Religion In Ancient India

Throughout history, certain religious views and customs affect a society. Indian, Persian, Germanic and African societies were socially, economically, and politically affected by the religions each society came into contact with. Many societies came to adopt outside religions and assimilated their preexisting religion to the new religion. This promoted cultural diversity and allowed for a range of values to be instilled throughout societies. Religion has the ability to affect certain aspects in a society, such as government, social status, and the roles of people, based on that religion’s beliefs and values. Early India flourished with many religious values and customs. Factors that influenced the spread of religion are trade routes, such …show more content…
First, Constantine promoted the Christianity by legalizing the religion. Also, Theodosius the Great enforced punishment to those who failed to practice the religion. His efforts went as far as banning other religions, closing Roman and Greek temples, and ending the Olympic games. Secondly, Christianity formed a caste system within the religion, ranging from priests, to bishops, and the the Pope who is at the highest rank. This later led to the formation of the Papal primacy, which is a religious doctrine that enforces the power of the Pope. An example of this would be, “but to reprimand, to imprison, even to flog, is permitted to the priests alone.” Monasteries emerged as Christianity arose, allowing for many factors in a society to improve. These factors include education, hospitality, agriculture, and health care. Mostly women were involved which would aid in the hospitality and healthcare aspect, therefore one may conclude that there were gender roles. Also, the food supply benefitted from these monasteries. The fall of the church, due to religious figures being corrupt and scandalous, led to the First Crusades. Likewise, the rise of Christianity weakened the Roman Empire, leading to the fall of Rome. As one can see, the beliefs of Christianity affected many aspects within the societies …show more content…
Muslim traders brought their religion and the Arabic language to African societies. The Arabic language provided united and later established the basis of a written record system. Additionally, Muslim traders taught the Africans how to use bricks as a more durable support structure for their religious buildings and monuments. Religious beliefs were portrayed in music and chanting, which would reflect the stages of life. This would later promote ancestor worship, and the beliefs around animism. For instance, “it is their custom not to bury their dead unless they be people of rank and status.” This culture had a belief on social ranking. Likewise, males dominated the religion and aspects that involved the religion, such as politics. The King had the power to perform sacred rituals in a society. As one can see, the influence of the Arabic religion impacted Early African