This is lecture 17, part one of world religions.
We mentioned these in the last lecture – Hinduism; Judaism; Buddhism; Christianity; and Islam
– and of course, these are designated because of their wide scope and the many adherents
that each of these religions have, and again – Judaism is included in this group of world
religions even though it has very few members.
They number probably what?
Ten?
Eleven?
Twelve million?
But because of Judaism’s profound impact on Christianity and Islam¸ Buddhism, Christianity,
and Islam because missionary religions with a zeal to spread their respective faith and
practices.
What caused world religions to spread?
Well Christianity and Buddhism would benefit from the good roads that had been built during
the classical era.
Missionary activity often followed the trade routes on these roads.
Religion often used, was often used to cement loyalty between the ruler and the ruled.
Commercial success often followed religious faith.
Saint Paul’s missions to the gentiles turned Christianity into a world religion as opposed
to simply a regional religion, and of course, Saint Paul’s work spreading Christianity
into Europe will be magnified again in 1492 when Columbus takes Christianity to the New
World.
Christianity is further expanded by Constantine’s Edict of Milan and the decisions made at the
Council of Nicaea in 325 of the Common Era.
At Nicaea the Christian bishops were summoned by Constantine the Roman emperor to settle
some issues.
The relationship between God and Jesus, the date with which we should celebrate Easter,
Constantine commissioned the first Bible, which meant that the books that would be included
in the Bible had to be chosen, and those books that were to be left out, so we have this
sort of remarkable conference of Christian bishops at Nicaea, perhaps the most important
gathering of Christian bishops in history.
Transitions – Polytheistic religions are increasingly eliminated or absorbed by these
larger, better organized monotheistic faiths.
Mono-, of course, one; theism refers to God – one God.
Conversions involve compromise with polytheism.
Monotheistic temples built where old pagan temples had stood.
Syncretism, we’ve talked about this key term before, where local traditions blend
with New World religions.
So these world religions are tweaked shall we say, modified by local custom.
Expansion – Buddhism spread from India eastward and northward.
Hinduism tended to stay home.
It spread some, but then it sort of retracted and stayed in India.
We talked about Christianity and its spread a few moments ago, and we’ll talk about
that again.
Islam spread across the Middle East, North Africa, India, and then into Central Asia.
Islam often displaced Buddhism as it spread.
Buddhism was not a religion of the book, as the Muslims call it.
Christians and Jews are regarded as people of the book by Muslims.
Buddhists are not.
Of course, Islam shares prophets with both Jews and Christians.
Buddhism had a less clearly-defined relationship with the state.
Buddhism is more ascetic, otherworldly, a rejection of the material world, you may remember,
desire is the source of all suffering.
Eliminate desire and eliminate suffering.
So it’s more ascetic, more otherworldly.
World religions all posited the fundamental spiritual equality of all believers – again,
a factor in the expansion of world religions, a sense of egalitarianism.
Access of a soul and access to eternal rewards are open to all.
Again, you see this egalitarianism, this sense of equality.
Now it’s recognized that social inequality and poverty would always exist.
Religious purpose was not to fight against inevitable despair, but to promise a better
afterlife, a better afterlife to make this burden of life here on Earth more bearable.
World religions do not crusade against social inequality as this would upset the state.
World religions specified that women had souls alongside men.
Again, it creates unity.
World religions provided opportunities for women in contrast to Hinduism where women
have a definite second-class status.
World religions sustained patriarchy rule by men.
Women had a greaten propensity to sin, therefore religious devotion might distract women from
their worldly concerns.
New institutions emerge that extended women’s inequality.
In India you have sati, where the widow will throw herself on the funeral pyre of her dead
husband as she would become a burden on society otherwise.
You see foot binding in China – again, extending women’s inequality.
World religions also made alms giving, or charity, a religious duty for the relief of
the poor, the sick, the orphans, and other sufferers in this world.
You see this in the three great monotheistic religions.
How about world religions and trade?
How to blend the secular or the worldly with the clerical, the spiritual, the life of the
church?
A quote from Jesus, you may remember this – quote, it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven, unquote.
So how do we reconcile?
On the one hand, this sort of contempt for commerce, which we see in Christianity and
in Confucianism – how do we reconcile that with the fact that trade and commerce and
religion tend to go hand in hand?
Missionaries would establish outposts that traders would use.
Commerce and faith travel the same paths.
Monotheism might encourage further travel if there is only one God accepted everywhere.
So again, there’s a sense of unity, which has the effect of facilitating commerce
Let’s draw some conclusions here – religion and the rulers.
An ambiguous alliance between rulers and religion was a leading feature of this age.
Official patronage of religious institutions – monasteries; temples; churches; mosques
– benefitted donor and recipient alike, rule and religion, the relationship also limited
arbitrary royal or imperial power by subordinating rulers to the same moral and religious roles
as everyone else.
Rulers protect religion while religion lends legitimacy to the king.
So, a brief look, part one of world religions; in part two we’ll look more closely at Islam.
Thank you.