in the field of improving interpersonalrelationsintheWesternSociety.Ithasdevelopedtheimportanceand significance of individual persons in the Western world. It has influenced the view of the civilisation of individual related to the other individuals. Sociology, actually lies on the notion of “chains of interdependence” and this refers to the interpersonal connections among the individuals present in the society where each and every person is in some or the other sense relied and dependent on the others. It is the Christianity, particularly the Reformation of the Christianity that has had deepen and ensured long lasting influence of this area. With the same, Christianity has also promoted the practise of caring for the other individuals who are sick and dying. Ludder and Edwards (2018) in the context of an Alexandrian Plague that took place about 250 A.D have claimed that “thrust aside anyone who started to be sick and kept aloof even from their dearest friends, and cast the sufferers out upon the public roads half dead, and left them unburied, and treated them with utter contempt when they died.” It is also to mention in this context that the charity hospitals were never really existed until and unless Christianity have introduced them.
3ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY IN SHAPING THE WEST Hence, from the above analysis it can be concluded that religious indeed has a played a significant and leading role in directing a course of history. Christianity has been crucial in the development of the Western culture and civilisation in the sense that it was the one to provide the forms of thoughts in absence of which the then institutions of West like democracy, equality, rule of law, capitalism would possibly never have come to fruition.
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4ROLE OF CHRISTIANITY IN SHAPING THE WEST References: Duderija, A., & Rane, H. (2019). Islam and Muslims in the West: History and Current Demographics. InIslam and Muslims in the West(pp. 9-30). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Grant, J. (2017). White women's Christ and black women's Jesus.Womens Studies in Religion. Ludder, C. J., & Edwards, D. H. (2018).Being Lutheran Today: A Layperson’S Guide to Our History, Belief and Practice. AuthorHouse. McMahon, R. (2017). Religion, civilisation, geography: normative EU studies and eastern enlargement.Journal of Contemporary European Studies,25(3), 307-324. Scotland, N. (2018). The Role of Revivalist Religion in the Campaigns for Social Reform and Equal Rights of Nineteenth-Century Women in England and America.European Journal of Theology,27(1).