Influence of the Relationship between Politics and Religion in Western Civilization Conflicts - Research Paper Example

Western Civilization 1. Christianity and Islam Both Christianity and Islam have shared beliefs and practices such as one God, god’s messengers, scriptures and revelations, judgment day, God’s infinite power and plan, dignified status of man, holy book, faith completed by work, salvation by beliefs and practice. They also believe in fasting, ministering and alms giving, prayer and adoration, confession of faith as the four pillars of faith. On the contrary, Muslims believe that everyone remains free from sin at birth whereas Christians believe that every person remains born of sin at birth. Muslims also believe in the holy war and observe the pilgrimage to Mecca which Christians neither believe in nor practice. During the Medieval period, both Christianity and Islam promulgated their religious beliefs and practices in territories where the majority existed. Christianity employed the use of missionaries whereas Islam employed offensive practices such as conquests, political rule and returning crusaders in spreading their faith (Spielvogel 238-243). 3. The expansion of trade The expansion of trade during the High Middle Ages resulted from developments in voyages of exploration by Vikings, growth of states, contacts with the Muslim world and the arrival of the Portuguese. Vikings exchanged goods as they sailed along trade centers in search of profit. The existence of various environmental zones and agricultural practices influenced trade to flourish. These resulted to the evolution of settlement as well as prosperity that in turn contributed to urbanization and the growth of states. In addition, contacts with Muslim merchants in the Trans Saharan trade involved the trade in kola nuts, gold, ivory, and slaves. The arrival of the Portuguese opened an outlet for West African manufactured products such as cloths. The utilization of Arab script and Muslim officials in complex bureaucracies remained as the impact of the expansion of trade on medieval society (Spielvogel 252-254). 5. The decline of papacy The papacy of the Roman Catholic Church had reached the peak of its power with the doctrine of temporal universal authority over secular rulers and fullness of power. However, the claims of temporal supremacy kept losing ground due to the growth of European secular monarchs. This created conflicts between papacy and the territorial states it never conquered. The claim by King Philip IV to tax French clergy became the underlying issue that caused the conflict. Philip then employed a tactic to capture and put pope Boniface VIII to trial, the shock that led to his death, following the pope’s position on the matter. Consequently, this tactic and the death of Boniface led to the decline of the authority and prestige of papacy. To this effect, no subsequent popes have dared to renew the extravagant claims that Boniface VIII asserted (Spielvogel 273-304). 7. Reformation of the Catholic Church The struggle between the moderate Catholic reformers and the conservatives continues to exist with the hope that compromises would be made in formulation of doctrinal definitions. However, the Council of Trent failed to resolve the religious differences that resulted from Protestant revolt thereby making the Catholic Church to undertake some measures of reformations. Some measures that the Catholic Church took to reform its self and to combat Protestantism included the establishment of theological seminaries for the training of priests in every diocese. In addition, the Catholic Church developed a distinct body of doctrine as well as creating a unified church governed by an acknowledged supremacy of popes with authority over councils and bishops. The Catholic Church also became organized as a Christian denomination among other denominations. Moreover, the Catholic Church designed a doctrinal pattern and an organizational framework that would remain significantly unchanged for a period of four hundred years (Spielvogel 376-411). 8. The renaissance The renaissance existed as a rebirth of old ideas, which marked the age of recovery from the calamities of the fourteenth century. The renaissance became the slow period of recovering from the effects of economic recession, political disorder, and Black Death. Some examples of the renaissance include the recovery of the Florentine woolen industry as well as the recovery of the preeminence of the city of Florence in banking and the Medici family. The volume of trade and manufacturing increased with the gradual recovery of the European economy. New ways of viewing humanity as well as attempts to reconcile the Greco-Roman world of pagan philosophy with Christianity emerged. Moreover, the expansion of trade increased with the activities of the Hanseatic League. The reestablishment of sexual norms of marriages and the Papal States also marked the rebirth (Spielvogel 413-442). 10. Advances in learning and technology Advances in technology and learning include vaulting, irrigation, the metallurgical art of making famous swords from Damascus, and the translation of languages. Moreover, advances in learning encompass the fields of chemistry, mathematical sciences, architecture, natural history and geography, medical sciences and physics. Because of translation, Arabic became the most significant scientific language and depository for sciences of antiquity and wisdom for many centuries in the world. Islamic and Greek thoughts became known in Europe thereby schools of learning began to flourish. These advances in learning and technology remain influenced by the Islamic movement during the High Middle Ages. European civilization grew leading to the increase in international trade, which became dominated by the Muslims (Spielvogel 244-271). The Relationship between Politics and Religion Politics and religion remain connected concerning the shared ideologies and practices acceptable by the people of a given region. The Thirty Years’ War became founded on the Holy Roman Empire of the modern Germany. It remains the first war involving most European Powers in the European history marked with extraordinary violence. The Protestant religious affiliation emerged as a result differing opinions of the princes over their own territories. The English Civil War marked the profound change in the religious political struggles. The war culminated in the large loom of literature and history, inauguration of commonwealth, dismantling of established church and assumption of rule by a lord protector. The sixteenth century Dutch Revolt remained a conflict between the persecuting absolutism of Roman Catholic in Spain and the rational, tolerant, and democratic Protestantism. This paper discusses the relationship between religion and politics concerning the English Civil War, Thirty Years’ War and the sixteenth century Dutch Revolt (Spielvogel 447-474). The wars remained politically instigated even though the outcomes marked the establishment of religious denominations. Religious differences indicate how leaders within the empire respond to constitutional disagreements. Policies formulated by political bodies have direct impact on religious practices and may gain the acceptance or rejection by religious population. Religious and constitutional conflicts would be resolved to the extent they would not cause war within the empire though they would not incorporate everyone’s satisfaction. Larger political and religious goals usually outweigh the tragedy of civilian deaths for most rulers. A larger number of documents emanated from religious groups such as Lutherans and Catholics from various geographical regions. The authority of territories incorporates the clergy who function as religious leaders for different religious groups. The raised concerns regarding these wars emanate from both political and religious bodies. Political leaders such as the princes use religion to reform religious practices and doctrines in their own territories. Religion advocates for religious, civic and individual liberty as fundamental issues of natural and positive war, human rights, right logic and covenants in the political perspective (Spielvogel 449-450). Political leaders usually request for supplementary services of the church as external expert guidance. Both religion and politics operate on the ground of moral principles. Religion also provides support to the victims of war such as guidance, conflict, and peace resolution. Similarly, politics does provide the facilities necessary in promoting the livelihood of those affected such as resettling displaced persons and provision of relief food services. In addition, religion and politics work towards the creation of a favorable and all-inclusive environment for every person (Spielvogel 470-474). In conclusion, the relationship between politics and religion could influence either positively or negatively to the outcomes of resolving contradicting conflicts. Thus, in resolving opposing conflicts, significant considerations should be placed on the fundamental principles of right logic, human rights, and covenants. The religious, civic and individual liberty should also be considered when resolving contradicting or opposing viewpoints of opposing parties. Lastly, the moral principles governing religion and politics need to be harmonized to foster the collective agreement on peaceful coexistence in different regions of the world. Work Cited Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: To 1715. Vol. 1. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2007. Print. Read More