A majority of the ancient civilizations of the world were pantheistic; in other words, they participated in many different religious practices and there were a multitude of gods worshiped by individuals during this time. These polytheistic religions worked to provide specializations for the gods and goddesses worshiped during the time; in Rome Jupiter was the king of all gods, reigning on high, while his wife, Juno was considered to be the protector of marriage, home and the hearth. Mars was the god of war, and Venus the goddess of love. These pantheons of gods were pushed out of favor by the advent of Christianity in the Middle East, something that occurred in what was, at the time, a part of the Roman Empire. The creation of this new religion, a monotheistic religion, served to have a dramatic effect on the Roman civilization and the Roman way of life, bringing with it new ideas and new manners of living. By reviewing information from that time, it will be possible to see the crucial factors that worked to shape the evolution of Christianity, from its Jewish roots to the blossoming into a religion distinct from all others, one that would become the basis for a new European civilization.
A primary factor that caused Christianity to overtake Judaism is the fact that Christianity is a missionary religion, while Judaism is not. Christianity was seen as a religion for all humans, regardless of their race, social class, creed, or gender, and because of this lack of discrimination in these specific areas combined with the missionary aspects, it was possible for the religion to spread and thrive. Christianity brought with it the ideas of peace, heaven, love, forgiveness, and the idea of a god as the father of all humans, and that these humans are his sons and daughters, which made the relationship far more personal for the converts, serving to strengthening the following even more, for most people wish to feel special.
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"Christianity and the West".
The Roman Empire persecuted Christians and those who spread Christianity, a practice which did not cease until 380 A.D, when Christianity became the major religion of the Roman Empire. Since that time, the Church has worked on developing and spreading Christianity allowing it to it become the basis of much of western civilization by providing education, and offering health services to its worshipers, while at the same time working to become a major political influence and political player in the Western world. The influence of the Church did not start to decrease until the 20th Century when western countries shifted to a more secular approach, thereby reducing the amount of influence held by the Church and working to decrease the conversion rate of those who believe in Christianity, as their government was no longer influencing their religious choices.
In short, the early western civilizations initially believed in a pantheon of gods, working off of a polytheistic religion; through time, political influence, and the spread of the message, monotheism and Christianity came to eventually dominate the western world. There were several factors that served to spur this along, including the ease of conversion, the appeal of the primary principles of the religion, and the political powers wielded by the Church itself. It must be said that Christianity had its greatest influence during the dark ages, but it is important to note that in this day and age, Christianity is no longer on the rise, due to the separation of church and state, allowing for other religions to emerge and individuals to make educated decisions regarding their religious choices.
