RJM2 Task 1

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Western Governors University *

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D266

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Religion

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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RJM2 Dolphe Seme RJM2 Task 1 Instructor: Alex Tolin Schultz 3/4/2024 The history of mankind is vast and deep, rife with great tales that span the test of time. Plenty of these tales come from the Abrahamic religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Have you ever wondered how these thousand-year-old religions spread and become so ingrained in society, even today? More specifically, Christianity and Islam, they operate in a duality of being similar yet so different. Christianity is the most populist religious group in the world by percentage (Desjardins 2024). This is greatly in due part to the Roman Empire, during the first century an apostle by the name, Paul of Tarsus traveled the known world at the time, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to areas such as Greece, Italy, Palestine, and Asia Minor (Britannica 2024). From there on numerous other missionaries spread the good word into places far south like Egypt and Ethiopia. Although Paul was unfortunately beheaded, Christianity continued despite his untimely demise. In the third century, the Roman Empire's shadow reached far across the territories of Europe in locations such as Britain and Spain to Egypt or Istanbul (W.H. Encyclopedia 2023). The Roman Emperor at the time was a monarch who went by the name of Constantine the Great. The significance of Constantine’s actions cannot be glossed over, being that he was the first ever Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. Constantine is just about single-handedly responsible

for the conversion of the entire Roman state to the Abrahamic religion. In the year 313 AC, he signed an edict that made the persecution of Christians illegal (Britannica 2024). Furthermore, he began bankrolling numerous church-constructing projects, even commissioned updated copies of The Bible, and even requested councils of theologians to tweak the religion’s doctoral kinks (Britannica 2024). His efforts don’t end there, his impacts are far too many to list and his actions directly led to the mainstream spread of Christianity amongst the population even enduring today. Naturally, as Christianity diffused throughout the population of Rome it inspired many to adhere to its mantra, shaping their ideals and inspiring great works. Mediums such as art and books have always been great vehicles for the spread of messages. For example, Dante’s Inferno is the first of a poem Divine Comedy penned by Italian writer Dante Alighieri (Thoughco 2019). The poem detailed the nine circles of hell and Dante’s journey through them, this is important because it brought light to important tenets that Christians should follow and those they should refrain from. Works of art have been commissioned and inspired by the Christian faith. Structures such as the Sistine Chapel, Notre Dame Cathedral, or the painting of the Last Supper have done plenty to broaden the faith. Islam is the world’s second-most populist faith (Desjardins 2024). The revered prophet Muhammad was visited the archangel Gabriel who instructed him that he was chosen by God to be his messenger to the people. He was afraid, went home when he told his wife she became the first convert to the newfound faith, Islam (Lumens). Many empires spread the faith of Islam; many were known as caliphates specifically the Rashidun and Umayyad (Lumens). Through military conquest and bloodshed, Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Persia, and parts of Europe. This occurred during and

post life of the prophet Muhammad. This opened many trade routes and offered safe passage for missionaries to spread the gospel. Often times conversion to Islam came with the perks of protection or favor among the Muslim elites. Islam has been spread far and wide through knowledge and culture. The House of Wisdom in Baghdad is a great example of this. A repository of accumulated knowledge and theories (American Museum of Natural History). Brilliant Muslim scholars toiled away on the stars (astronomy), medicinal discoveries, and even invented Algebra. Many works of Islam were stored in the Grand Library of Baghdad which influenced the scholars and the masses they served. A significant similarity between Islam and Christianity is the prominence of religious expansion through missionary efforts from the very start. Apostle Paul traveled extensively throughout the Roman Empire preaching and converting non-believers (Britannica 2024). While the Prophet Muhammad traveled the Arab regions also converting new Muslims (Lumens). Both Abrahamic religions established a base of support for many providing spiritual guidance and education to its respective followers.

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Reference Page Desjardins, J. (2024, March 2). The world’s most popular religions . Visual Capitalist. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-worlds-most-popular-religions/#:~:text=Note%3A %20These%20estimates%20provide%20a,Christianity%2C%20Islam%2C%20and %20Hinduism. Sanders, E. P. (2024, February 16). St. Paul the apostle . Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Paul-the-Apostle Netchev, S. (2023, April 13). The Roman Empire and the crisis of the third century, c. 270 CE . World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17154/the-roman- empire-and-the-crisis-of-the-third-centu/ Nicol, D. (2024, February 6). Constantine I . Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-I-Roman-emperor Burgess, A. (2019, November 1). Dante’s 9 circles of hell: A guide to the structure of “inferno.” ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/dantes-9-circles-of-hell-741539 McLean, J. (n.d.). World religions . Lumen. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer- worldreligions/chapter/the-prophet-muhammad/ McLean, J. (n.d.-a). World Civilization . Expansion Under the Umayyad Caliphates | World Civilization. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/ expansion-under-the-umayyad-caliphates/#:~:text=The%20Umayyad%20Caliphate%2C %20which%20emerged,direct%20rule%20over%20three%20continents. House of Wisdom: AMNH . American Museum of Natural History. (n.d.). https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/traveling-the-silk-road/take-a-journey/baghdad/house- of-wisdom

RJM2 Task 1

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