Blog #4 – 1001 HH215 The West in the Pre-Modern World

All Religions are a Cult- or at Least Begin as Such

I will preface this post by stating that I formerly identified as a Catholic; raised in a religious household and educated in Christian schools for much of my life. While I hold no bias, references made to the customs of the religion can be taken from personal experience. In 111-113 AD, during which Pliny theContinue reading “All Religions are a Cult- or at Least Begin as Such”

Romans and the Spread of Religions

The fear felt by ancient Romans against Christians was validated given the threat to stability in the empire. While modern-day beliefs portray Judaeo-Christian beliefs as an inevitable triumph of religions, it may not have always seemed this way. A current take on religion, views I consider myself to align with, often views Christianity as anContinue reading “Romans and the Spread of Religions”

Christianity Through the Lens of Polytheism

Christianity Through the Lens of Polytheism We live in a time in the United States where Christmas music begins playing as soon as Halloween is over and the Easter bunny is loved by young children across the country. It can be hard to imagine a time when Christianity was not the dominant religion, where ChristiansContinue reading “Christianity Through the Lens of Polytheism”

King George vs. Rome

There are several different eras of the United States of America which bear eerily similar correlation to models of governing in Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome went through many different political phases, clearly categorized and distinct from each other in a multitude of ways. Our American society, in contrast, seems to have existed forever under theContinue reading “King George vs. Rome”

Christianity: A Cult?

At a very young age, I attended a Catholic elementary school and attended bible school every Sunday. By growing up under a Catholic influence, I was constantly surrounded by adults explaining the Catholic faith and origins of our traditions, leaving me with little doubt about the legitimacy of the Catholic Church. However, my friendsContinue reading “Christianity: A Cult?”

Were the Romans Justified?

At first, the Romans paid no mind to Christians because they believed that Christianity was just another sect of Judaism. It wasn’t until they realized that Christians didn’t consider themselves to be Jews, that the Romans began to look downward on Christians. The Romans did have a right to be fearful of Christianity and believeContinue reading “Were the Romans Justified?”

Threat of Christianity

In the Roman Empire, their polytheistic religious practices were a staple throughout the empire. Even the emperor of Rome was viewed in a divine way, and was something that the Roman citizens were taught to be in awe of and respect. During this time, Christianity was a budding new religion, and in any empire differingContinue reading “Threat of Christianity”

Christianity- A Threat?

In the days of the Roman empire, it is certainly understandable why the rapid spread of Christianity was not viewed favorably by many Romans. Since the beginning of the empire, the Roman’s embraced polytheism. However, the rise of Christianity posed a great threat to the longstanding norm of polytheism that had been an established formContinue reading “Christianity- A Threat?”

Christianity: A threat to the Roman Empire

In modern times, Christianity is the most popular religion. However, this was not always the case. In ancient Roman times, Christianity was just starting to grow and raised many concerns to the Romans who did not understand this new monotheistic religion. Many of the traditions of modern Christianity originated from this time including the lastContinue reading “Christianity: A threat to the Roman Empire”

Religious Persecution

David A. Majd-Faridi Blog #4 In order to keep the balance and control of the vast Roman Empire, it was not only justified, but logical for the Roman attempts to stomp out Christianity within its empire. Concepts of insubordination and different believes can quickly undermine everything that an empire is trying to establish. ThoughContinue reading “Religious Persecution”