CHURCH OF GOD

ORIGIN
Most of the Pentecostal churches which bear the name "Church of God" can be traced to a holiness revival in the mountains of northwest Georgia and eastern Tennessee. In 1884, R.G. Spurling, a Baptist minister in Monroe County, Tennessee, began to search the Scriptures for answers to the problems of modernism, formality, and spiritual dryness. An initial meeting of concerned people was held on August 19, 1886, at the Barney Creek Meeting House to organize a new movement that would preach primitive church holiness and provide for reform and revival of the churches. Christian Union was the name accepted by the first eight members enrolled that day. Spurling died within a few months and was succeeded in leadership by his son, R.G. Spurling, Jr. After ten years of little growth, three laymen influenced by the Spurlings' work claimed a deep religious experience similar to that written about by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and as a result began to preach sanctification. The three laymen began to hold services at Camp Creek, in Cherokee County, North Carolina, among a group of unaffiliated Baptists, Spurling and the Christian Union moved their services to Camp Creek and united with the group in North Carolina. During this revival that followed this merger, spontaneous speaking in tongues occurred. After searching the Scriptures, the group recognized the phenomena as a Biblical occurrence and as a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.


II. BASIC THEOLOGY AND BELIEF
The Church believes in an experiential understanding of justification by faith, sanctification as a second work of grace, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues. It also believes in the restoration of both ministerial and spiritual gifts to the Church. They are believing Christians, who use the Holy Bible as the basis of their teachings. They do practice "footwashing" at least annually, and they do encourage mid-week services, usually held Wednesday evening.

III. GOVERNANCE
The Government of the Church of God in centralized. Authority is vested in the general assembly, which meets every two years and is chaired by the general overseer. A supreme council operated between general assemblies, and a general executive committee oversees the boards and agencies. State overseers have charge over the churches in their areas and appoint the pastors. Tithing is a central feature of finances. The height of centralization came in 1914 when the annual elections of the general overseer were discontinued and Tomlinson became overseer for life.

IV. ORDER OF WORSHIP
The order of worship is much like the Pentecostal Church, but more orderly. They still practice speaking in tongues, singing praises, lots of prayer, and preaching the gospel message.

Church and State

The theory of evolution is at odds with the views of many religions, and
many people want to allow a religious view of creationism to be taught in the
public school system. The foundation of evolution is based upon the belief that
the origin of all ordered complex systems, including living creatures, can be
explained by natural laws without the initiation or intervention of God. A
person who believes in the biblical model of creation is viewed by some non-
believers as a naive, narrow-minded religious fanatic who is not willing to look
at the observable evidence with an open mind. Because the evolutionary idea of
origins has been so widely accepted by the scientific community, many people
have reasoned that the creation model should be completely rejected without
fairly examining its claims. Even many Christians who have deep trust and faith
in the Bible have never really understood the claims of the creation account
(McLean 11).
Over the past several years, a great deal of controversy surrounding the
creation-evolution issue has been generated by scientists who have based their
claims on the creation model and have been willing to let their reputations
stand. Creationists have openly requested that when the discussion of origins
occurs in the public school system, both the model of creation and evolution be
presented side by side.
Initially, scientists and educators who have accepted the theory of
evolution without question were reluctant to pay any serious attention to
creationism; however, it has now become apparent that substantial numbers of
people are taking creationism seriously. Many evolutionists view this trend as
a serious threat to the advancement of science and have vowed to do everything
in their power to stop the teaching of creation in the public school system.
Most evolutionists now view creationism as nothing more than a particular
version of fundamentalist Christianity with no valid scientific content. One
hundred-fifty years ago such a theory for the origin and history of the earth
and life would have been termed absurd. Today, however, those who reject the
idea of random evolutionary processes being responsible for designing life and
shaping the geological features of the earth are termed religious, unscientific
fanatics.
Today, throughout the industrialized world, the moment children are able
to respond to their environment, they are constantly bombarded with the doctrine
of evolution. Faith in the biblical concept of creation by the hand of God is
ridiculed and rejected by the secular system of education. Humanistic thinking
widely accepts evolution as fact, even though "The all-too frequent picture of
evolution as a progression from ameba to man, is, and always has been, utterly
without foundation" (Weisz 665).
Oddly, it is commonly accepted that all living things are the product of
evolution, that evolution is taking place today, and that evolution will
continue to shape the destiny of life in the future.
Darwin's theory of evolution, based upon the idea of natural selection,
set off a bitter controversy among scientists, religious leaders, and the
general public. Noted British scientists such as Thomas Huxley and Alfred
Wallace supported Darwin's work, and many different groups eventually accepted
the theory of evolution.
After Darwin's idea of the origin and development of life became well
known, others used the concept of evolution for developing theories about
society. A number of new philosophies began to emerge based on the Darwinian
theory. These ideas came onto the world scene and made serious implications
which made a view of agnosticism and atheism respectable. "As far as Darwin was
concerned, a man's religion was his own affair, and he tried to keep his loss of
faith to himself" (Gregor 112). For example, the German philosopher and social
scientist Karl Marx, who is often called the founding father of the communist
movement, compared the struggle for power among social classes to the struggle
for survival among organisms. Marx was so awe stricken by the way Darwin was
able to explain away the need for God regarding the origin of life that he
decided to dedicate Das Kapital, a book against capitalism , to Charles Darwin.
Marx and other humanists of his day believed the individual, not God, is the
highest being.
The acceptance of the evolutionary doctrine soon spread throughout the
academic world in spite of the opposition put forward by scientists and
religious leaders. Most scholars who had swallowed the humanistic philosophy
were proud of the fact that they could explain the physical world around them
without relying upon God.
In many parts of the industrialized world, much of the controversy over
evolution centered on the issue whether the theory should be taught in schools.
Many people would not accept the theory of evolution because it conflicted with
their belief that God is the creator and sustainer of life. The Bible also
states human beings were created in the image of God, and were elevated above
all other forms of life. Because of this view by the majority of people, the
teaching of evolution in the public schools in the United States occurred
through a gradual process over many years.
The first major confrontation regarding the teaching of evolution in
public schools occurred at the famous Scopes trial which took place in Tennessee
in 1925. The effect of the trial on education was felt for many years, as most
schools avoided teaching evolution and publishers produced textbooks that hardly
covered the topic. For years following the Scopes trial, the creation-evolution
controversy was not a high-priority issue. The issue lay dormant until the
1950s, when there was a growing concern among educators that science teaching in
the public schools needed to be upgraded with current evolutionary teaching.
The fact is, "The author or teacher who states [that evolution is an established
fact] is either ignorant of the facts in the case, or is seeking to hide them
from his students" (Schnabel 97).

Christmas History

The word Christmas comes from the old English "Cristes maesse" meaning Christ's
Mass. The Holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. The actual birthday of
Jesus is not known; therefore, the early Church Fathers in the 4th century fixed
the day around the old Roman Saturnalia festival (17 - 21 December), a
traditional pagan festivity. The first mention of the birthday of Jesus is from
the year 354 AD. Gradually all Christian churches, except Armenians who
celebrate Christmas on January 6 (the date of the baptism of Jesus as well as
the day of the three Magi), accepted the date of December 25th.

In American/English tradition, Christmas Day itself is the day for opening gifts
brought by jolly old St. Nick. Many of our current American ideals about the
way Christmas ought to be, derive from the English Victorian Christmas, such as
that described in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

The caroling, the gifts, the feast, and the wishing of good cheer to all - these
ingredients came together to create that special Christmas atmosphere.

The custom of gift-giving on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals of
Saturnalia and Kalends. The very first gifts were simple items such as twigs
from a sacred grove as good luck emblems. Soon that escalated to food, small
items of jewelry, candles, and statues of gods. To the early Church, gift-
giving at this time was a pagan holdover and therefore severely frowned upon.
However, people would not part with it, and some justification was found in the
original gift giving of the Magi, and from figures such as St. Nicholas. By the
middle ages gift giving was accepted. Before then it was more common to
exchange gifts on New Year's Day or Twelfth Night.

Santa Claus is known by British children as Father Christmas. Father Christmas,
these days, is quite similar to the American Santa, but his direct ancestor is a
certain pagan spirit who regularly appeared in medieval mummer's plays. The
old-fashioned Father Christmas was depicted wearing long robes with sprigs of
holly in his long white hair. Children write letters to Father Christmas
detailing their requests, but instead of dropping them in the mailbox, the
letters are tossed into the fireplace. The draft carries the letters up the
chimney, and theoretically, Father Christmas reads the smoke. Gifts are opened
Christmas afternoon.

From the English we get a story to explain the custom of hanging stockings from
the mantelpiece. Father Christmas once dropped some gold coins while coming
down the chimney. The coins would have fallen through the ash grate and been
lost if they hadn't landed in a stocking that had been hung out to dry. Since
that time children have continued to hang out stockings in hopes of finding them
filled with gifts.

The custom of singing carols at Christmas is also of English origin. During the
middle ages, groups of serenaders called waits would travel around from house to
house singing ancient carols and spreading the holiday spirit. The word carol
means "song of you." Most of the popular old carols we sing today were written
in the nineteenth century.

The hanging of greens, such as holly and ivy, is a British winter tradition with
origins far before the Christian era. Greenery was probably used to lift
sagging winter spirits and remind the people that spring was not far away. The
custom of kissing under the mistletoe is descended from ancient Druid rites.
The decorating of Christmas trees, though primarily a German custom, has been
widely popular in England since 1841 when Prince Albert had a Christmas tree set
up in Windsor Castle for his wife Queen Victoria, and their children.

The word wassail is derived from the Anglo-Saxon phrase "waes hael," which means
"good health." Originally, wassail was a beverage made of mulled ale, curdled
cream, roasted apples, nuts, eggs, and spices. It was served for the purpose of
enhancing the general merriment of the season. Like many of the ancient customs,
wassailing has a legend to explain its origin. It seems that a beautiful Saxon
maiden named Rowena presented Prince Vortigen with a bowl of wine while toasting
him with the words Waes hael. Over the centuries a great deal of ceremony had
developed around the custom of drinking wassail. The bowl is carried into a
room with great fanfare, a traditional carol about the drink is sung, and
finally, the steaming hot beverage is served.

For many years in England, a roasted boar's head has been associated with
Holiday feasting. The custom probably goes back to the Norse practice of
sacrificing a boar at Yuletide in honor of the god Freyr. One story tells of a
student at Oxford's Queen College who was attacked on Christmas Day by a wild
boar. All he had in his hand to use as a weapon was his copy of Aristotle, so
he shoved the book down the boar's throat. Wanting to retrieve his book, the
student cut off the animal's head and brought it back to the college where it
was served for Christmas dinner with much pomp and ceremony.

It is from Scandinavia that most of our Yule log traditions derive. The dark
cold winters inspired the development of traditions concerned with warmth and
light. Yuletide, meaning the turning of the sun or the winter solstice, has
traditionally been a time of extreme importance in Scandinavia - a time when
fortunes for the coming year were determined and when the dead were thought to
walk the earth. For a long time, it was considered dangerous to sleep alone on
Christmas Eve. The extended family, master and servant, alike would sleep
together on a freshly spread bed of straw.

The Yule log was originally an entire tree, carefully chosen, and brought into
the house with great ceremony. The butt end would be placed into the hearth
while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room. The tree would be slowly
fed into the fire and the entire process was carefully timed to last the entire
Yule season.

The Christmas tree has never been particularly popular in France, and though the
use of the Yule log has faded, the French make a traditional Yule log-shaped
cake called the "buche de Noel," which means "Christmas Log." The cake, among
other food in great abundance, is served at the grand feast of the season, which
is called Le reveillon. Le reveillon is a very late supper held after midnight
mass on Christmas Eve. The menu for the meal varies according to regional
culinary tradition. The traditional Christmas dinner is made of turkey with
chestnuts puree, and the buche de Noel as desert. Oysters are eaten on New
Year's Eve only because New Year's is more an adult celebration and usually
children are not very fond of oysters. The tradition in Paris is to eat grilled
chestnuts in the streets during the month of December and part of January.

The popularity of the Nativity scene, one of the most beloved and enduring
symbols of the holiday season, originated in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi asked
a man named Giovanni Vellita of the village of Greccio to create a manger scene.
St. Francis performed mass in front of this early Nativity scene, which inspired
awe and devotion in all who saw it. The creation of the figures or pastori
became an entire genre of folk art.

Christmas

The year’s most celebrated holiday is celebrated on December 25th, both in homes and churches worldwide. The meaning for Christmas is to recognize Christ’s birth, of which the exact date is not known. During the fourth century the Bishop of Rome set December 25th as Christ’s birth date. Some authorities claim that the choice of December 25th was made because it coincided with Chanukah, Mithraic’s feast of the sun god, and the people of northern Europe’s winter solstice feast. The winter solstice is the time of year in the Northern Hemisphere when the noon sun appears to be farthest south. (All About American Holidays, 1962 Encyclopedia Encarta, 1998) The Saturnalia was celebrated for seven days, during the period of time when the winter solstice occurred. During this, slaves were given freedom, gifts were exchanged, and banquets and happiness prevailed. (Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1998) Holiday Greenery Evergreens, the symbol of eternal life, have long been used for Christmas time decorations. The Christmas wreath represents everlasting life and God’s endless love for us. Kissing under a mistletoe supposedly started out when early Roman enemies stopped fighting when they met under a mistletoe. Holly is the most known Christmas greenery, and there are several legends about it, one is that Jesus’ crown was made of holly, and the holly berries represented his blood. (All About American Holidays, 1962) The Christmas tree: The Christmas tree is an evergreen trimmed with lights, decorations, and tinsel, is derived from a “paradise tree”, or the tree in the Garden of Eden. (Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1998) The use of the Christmas tree began early in the 17th century, in Strasbourg, France, spreading from there through Germany and then into northern Europe. In 1841 Prince Albert introduced the Christmas tree to Great Britain, where from there immigrants brought it to the United States. (Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1998) Santa Claus The beginning of gift giving during Christmas started from the three wise men, with their three gifts for the Christ child. Since then people have made up different things to tell their children where their Christmas presents came from. The historical Saint Nicholas was known in early Christian legends for saving storm-tossed sailors, standing up for children, and giving gifts to the poor. Although many of his stories can’t be proven true, his legend spread throughout Europe, and he was soon know for his extreme generosity and gift giving. Many stories include him riding through the sky on a horse and wearing his red bishop’s cloak, sometimes accompanied by Black Peter, an elf whose job was to whip the bad children. His most known legend is when he would walk through the streets in his bishop clothes, carrying a sack full of presents, and leaving a gift on the windowsills of children’s houses. (All About American Holiday’s, 1962 Compton’s Encyclopedia, 1994) >From the different parts of the world, there are different names, but the spirit of Christmas remains the same. Spanish children call their Santa Balthasar, children in Italy have a female Santa named La Belfana, Denmark has a gnome named Jule-Nissen, Holland has Sinter Klaas, Germany has Sanct Herr, and there are even some places that believe the Christ child brings their presents. (Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1998) The Christmas Feast On Christmas day, the year’s greatest feast was served, people went, and still do, all out. Although now we have different foods, the idea is still the same. The feast was started off with drinks and music, followed by a procession of the food. Once everyone was seated, the food was served and eaten, after dessert, people drank and danced. The banquet lasted hours and was the highlight of the day. Some of the food served was: beef, meat pies, roasted duck, geese, pigs, plumb porridge, fancy cakes, bowls of wassail, and toast. Christmas was a huge celebration filled with lots of eating, drinking, singing, dancing, and gift giving. (All About American Holidays, 1962) Christmas Decorations Centuries ago, Romans decorated their homes, public buildings, and temples on festive occasions, and we have followed this ancient custom. During Christmas time, store windows, malls, streetlights, and parking lot poles are decorated to celebrate this joyous time filled with shopping, gift giving, and happiness. Some popular and well-known Christmas decorations are: New York’s Rockefeller Plaza’s Christmas tree, when set up, the first lighting of the tree signifies the official opening of the Christmas season. Another popular attraction is Christmas Tree Lane, in Fresno, California. People there string lights around the great cedars lining Van Ness Avenue. Homeowners there also set up holiday displays on their lawns and houses. (Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1998 All About American Holidays, 1962

Christianity Begins

On a late afternoon, in about the year AD 33, two men were walking from Jerusalem to the nearby village of Emmaus. Their conversation centered on events that had occurred the previous week. As they journeyed, a stranger who seemed ignorant of these events joined them. Surprised, they asked him: "Are you the only person staying in Jerusalem not to know what has happened there in the last few days?" So they explained to him about a certain Jesus of Nazareth, "a prophet powerful in speech and action before God and the whole people. Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to the Roman authorities to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. But we were hoping that he was the man to liberate Israel." Even more amazing, they went on to say, were reports from some women who visited his tomb that he was alive again, raised from the dead. Suddenly the stranger spoke: "How dull-witted you two are! And how slow to believe all that the prophets said. Was not the messiah bound to suffer thus before entering upon his glory?" Then he went on to clarify from the Hebrew scriptures all the passages that referred to himself. For the stranger was Jesus of Nazareth, of whom the two had been speaking. Based on the life, death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ there has developed the world's largest religion, Christianity.
Expectation and Reality
The two men on the road to Emmaus were not simple common folk. They were a selected group of twelve followers, called disciples or learners, of Jesus who had known him for at least three years. During this period they had listened to all he said and had witnessed his amazing actions, such as healing the sick, giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and even bringing people back to life. They had become convinced that he was the Messiah who was to redeem Israel. Israel wanted and expected redemption. This small Jewish nation, located in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, had for centuries looked forward to a time when their God would, through some decisive action, free them from outside oppression and establish Israel as the preeminent nation in the world. The word messiah means "the lord's anointed," someone God has set aside for a specific task. Christians believe that Jesus, from the small town of Nazareth in Galilee, was that Messiah. They also believe that what he accomplished far exceeded the expectations of Israel. The Jews looked for a messiah exclusively for themselves, though his power and love would be such as to draw Jews and gentiles to a belief in the same God. Christians believe that Jesus, as God's son, accomplished something that was intended to benefit the whole world.
The Man and the Message
What Jesus said and did can be learned from the first four books of the Bible's New Testament. These books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called Gospels, a word that means "good news," because they are his followers' written testimonies of what his life was all about. The Gospels depict a man who was thoroughly inborn with the entire tradition of Israel's religion from the time of Abraham onward. From what Jesus said and did his followers came to believe that God was perhaps acting through him in a very special way. Very possibly he was the one long awaited who would inaugurate God's kingdom on Earth. It was reasonable that they should think this, for they too were Israelites; and they saw in his words and deeds what portended to be the dawning of a new age. What dashed their hopes was his death, crucifixion was a punishment reserved for criminals. Then came the great surprise: He was raised from the dead and appeared to them again over a period of 40 days. This stunning event required a complete reassessment of what Jesus was all about. It is this reassessment that forms the basis for the writings of the New Testament. The Gospels themselves are part of it, but it is more strikingly conveyed by the other 23 books, all written by his followers over the subsequent decades after he had left them. For he had left them. How and where to could only be explained as his returning to the God who had sent him. But he did not leave them forever: He promised that he would one day return, and he gave them a mission to perform to carry the message about his life and work to the whole world.
The Believers: the Church
The small group of Jesus' followers that gathered in Jerusalem after his departure did not call themselves anything special, they considered themselves to be Jews. The word Christian came into use years later and was originally a derogatory term used by outsiders. This group of Jews became known as Jews of the Way. During the first decades of the church's existence several significant events occurred: The assembly of believers separated themselves from the religion of Israel; they formulated an extensive assessment of what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus meant; the first Christian martyrs died for their beliefs; and new congregations of believers were founded in all parts of the Roman Empire.
Jews of the Way
The early Christians were all Jews. They remained in Jerusalem partook of the religious observances in the Temple, and ate according to Jewish dietary laws. They differed from their fellow Jews only in that they believed that the Messiah, Jesus, had come. Had they remained quiet about their conviction, they might well have remained a sect within Judaism. However, they insisted on preaching to all who would listen that Jesus whom the Jewish authorities had persecuted was the one Israel had long awaited. This preaching aroused great hostility on the part of religious leaders and the early Christians were persecuted because of it. A young follower of Jesus, a deacon by the name of Stephen, was stoned to death for preaching that Jesus was the Messiah. The mob of Jews drug him from the city, as they stoned him and as a young Pharisee by the name of Saul watched, Stephen died as a Christian, he died praying for his murders. Yet these Christians had no thought of venturing beyond the confines of Israel with their message. It was only after the joining of a man named Saul of Tarsus that the assembly of believers enlarged its horizons to include the whole known world.
From Saul to Paul
Saul, a strict Jew and Pharisee, was a persecutor of the church. While riding through the desert he was blinded by a vision from God, and he was converted. Saul made it to Damascus where he met Ananias, who restored his sight and baptized him. After changing his name to Paul, he began what is called the mission to the gentiles. Paul and another follower of Jesus, Barnabas, more than any others, pulled the church out from temple and synagogue and set it apart as a separate institution. But, for Paul, the separation was more than a physical one. It was also a separation of law. Paul wished to extend Gods love to the gentiles.
Mission to the gentiles
Based in Antioch, Paul and his associates took this message to most of the urban centers of the Mediterranean world. He began baptizing Samaritans in the name of Christ. The Jews thought it bad enough that not pure breed Jews could join the Way, but Paul pushed the envelope by baptizing gentiles who were not circumcised. It was his belief that Christians did not have to become Jews, and that they were not subject to all the rites, rituals, and laws of the Jewish religion. This aroused an intense anger in the Jews of the Way and, finally, led to a separation of the two groups.
The Christians become the Christians
The Jews of the Way believed that if the gentiles ate unkosher food, then they could not share a table of fellowship with the gentile believers of Christ. Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to the Christian center in Antioch to find out the condition of the mixing of Jews and gentiles. He became part of the mixer church, but there were still many debates on how to handle the group in Antioch. Until, the Council of Jerusalem where it was decided that the newly baptized followers of The Way did not have to eat kosher food or be circumcised. These followers of the Way were called Christians to distinguish them from the rest of the Jewish people. After that was settled, Paul and Barnabas set out to spread the Gospel, and this under taking was called Paul’s 1st Missionary Journey.

Christianity and the old testiment - Hot Article

"Religion" is a simple word that divides humanity in several groups. It is the claim of many influential Christian and Jewish theologians that the only genuine basis for morality is in religion(Nielsen 13). The morals and beliefs of children are greatly influenced by their home life. It is sad how children grow up, not able to research into their beliefs, but conform to the beliefs that have run in their families for generations. Not many children break away from the traditional religion in their family because it has been practiced and influenced for many years. If one should participate in breaking tradition, he could be challenged by the family to show reasoning behind the change(Kaplan 258). In doing this, society still will be diverse, but at least that is one more person trying to express an opinion. The Old Testament is an accurate and valid resource to use when trying to explain Christianity and faith. For example, it is amazing how one can justify his faith to a strong Catholic family when trying to prove that salvation is a free gift and not a time card for "good works." There is much difference between the religion of Catholicism and non-denominational Christianity. Though both groups believe in one God, the same God, growing up in the midst of the bickering of the two groups can confuse a child and bring bitterness toward this God that Christians believe is all-loving. School is an area where temptations are thrown in people's faces each day. Many people are challenged each day in these situations; children may be challenged in their home or in school because of the issue of salvation and trying to maintain a strong-willed mind as a young Christian.
Catholic children are taught their religion in CCD classes, and the result is the children learning to be good in order to go to heaven. Many of the the things they are taught come from the Old Testament. The Christian Bible includes the Old Testament unlike Judaism where their bible is the Old Testament. Children learn Christian virtues such as faith, obedience, piety, chastity, love, mercy, and humility(Garner 272). Catholic children are also taught that if they do sin, than they simply can go confess their sins to a priest and then they are forgiven. According to the Old Testament, salvation is free gift and forgiveness is given straight from God, not through some high standing official in the Church. Catholics are given a bad name, and their religion is considered to be hostile towards others and unethical at times(Hudnut 22). I am Catholic myself and may not believe in some of the teachings, but I do not feel that Catholics are really this way. This ongoing hostility between Protestants and Catholics can hamper a child's grasp of Christianity. A child is taught the Christian ways of "love thy neighbor" and then see the example of two Christian groups that cannot even get along . The Old Testament teachings show3 that there were no different sects under God, just His "chosen people." These Old Testament teachings are valuable in helping our youth of today understand this. What has happened to the religious thought of exploring the philosophical and scientific discussions of traditional concepts like sin, salvation, and the Gospel as one religion; Christianity(Hudnut 67)?

Essay - Halloween and Christianity - Hot Article

It is often said that Halloween is not the "harmless" holiday it is thought to be, instead it is believed to be a pagan ritual which dates back to the ancient Celtic Druids. According to the article "Should Our Kids Celebrate Halloween?" in Catholic Digest Halloween's origin is very much Christian and American.
Although the ancient Celts celebrated a minor festival on the 31st of October, it fell on that day because the Feast of All Saints or "All Hallows" falls on November 1st. During the 840s Pope Gregory IV gad All Saints Day to be celebrated everywhere. The day before the feast became known as "All Hallows Even" or "Hallowe'en". At the time, that day did not have any real significance. In the year of 998, the abbot of the monastery of Cluny in southern France, St. Odilo added a celebration on November 2nd called All Souls Day. The new celebration was a feast whose purpose was to recognize those in heaven and in purgatory.
The tradition of dressing up in costumes on Halloween is derived from the Feast of All Souls Day in France. During the 14th and 15th centuries when Europe was hit by outbreaks of the bubonic plague, about half of its population was wiped out. Since life spans were greatly shortened because of the plague, Catholics began to focus on the after life. The number of Masses help largely increased and people of all social classes gathered to dress in different garments and lead lost spirits to the tomb in a daisy chain which became known as the "Dance of Death".
Dressing up did not become part of Halloween until the creation of the British colonies in North America. During that period of time, Catholics had no legal rights in England. At times English Catholics attempted to resist. One such occasion was a plot to destroy King James I and his Parliament with gunpowder. The plan was ill-conceived and easily foiled when the guard of the powder, Guy Fawkes, was found and hung on November 5, 1605. The date became widely celebrated in England. Bands of revelers began to wear masks on that date and visited local Catholics during the night demanding beer and cakes for their celebration. This is the root of what has become known as "trick or treat!". As French and Irish Catholics immigrated into the colonies, they began to inter-marry. The combination of their traditions mixed with people of other nationalities is what led to the current way we celebrate Halloween.
In conclusion, Halloween is not the occult which most people believe, it is the product of several cultures including Christianity.

Christianity And Buddhism - Hot Article

This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory.
The Christian religion, like all other religions has its strengths and weaknesses in our modern society. Perhaps the strengths out weight the weaknesses as this is one of the largest religions in the world. Hundreds of people follow the Catholic/Christian religion yet still a greater number follow yet other religions. Perhaps this is because they see the weaknesses or perhaps it is simply because their parents have taught them that it is a sin to follow this religion.
The Christian religions do however present much more of an appealing atmosphere than such other religions which are as large as the Christian. The Christian religion is one of few religions where punishments for sins are not severe. In the Christian religion, even if you have lived a life of sin, so long as you repent in the end, you will be saved and given eternal life. This is not so in other religions. Such religions as Hinduism for instance do not believe this. For everything you do wrong you will be punished. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, if not in this life, then the next. Hindu's also believe that punishing the body is part of the path to salvation. Christianity is nothing like this. Many Christians live in high class society. Christianity is one of the most appealing in that any sins may easily be corrected and that Christians may live comfortable, if not wealthy lives without guilt.
Christianity, like other religions though, has many weaknesses. Although as time goes on, Christianity is slowly evolving and trying to become even more appealing to society, there are still many downfalls. One thing with Christianity is that from day one we are given a guilt trip. We are born evil. We are born with "the original sin". We are at the mercy of God. If we beg forgiveness however, it shall be granted. My grandmother for instance has been a firm believer in the Roman Catholic faith. She, being taught in the old style, firmly believes in going to confession weekly and begging for forgiveness. It has been taught to her that man is born evil. All we can do is pray, beg and hope for forgiveness. With such a guilt upon his sub©conscience, man can never be truly happy.
Yet another strength with the Christian faith is that it is one of the more flexible religions. Under the leadership of the pope(s), the Catholic faith has evolved with modern society and become a more "reasonable" faith. Such practices as not eating meat on Fridays, and so forth, have been abolished as the Christian faith has bent to conform with modern society. Some people may see this as a weakness. This is not so. The Christian religion has modified its rituals yet the central beliefs have not been altered since the very beginning of this religion. This is actually quite a good thing. A religion should change as the modern society does and conform to a more "acceptable" approach to continue its teachings/practices. This is one great thing about the Christian faith.
A small, often overlooked draw back to the Christian faith is that there is not any solid proof that Jesus existed. To the Christian faith, Jesus is the central figure. A Christian will tell you that the Bible is proof that Jesus existed. The Bible however was written much later, after Jesus' death. Therefore the stories contained have been transferred by word of mouth, which has certainly been distorted and exaggerated. The Shroud of Turin used to be the Christian religion's artifact which was believed to be the original shroud that Jesus was wrapped in when he was buried and therefore solid proof he existed. Recently due to modern carbon dating, this "artifact" has been proven to have been created with paint approximately one thousand years after the day Christ died. To a non believer, this is a major drawback.
One very strong point about the Catholic/Christian religion is that they strongly believe in correcting our corrupted world. Many missionaries are sent yearly to third world countries where they help educate, feed and provide moral support for a people who have nothing. With such a practice in place, the Christian religion has put a smile on faces which normally would never know anything more than tears. Probably one of the greatest features of the Christian church which helps it survive in modern society is the hierarchy system upon which this religion is based. Such strong organization structure help this religion in well organized money distribution, etc. In a modern society, such structure is necessary.
As one of the largest religions, the Catholic/Christian religion is one of the great religions which stills lives strongly among us in our increasingly modern society. Despite its many weaknesses, the Christian faith has even more strengths upon which its survival is based. Times may change, technology may advance, but essential beliefs never alter.
Now that I have explained what the basics of christianity are and how the religion views things I need to do the same with Buddhism. Buddhism is probably the most tolerant religion in the world, as its teaching can coexist with any other religion. Other religions, on the other hand, do not possess this characteristic and cannot accommodate Buddhism at the same time. The Buddhist teaching of God is neither agnostic nor vague, but clear and logical. Buddhism began this way: Siddhartha Gautama was born in the sixth century B.C. in what is now modern Nepal. His father, Suddhodana, was the ruler of the Sakya people and Siddhartha grew up living the extravagant life of a young prince. According to custom, he married at the age of sixteen to a young girl named Yasodhara. His father had ordered that he live a life of total seclusion, but one day Siddhartha ventured out into the world and was confronted with the harsh reality of life and universal suffering. The next day, at age twenty-nine, he left his kingdom and new-born son to lead and plain, reclusive life and determine a way to relieve this universal suffering. For six years, Siddhartha meditated under a bodhi tree, but he was never fully satisfied.
One day, however, he was offered a bowl of rice from a young girl and he accepted it. In that moment, he realized that physical harshness was not a means of achieving liberation. From then on, he encouraged people to follow a path of balance rather than extremism. He called this the Middle Way. "Devotion to the pleasures of sense, a low practice of villagers, a practice unworthy, unprofitable, the way of the world [on one hand]; and [on the other] devotion to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable. By avoiding these two extremes the Tathagata [or Buddha] has gained knowledge of that middle path which giveth vision, which giveth knowledge, which causeth calm, special knowledge, enlightenment, Nibbana [or Nirvana]." (Smart 236) That night, Siddhartha sat under the bodhi tree and meditated until dawn. He purified his mind of all evil thoughts and attained Enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, thus earning the title Buddha, or "Enlightened One."
For the remainder of his eighty years, the Buddha preached the dharma in an effort to help other people reach Enlightenment. The Buddha examined the phenomenal life objectively. Studying effects and tracing their causes, he produced a science of living which ranks with any other science known to man. He describes life to be one and indivisible. Man, he declared, can become Buddha, Enlightened, by the principle of Enlightenment within. This process is simply to become what you are, to develop to the full innate Buddha-Mind by destroying the ignorance, sin and evils of human nature. All forms of life, according to the Buddha, can be shown to have three characteristics in common; impermanence, suffering, and an absence of permanent soul which separates us from other forms of life. The Buddha also pointed out that nothing is the same as is was only a moment ago. Everything is changing. Even the hills are being worn away, and every human particle is being replaced every seven years. There is no finality or rest within the universe, only a ceaseless becoming and never-ending change. Buddhism denies that man has an immortal soul. The Enlightenment which dwells in life does not belong to one form of life. Man is always changing and entirely mortal. In addition, Buddhism is a natural religion. It does not violate either mind or body. The Buddha became aware that men are born and die according to their good or evil actions, according to their self-created Karma -- the consequences of good or evil deeds. Even though there are several different forms of Buddhism that have come into existence since Buddha’s death, there is still a basic essence that all Buddhists agree with.
All Buddhists recognize these. In all, there are four basic noble truths. The first noble truth of the world according to Buddha is dhukka, or suffering. The second truth is tanha, or desire, which is the cause of suffering. The third truth is that in order to free oneself from suffering, one must overcome desire. The fourth truth tells us how this can be accomplished through the eight-fold path. According to Buddha, the eight-fold path is the means to achieve liberation from suffering. It helps one weed out cravings and ignorance, to overcome rebirth, old age, disease, death, sorrows, lamentation, grief and despair. It helps to end mass misery and aids people in attaining Nirvana, or salvation. Specifically, this path includes: 1. Right View 2. Right Thought 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration The most simple teaching of the Buddha was to do good, to avoid evil and to purify the heart. According to Buddha, the hearts of ordinary men are not pure. They are filled with greed, ill will and delusion. Greed and hatred are impurities caused by desires, and ignorance is the cause of delusion, especially delusion of self. Ignorance, in fact, is the cause of desire and thus the primary cause of all suffering and of rebirth. The Buddha said that one may purify his heart: 1. By practicing self-control and self-restraint 2. By meditating upon one’s own self 3. By following the Eight-Fold Path that leads to the end of all suffering All of these points are the basic essence of Buddhism. They help people understand the worlds of suffering, personal or otherwise, and how to overcome that suffering. Buddhism is a simple religion that focuses on changing the evil of man and society into good. It bring a message of salvation and hope to whoever will follow its paths.
As you can see the two religions are very different yet very similar. It is very interesting to see that even though the cultures of the two religions are quite possibly exact opposites, the underlying message of the religions is quite similar. It seems that human nature all over the world needs something or someone to believe in and entrust their faith in which helps them live a comfortable life. Who is to say that which one is correct, but the idea of a higher being and being saved when we pass, is definitely a prevalent aspect of everyone’s lives.

Christianity - Best Modern Article

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age."1 A simple directive spoken by God himself through Jesus Christ in the
Sermon at the Mount, this Great Commission has impacted a countless number of lives throughout the years. The command given by Jesus at that time was actually to act as a continuance of His ministry after his death. Apparently this command continued to be fulfilled even far beyond His ascension into heaven. The commandment sparked the beginning of Christianity and throughout the years, its cultures, religions and beliefs poured out upon the continents, including the New World. The intent of this report is to show the transfer of Christianity from the Old World to the Americas; it is to outline its beginnings and show its impact on the Indian people.

The Catholic Church during the Middle Ages played an all encompassing
role over the lives of the people and the government. As the Dark Ages came to a
close the ideas of the Renaissance started to take hold, and the church's power
gradually began to dwindle. The monarchies of Europe also began to grow
replacing the church's power. Monarchies, at the close of the Middle Ages and the
dawn of the Renaissance, did not so much seek the guidance of the church as
much as it sought their approval. However, the Church during the Age of
Discovery was still a major influence. The discovery of the New World and its
previously unknown inhabitants presented new problems in the Catholic Church in
the late 14th and early 15th century. When Spain's rulers and emissaries decided to
physically conquer and populate the New World, and not just trade with it, the
transplantation of Christian institutions followed.

The church established contact with the New World, and made it a goal to
establish the Catholic doctrines among the native population there. The Catholic
Church and the Spanish monarch, however, looked upon the native population in
the New World as souls to be saved. They did not consider or treat the Indians as
equals. To them, the population seemed to mean more than the individual's
spiritual standpoint. The implanting of Christianity in the New World, and the
treatment of the native population by the missionaries and Christian conquerors
was harmful or even destructive to New World. Through men such as Cortez and
Bartolome Las Casas, accounts of the conversions have been recorded. One of the
reasons for this was the alliance of the Catholic Church with the Spanish
monarchy. The status of the Indians was irrelevant and disregarded by the
Christian conquerors and missionaries who wanted to convert them. The
missionaries subjected them to violence and reduced them to a laboring
population. The Indians, however did not always respond in a negative way to the
work of the church.

The Catholic Church arrived in the New World immediately after
Christopher Columbus laid claim to it for Spain. After Columbus's discovery of the
new lands he wrote a series of treaties as to what the European purpose there was.
Columbus, in his writings, said that the purpose of the New World was two-fold.
He said that: (1) The gospel message of the church should be spread globally
beginning with his discoveries in the New World. and (2) Second, he stated that
the riches discovered in the New World should be dedicated to the recapture of
Jerusalem from the Moslems.2 Columbus saw the discovery of the New World as a
prophesy coming true. He saw the Indians that lived there as a labor source that
should be Christianized and used for the greater good of the church. The
implementation of his two fold plan had its difficulties; However, this did not stop
or discredit the use of this part of the plan as a prime directive of the New World.

Two papal bulls or verdicts were issued in the year of 1493 that established
the Spanish position in the New World.3 They also established the role that the
church was going to play in the New World. The first bull was issued on May 3
given the name Inter Caetera. It said that the lands discovered by Spanish envoys
not previously under a Christian owner could be claimed by Spain. The bull also
gave the Spanish monarch the power to send men to convert the natives to the
Catholic faith and instruct them in Catholic morals. The second papal bull issued
in the same year expanded on the meaning of the primary bull. The bull fixed a
boundary for Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence in the New World. This
boundary heavily favored Spain further showing the alliance between Spain and
the Church.

The history of the Catholic Church in the New World began in the year
after Columbus' first voyage. The Spanish monarchy sent the first missionaries to
establish Christianity there. The number of missions sent to the New World
accelerated in tempo and density until the final decade of the 16th century. The
crown paid for the sending of missionaries, and its officials kept track of the many
"shiploads" of religious personnel sent and of the expenses they incurred. The
records show that the Spanish dispatched missionaries to more than 65
destinations, ranging from Florida and California to Chile and the Strait of
Magellan.4 Between 1493, when the first mission left for Espanola, and Spanish
American independence (roughly 1821) more than 15 thousand missionaries
crossed the Atlantic under royal approval and support. 5

The Spanish, when choosing who to send as their principle emissaries of the
Catholic Church, disregarded the opinions of the Spanish bishops and clergy, and
called up friars belonging to several monastic orders. There were three monastic
orders of friars that came to the New World. These were the Franciscans, the
Dominicans, and the Augustianians.6 While other secular priests were not
discouraged from going to the New World, the Crown did not send them as
missionaries. "By sending friars instead of secular priests to convert the Indians,
Spain took advantage of an old evangelical strain in European monasticism".7 If
one looks back further, in the times before the Christianity of Europe, monks
wandered and roamed the countryside converting the rural populations. The
present monarchy reimplemented this obsolete idea as a primary missionary tactic
in the New World. The Spanish monarch also picked the monastic orders to fulfill
this task because they were among those who possessed an education. Spain at this
time lacked seminaries and religious education facilities. The local priests were
either undereducated or uneducated to the point were they were seen as largely
ignorant.
Once in the New World the missionaries played an indispensable role in
conquering the Indian population for the Gospel, concentrating it in towns and
villages and taking charge of administration. Some times these settlements were
largely left in the hands of church officials because they were unreachable by
colony administrators. "Rural churchmen, in the frontier settings of the 16th
century acted in an atmosphere of independence which bordered on impunity".8
These missions were not always run in the best interest of the Indians. The natives
were often subject to harsh conditions, and they were not protected by the
missions. The missions instituted by the government were described this way,
"The church, with few exceptions, accompanied and legitimized the genocide,
slavery, ecocide, and exploitation of the wealth of the land. The mission left a
bitter fruit inherited by the descendants of the survivors of the invasion". 9

No country at this time conceived of setting up anything but a Christian
empire. "The monarch of Castile not only exercised supreme secular authority, but
he was also the head of the colonial church. Indeed, his laws of the Indies began
with the words, 'On the Holy Catholic Faith' ".10 The Church because it was under
the Spanish monarchy participated in the wrongs incurred in the New World. The
Church went along with the government in instituting the unfair practices against
the native population.

Las Casas writings about the treatment and conversion of the Indians are
some of the best that survive today. Las Casas was a Spanish bishop who late in
life became a renowned champion of the Indians. He was born in Seville in August
1474, and he first went to the New World in 1502. He became a priest and
participated in the acquiring of Cuba. He received land and slaves as a reward for
his contribution. In 1514 he experienced a radical change of heart and came to feel
that the native population had been unjustly treated by his countrymen. He then
became determined to dedicate the remainder of his life to their defense. Las Casas
was one of the notable authorities on the Indians, and was remarkable because he
realized the Indians should not be measured by the Spanish yardstick, but must
rather be understood with in the framework of their own culture. He saw the
Indians not as heathens and savages, but in a different stage of development from
Europe. Las Casas contended that the Indians had many skills and
accomplishments, and in fact possessed a culture worthy of respect.11

Las Casas writes about the treatment of the Indians upon being subjected to
the Spanish Christians. He accompanied the Spanish entourage on the occupation
of Cuba. In this venture he accompanied the expedition in the office of Clerico. He
stated that one of the chief cares of this office was when they halted in any town or
village, it was his job to assign separate quarters to the Spanish and the Indians.
This was to prevent violence from erupting between the two peoples. His principle
job; however was to assemble the children in order to baptize them. This was a sad
task for Las Casas because scarcely any of the children remained alive a few
months afterward. This was due to violence or the disease that the Spanish brought
with them. Las Casas on his travels also saw the violence and horrors which the
Indians were subject to. Las Casas describes this scene upon entering the Indian
village of Caonao: "The Clerico was preparing for the division of the rations
amongst the men, when suddenly a Spaniard, prompted, as was thought, by the
Devil, drew his sword: the rest drew theirs; and immediately they all began to hack
and hew the poor Indians, who were sitting quietly near them, and offering not
more resistance than so many sheep".12

Las Casas then goes on to describe the scene as "heaps of bodies . . . strewn
about, like sheaves of corn, waiting to be gathered up".13 The Spaniard's job was
to convert the native population to Christianity, not use them to test the sharpness
of their swords which they had done in this case.

In Mexico, Hernan Cortez, the conqueror, recognized the need for religious
instruction among Indians. His instructions he received from the Spanish
monarchy and the Pope for his venture included the order to, "spread the
knowledge of the true faith and the Church of God among those people who dwell
in darkness,".14 Cortez followed these instructions very diligently. When he
encountered the Indians on the mainland of Central America, he undertook their
religious conversions. He explained the Christian religion to them, and wanted the
natives to renounce their idols and embrace the Christian religion. He and the
religious men with him preached against sodomy and human sacrifice to the tribes
that they encountered. In Mexico, like other Spanish colonies, numerous Friars and
priests came and worked to Christianize the native population. However, this was
largely ineffectual because the various Holy men could only sow a few grains here
or there. Cortez realized the need for order in the Catholic Church in the New
World to convert the native population. Cortez wrote to the king of Spain, Charles
V, about the need for missionaries to convert the Indians. He asked for friars of the
St. Francis or St. Dominic order who would set up monasteries to instruct and
convert the native population. There, presently arrived in Mexico at San Juan de
Ulua on May 13 or 14, 1524 the famous mission of Twelve, who began the
methodical conversion of the Indians.

Cortez's envisions of monastic communities, where the native population
could be converted to Christianity, came true especially in Mexico. Huge
monasteries were built for the purpose of the conversion of the native population.
These monasteries built were of enormous size and decorated ostentatiously. The
monasteries included pomp and circumstance in their ceremonies. The reason
claimed for doing this was to keep the Indians interested in Catholicism and away
from their native religions. "On February 8, 1537, Zumarraga wrote the Council of
the Indies that beautiful churches helped in the conversion of the Indians and
strengthened their devotion. Twenty years later, on February 1, 1558, Viceroy Luis
de Velasco make the same observation to Philip II".15

These churches, supposedly built for the benefit of the native population,
were built or supported by the native population. For them this was a heavy
burden, whether they built the churches themselves or had to pay workmen to the
labor. They had to do this at the cost of neglecting their fields or trades. There
were also accounts of the friars physically punishing the Indians for their work or
lack of it, "But one must accept with reserve the testimony of the Indians who
complained of abuses by the Dominicans during the construction of the convent at
Puebla, claiming they were exhausted from work, and that one of the religious had
loaded them with large stones and them beaten them over the head with a stick".16

The missions set up by the church were also guilty of abusing the native
population. The Indians were supposed to benefit from these missions, but all they
received from them was more misery. The Indians in having to support these new
edifices and having to convert to Christianity suffered from a double edged sword.

The native Americans had three responses to the thrusting of the Christian
religion upon them. One response was the incorporation of elements of Christianity
into their own religion, creating a new religious system. They took the beliefs out
of the Christian religion that agreed or make sense with their religion and
combined the two.

"Ancient rituals attached to Christian ones included a sweeping
ceremony that accompanied the bringing of the Eucharist to the sick,
the lighting of fires on the eve of the nativity, the extreme use of self-
flagellation, the burning of a traditional incense before images of
saint, dedicating strings of ears or corn to the Virgin".17
Some Indians outright rejected Christianity. An example of this written by Thomas
Giles was, "among the Incas of Peru, baptism was considered subjection to the
invader; some Incan chiefs killed those who accepted the rite".18 The Indians
largely could not accept Christian beliefs because of the actions of the Christians
themselves. The brutality and the lack of concern or remorse that the Spanish
showed to the Indians played a large role for the rejection of the Spanish religion.
The Indians did not want any part of a religion that preached rape, slaughter, and
cruel subjugation. The explanation of a Mayan who objected to the behaviors of
the Spanish was the following, "The true God, the true Dios came, but this was the
origin too of affliction for us: the origin of tax, of out giving them alms; of trial
through the grabbing of cacao money, of trial by blowgun; stomping the people;
violent removal; forced debt, debt created by false testimony; petty litigation,
harassment, violent removal; the collaboration with the Spaniards on the part of the
priests, . . .and all the while the mistreated were further maltreated...but it will
happen that tears will come to the eyes of God the Father. The justica of God the
Father will settle on the whole world." 19

Not all the Indians rejected the Christian religion. Many of them accepted it.
They desired Christian friendships and to change their habits to the ones of the
Spanish. The reasons for the acceptance of Christianity vary, but one of these is
fear. Some Christian conquerors threatened lives if the Indians were not baptized
and did not actively participate in the Church. Another reason for the conversion is
that the Indians were in awe of the conquers. The Spanish represented power and
the Indians were in reverence of their great amount of power they represented.
Some accepted the religion because the missionaries demonstrated boundless zeal,
high morals, and great courage. Not all of the missionaries sent by the Church were
violent or corrupt. There were some who worked for the benefit of the native
population. The Indians saw this and respected it.

The Catholic Church helped the Spanish monarchy administer to the native
population in the New World. The Church, by being subject to the Spanish
monarchy, is also to be held accountable to the numerous evils inflicted upon the
Indians in the Spainish colonies. In many cases they were forced to convert to
Christianity, and their views about god and religion were not taken into account.
The Catholic Church incurred a great injustice to the native population in the New
World. They were reduced to second class citizens, and forced to work toward
goals that they did not fully understand. Through the writings of Las Casas, it is
seen how the Indians were slaughtered needlessly, and how they were baptized
without regard to their feelings. Cortez paved the way for missions to be founded
in the New World supposedly for the good of the Indian population. This,
however, also turned against them. The Catholic Church role in the lives of the
native population was a negative one due to its alliance with the Spanish monarchy
and its forced conversion of the Indians.

Christ EXAMINATION

The Death of Christ EXAMINATION I chose to look into Jesus death and the people who were involved in it. The first group of people who got hold of Jesus was the Roman soldiers. They were probably the most innocent in the whole thing. Granted they did perform the actual act of crucifying Christ, but it was because of the order that Pilate gave them. As I looked into crucifixion and how it started I found that before Jesus was crucified, more than 30,000 men, in Israel alone, had already been crucified. It all started by this guy named Ormazd from Persia. He thought that the earth was sacred, so he did not want to defile the earth by killing criminals on it so he put them on a large pole and left them there to die. After Pilate gave the order to crucify Christ the soldiers took him. The part of their wickedness was not the act of crucifying Christ, it was by what they did to Jesus before they crucified him. The scripture says in Matthew 27, that the soldiers, “gathered a full Roman cohort around Him.” I looked into what a “full Roman cohort” was. It seems that a total of 600 soldiers make up a full Roman cohort. I also learned that Jewish people were given the right not to be in the Roman military. I also fount out the cohort was traveling around with the governor as a military escort. Because of that it is pretty safe to say they never heard of Jesus, other than the fact that He was being crucified because he was claiming to be some sort of king.. The soldiers knew that he claimed to be a king so they stripped him down and put a scarlet robe on him. Next they took thorns and thistles and weaved a crown together and put it on Jesus head. My understanding is that Caesar wore a wreath on his head and the soldiers were mimicking Him. As they put the crown of thorns on Jesus head blood ran down on Jesus face, which made him even more unrecognizable. The final piece of dress that the soldiers put on Jesus was a reed in his right hand. The way John MacAuthur, Jr. explained the reed was that it was to represent royalty, authority, and power. After giving Jesus the reed the soldiers were making fun of Jesus by getting on their knees and pretending to worship Him. They then took the reed from his hand and beat Jesus on the head with it while they were saying this like, “Look how easy we strip you of your power and authority. We now beat you with your own staff.” During all this not one time, that I could find in anything that I read, did Jesus say anything. Never once did he try to defend Himself, but just took the undeserved torture quietly. Afterwards Jesus stood before Pilate during this meeting what stand out most to me is the first thing that Jesus responded to. Pilate said to Jesus, “…where did you come from?” But Jesus did not answer him. Then Pilate said, “You won’t talk? Don’t you know that I have the authority to pardon you and the authority to crucify you?” Jesus said, “You haven’t a shed of authority over me except what has been given to you from heaven. That is why the one who betrayed me to you has committed a far greater fault,” John 19:10 –11. That is the part that gets me curious and excited…it is almost like, if something like that would happen on Jerry Springer the audience would go, “Ohh.” It makes me think and probably Pilate think, “Who exactly is in control right now?” After that took place Pilate felt bad or understood what he had done and sort of walked away from the situation but did not stop it. He told the Jews to take him themselves and crucify Him. When Jesus left there MacAuthur says that Jesus, “…was bleeding profusely from the scouring, with terrible lacerations from His shoulders down, exposing muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and perhaps even internal organs.” To add to all of this, the night before Jesus had no sleep because of trials. Even though Jesus was in this poor of shape, the people still forced Him to carry his own cross. From reading and research I feel it is safe to say that Jesus did not just carry a section of the cross but the entire thing. This would mean that Jesus was beaten and then forced to carry a cross weighing more than 200 pounds. To make sure that this happened 4 soldiers escorted Him. The were also there to help Him get through the crowds and lead the way. These 4 soldiers are called a quaternion.
Once Jesus made it to a town south of Greece called Cyrene He was not able to carry the cross any more. His body was giving out, because of this the Roman soldiers picked a guy named Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. I wish I had more time to study Simon but what I did learn was that he was a pilgrim who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The reason, that I can best understand, that Simon was picked is because he looked strong. I also found out that after Simon carried the cross both him and other family members found faith in Christ, but that is a whole other report. They finally made the trip to the final destination. The place was named Golgatha, and it means, place of a skull. The reason for the name was explained to me in the past. I was told that people were buried there up to their necks and their heads were poking out of the ground. MacAurthor says that it got its name from its appearance, “the name refereed to a particular site that had the appearance of a skull.” A question I had about this place named Golgatha was, why there, for the crucifixion? The reason I found was refereed to me in the book of Numbers 15:35. It says that there was a law that required executions be performed outside the city. Once to Golgatha, the soldiers tried to give Jesus a drink, Jesus tasted it and spit it out. The reason? I found that the soldiers the person who was being crucified something for the pain, and to keep them from struggling during the nailing. When Jesus tasted something in the drink he spit it out because He didn’t want his senses dulled. Once everything was in place the soldiers first nailed His feet to the upright beam and His hands through the wrist to the horizontal beam (I could not find out which hand was nailed first). After He was nailed to the cross it was raised and there was room for Jesus to bend His knees. I couldn’t find anywhere saying Jesus was tied to the cross, even though many pictured I have seen have ropes also. I was going to try to explain what happened to His body next but I found that in a book called, The Life of Christ, it is explained very well on pages 403 – 404. It says, “A death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of the horrible and ghastly – dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of intended wounds – all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the point which would give to the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness. The unnatural position made every movement painful; the lacerated veins and crushed tendons throbbed with incessant anguish; the wounds inflamed by exposure gradually gangrened [when a victim took several days to die]; the arteries – especially at the head and stomach – became swollen and oppressed with surcharged blood, and while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing, there was added to them the intolerable pang of burning and raging thirst, and all these physical complications caused an internal excitement and anxiety, which made the prospect of death itself – of death, the unknown enemy, at whose approach man usually shudders most – bear the aspect of a delicious and exquisite release. One thing is clear. The first century executions were not like the modern ones, for they did not seek a quick, painless death nor the preservation of any measure of dignity for the criminal. On the contrary, they sought an agonizing torture, which completely humiliated him. And it is important that we understand this, for it helps us realize the agony of Christ’s death.” While Jesus was on the cross many things happened. A sign of mockery was hung above his head that read, “This is Jesus the king of the Jews.” Jesus was crucified along with two other criminals, one on each side. At first both of them mocked and yelled at Jesus. There were many people standing around watching. Most of these people at one time admired Jesus and even followed Him. The reasoning behind them being at the cross this time (at least what I understand) was to make sure He was crucified. I read in many books that the people were yelling at Jesus and mocking Him. It says in John 2:19 –21 that they were mocking the fact that He said he would rebuild the temple in 3 days.
Another groups at the cross were the Pharisees. From as far back in Jesus life that I go these people who were trying to destroy Jesus. Because of this paper I learned that they were probably a big part of the crucifixion. They have a lot of power and pressured people into agreeing with them. Now these people were at the cross doing the same thing that they always did. Harassing Jesus. During the mocking done by all these people, one of the others being crucified changed his mind about Christ. I don’t really know why, and I couldn’t find much on it. At first I thought it was probably out of fear, but later changed my mind. I think he was hearing and seeing what the people were doing but also watched the reaction of Jesus. I feel because of Jesus reactions he started to believe in who he said he was. He told this to Jesus and Jesus promised him in Luke 23:42-43 that he would be with Jesus in heaven.
CONCLUSIONJust before Jesus died it is said that he cried out and yielded up his spirit. What I never thought about before was what that meant. Even though Jesus had been through incredible pain and suffering, he was still very strong. I say this because it takes a lot of energy to yell. I feel because of this fact Jesus was able to keep living, but it says that He gave up his spirit. What I think that reassures is that he was still in total control of everything, even His own life. While on the cross…”The son took upon himself out transgressions, our iniquities. Jesus delivered up because of our transgression…” and by giving up His life He, “who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, and became a curse for us. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross and died for sins once and for all, the just for the unjust, and became the propitiation for our sins.” Jesus life was concluded on the cross by Him saying, “It is finished.” And giving up His spirit for and to us.
APPLICATION THE SOILDIERSThe conclusion of these people is that their wickedness was because of their lack of knowing who Jesus was THE PEOPLE STANDING AROUND THE CROSS What I think of when I think of these people is the people at my church whether in youth group or other areas, who were raised in the church and live the Christian life, but when something isn’t going right they only live the Christian life with their mouths and not by their actions. When things get even worse they jump ship and we don’t see them until they are tired of trying to fix things on their own and come back to Jesus for help.
THE PHARISIES What cracks me up about these guys is that they probably know more scripture than anyone in the Bible, most of them even devoted their lives to studying scripture but they were still blind. If anyone should have known what was going to happen it was them and it was happening before their eyes. Yet they were still blind to the truth. At the end of this paper I am very pleased. I really hope that this is what you were wanting. I tried to research something that you assigned and something that I know nothing about. The people and their reactions on the way to and from the cross was just that. If I had to relate myself to any of the people in this research project it would probley be the soldiers. I say this because a lot of times I do things to Jesus without even knowing. Once I know life is a lot easier to see. Does that make sense? My next biggest thing would be the knowledge of what is wrong but giving into the flesh. I guess that would be what the people standing around the cross were doing. It might seem a little weird but I kind of want to be like the Pharisees. Not what they did but what they know. This paper has pushed me just a little closer to that and I’m pretty happy with the outcome and cant wait until I can use what I have now learned in real life. Douglas, J.D. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Publisher House,1978 MacArthur, John The MacArthur New Testiment Commentary Library of Congress in Publication Data, 1989 Tenney, Merrill C. The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible Zondervan Publishing House, Douglas, J.D. The Illustrated Bible Dictionary Part 2 Inter-Varsity Press, Cross, F.L. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Oxford University Press, 1968 Green, Joel B. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels Inter Varsity Press, Bible translations used: NIV, The Message, New Living, and New American Standard.

Changes of the Catholic Church as Portrayed in the Literature during the Late Fourteenth

Changes of the Catholic Church as Portrayed in the Literature during the Late FourteenthIn reading the poems Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, it is evident that the church played a major role in the lives of the English people during the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church was going through many changes during the late middle ages. After the people of England were able to read the Bible many of them started to stray from the church. During this time period many great works of literature were written that expressed these ideas. Sir Gawain is an Arthurian romance written by an unknown author in the late fourteenth-century. It is the story of Sir Gawain and his adventure to find the Green Knight. Religious faith and the Christian idea of chivalry play a large role in Sir Gawain’s adventure. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of poems written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Many of the tales and characters in the story have to do with the church and its corruption during medieval times.
The poem ,Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, was written during the late 1300’s. It is a story that was already hundreds of years old. In the poem, Sir Gawain is being measured against a moral and Christian ideal of chivalry. Chivalry is the moral code that knights lived by during the Middle Ages. Chivalrous knights fought for glory and the Christian purpose and not for profit or gain. In the poem, Gawain’s chivalry, along with his faith, are tested to prove his worth as a knight. This poem shows the importance of faith and the church, yet it also shows that although knights are held to a code of chivalry and strict Christianity, they are still human and make mistakes. The mistake, or sin that Gawain committed in the poem showed the more human side of the knight. This was a change from the more normal approach of a strict, almost unbelievably good character that a knight usually portrayed in the Middle Ages.Around the same time that the story of Sir Gawain was written Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the poem The Canterbury Tales. The Canterbury Tales is the story of a group of people who decide to make a pilgrimage to the Canterbury Cathedral. During their journey each person tells a story to the group. What makes the tales interesting is Chaucer’s ability to know how different types of people act. One of the interesting aspects of the story is the way the people related to the church are portrayed by Chaucer. Chaucer portrays his clergy member characters as ironic figures. He portrays some of them as greedy and dishonest, despite their social status. The Nun, the Monk, and the Pardoner are the religious characters in Chaucer’s work. By creating ironies between their characterizations and their duties, Chaucer expresses the corruption of the church during the late fourteenth-century. Chaucer also shows the human side of the clergy. Even though the clergy were held to a higher standard, they still made mistakes and had vices. Chaucer’s character, the Prioress, is an interesting portrayal of a nun in the late middle ages. She is described as a gentle woman, simple and coy. She does not behave as you would think a nun should. She speaks an odd dialect of French, but not to communicate or help others. She speaks this language for her own vain reasons. She tries to act like she is in a more refined social class. It is ironic that she is even on this pilgrimage. Normally a nun would stay inside of the convent walls. One of the most ironic characteristics of the nun is that she wears a large gold brooch around her neck, which reads, “Love conquers all”. This is wrong because nuns were not supposed to wear jewelry.
The Monk is another one of Chaucer’s characters that didn’t fit into social norms. The Monk is described as noticeably sarcastic, piggish, and selfish. Like the nun, he seems to be a vain servant of God. He wears expensive clothing and is not separated from the world as a Monk is supposed to be. The tale that he tells about hunting is looked at as a sexual connotation, the hunting meaning hunting women. This would be improper for a Monk to think, let alone talk about to a group of people. He seems to be a misguided servant of God who does not fit the stereotypical description of a monk. The way Chaucer describes him, as not caring for the monastic rules written by St. Maurus and St. Benedict shows that the Monk was a corrupt figure in the church.
The Pardoner is probably the most vile and corrupt character in the story. During the middle ages, pardoners were supposed to issue papal forgiveness from sins in exchange for money. This money in turn was supposed to be given to the sick, poor, or any other worthy cause. Many pardoners were frauds. They kept the money forthemselves, and sold fake relics and pardons. This pardoner claimed to have come “straight from the court of Rome”, yet it is known that he has never even set foot out of England. The pardoner uses stories to trick people into buying his fake relics. In essence, he was a good B.S. salesman. Ironically, the stories that the pardoner tells are all moral stories against greed, gluttony, and other sins. The moral of his tale, “money is the root of all evil” is also very ironic, since all he seems to care about is money. The pardoner is an excellent example of corruption in the Catholic Church during this period. In closing, all of these stories have one thing in common. Whether it was Sir Gawain and the sin he committed, or the mistakes and vices of the three corrupt members of the church in The Canterbury Tales. They all knowingly committed sins. This shows the more human side of the church. At a point when the rules of the church were enforced strictly on the people of England, these stories show that even the people who were supposed to set the example and represent the church made mistakes and committed sins. With this corruption in the Church came change. When the common people began to read the Bible written in the vernacular, English, they realized that they didn’t need the corrupt Church to tell them about the teachings of God. Around the time period that these stories were written the Renaissance was beginning, and with the renaissance came new ideas. Many of these new ideas, e.g. humanism, had an effect on the Church and ultimately the monarch in England. As the saying goes, “No Bishop, No King”.

Celebrating Religious Holidays In Public

Celebrating Religious Holidays In PublicIt is unconstitutional for local, state or federal governments to favor one religion over another? Government can show favoritism toward religion by displaying religious symbols in public places at taxpayer expense, by sponsoring events like Christmas concerts, caroling, or by supporting the teaching of religious ideas. It appears the United States government has had a history of favoring Christianity. The United States government's favoritism of Christianity is a clear violation of the First Amendment. This amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." There is another reference to religion in Article 6, Section 3. This clause states "the United States and the several States shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution, but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." There have been several court cases on this and related issues which include Engel vs. Vitale, Everson vs. the Board of Education, and Lynch vs. Donnelly, the "Creche case". In 1947, in the Everson vs. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th amendment prevented the States and the and the Federal government from setting up a church, passing laws that favor any religion, or using tax money to support any religion. Justice Hugo Black "incorporated" the First Amendment's establishment clause into the 14th Amendment which states that "the State shall not deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws and due process. After this trial, people began to question whether school prayer was constitutional (pg. 93-94, Klinker). The "creche case," Lynch vs. Donnelly, came from Rhode Island in 1980. In this case, the city offical included a creche, or nativity scene, in their city's annual Christmas display that included all traditional Christmas symbols. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger represented the court's opinion when he stated that, "Nor does the constitution require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any." Justices Brennan, Marshall, Blackman, and Stevens dissented. They thought the "primary effect of including a nativity scene in the city's display is. . . to place the government's impremature approval on the particular religion's beliefs exemplified by the creche." They argued that it clearly violated the First Amendment (p. 99, Witt). These cases demonstrate a pattern of Constitutional thought by high courts prohibiting the promotion of particular religious ideas, and the spending of tax dollars on events that promote particular religious views. A logical extension of this pattern can be made to the spending of tax dollars for decorating towns on religious holidays, such as Christmas. Local, state, and federal governments attempt to get around the prohibitions of the Everson and Lynch cases by decorating the streets in town with non-religious symbols such as lights, trees, wreaths and other objects that symbolize the season. But, religious people think the season itself has religious meaning. Using tax money to decorate for a religious holiday not celebrated by everyone is unconstitutional because these symbols support one religion over no religion.
The First Amendment prohibits this. We understand that public school prayer discriminates against some religious views so it is prohibited in public schools. Similarly, Christmas concerts play a role similar to the teaching of creationism and prayer. The Christmas concerts subconsiously influence students toward the beliefs of Christianity. To be fair to non-Christian groups, converting "Christmas" concerts to "Holiday" concerts would maintain the "separation of church and state." One could recognize the beliefs of many religions or none. One could play music from several religions or non-religious music. Religion is a personal belief. There are so many religions to choose from, including the choice of no religion. It is impossible to decide that one belief is right and another is wrong. So it is reasonable to say that it is unconstitutional for government to favor Christianity over other religions, including Athieism. Instead of using tax dollars to decorate the streets for the holidays, we could use the money for other things like playgrounds and helping the homeless. Also, students could play music that has no religious meaning to please every belief or offend none. This way, government would be prevented from favoring one religion over another.

Cathedrals of the 12th Century

For nearly four hundred years Gothic style dominated the architecture of Western Europe. It originated in northern France in the twelfth century, and spread rapidly across England and the Continent, invading the old Viking empire of Scandinavia. It confronted the Byzantine provinces of Central Europe and even made appearances in the near East and the Americas. Gothic architects designed town halls, royal palaces, courthouses, and hospitals. They fortified cities and castles to defend lands against invasion. But it was in the service of the church, the most prolific builder of the Middle Ages, that the Gothic style got its most meaningful expression, providing the widest scope for the development of architectural ideas.1
Although by 1400 Gothic had become the universal style of building in the Western world,its creative heartland was in northern France in an area stretching from the royal domain around Paris, including Saint-Denis and Chartres, to the region of the Champagne in the east and southward to Bourges. Within this restricted area, in the series of cathedrals built in the course of the 12th and 13th centuries, the major innovations of Gothic architecture took place.
2 The supernatural character of medieval religious architecture was given a special form in the Gothic church. "Medieval man considered himself but an imperfect refraction of Divine Light of God, Whose Temple stood on earth, according to the text of the dedication ritual, stood for the Heavenly City of Jerusalem."3 The Gothic interpretation of this point of view was a cathedral so grand that seems to belittle the man who enters it, for space, light, structure and the plastic effects
of the stonework are made to produce a visionary scale. The result of the Gothic style is distortion as there is no fixed set of proportions in the parts. Such architecture did not only express the physical and spiritual needs of the Church, but also the general attitude of the people of that time. Gothic was not dark, massive, and contained like the older Romanesque style, but light, open, and aerial, and its appearance in all parts of Europe had an enduring effect on the outlook of succeeding generations.4
Gothic architecture evolved at a time of profound social and economic change in Western Europe. In the late eleventh and twelfth centuries trade and industry were revived, particularly in northern Italy and Flanders, and a lively commerce brought about better communications, not only between neighboring towns but also between far-distant regions. Politically, the twelfth century was also the time of the expansion and consolidation of the State. Along with political and
economic developments, a powerful new intellectual movement arose that was stimulated by the
translation of ancient authors from Greek and Arabic into Latin, and a new literature came into
being. Gothic architecture both contributed to these changes and was affected by them.5
The Gothic style was essentially urban. The cathedrals of course were all situated in
towns, and most monasteries, had by the twelfth century become centers of communities which
possessed many of the functions of civic life. The cathedral or abbey church was the building in
which the people congregated on major feast days. It saw the start and the end of splendid and
colorful ceremonies, and it held the earliest dramatic performances. The abbey traditionally
comprised at least a cloister, a dormitory and a refectory for the monks. But the cathedral also
was around a complex of buildings, the bishop's palace, a cloister and the house of canons, a
school, a prison, and a hospital. However the cathedral dominated them all, rising high above the
town like a marker to be seen from afar.6
The architectural needs of the Church were expressed in both physical and iconographical
terms. Like its Romanesque predecessor, the Gothic cathedral was eminently adaptable. It could
be planned larger or smaller, longer or shorter, with or without transepts and ambulatory,
according to the traditions and desires of each community. It had no predetermined proportions or
number of parts, like the Roman temple or the centrally planned church of the Renaissance. Its
social and liturgical obligations demanded a main altar at the end of a choir where the chapter and
the various dignitaries would be seated, a number of minor altars, and an area for processions
within the building.7 There were rarely more than about two hundred persons participating in the
service, even though the smallest Gothic cathedral could easily contain that number. The rest of
the building simply supplemented this core and provided space for the laity, who were not
permitted to enter the choir or sanctuary. Still, after the middle of the twelfth century, the choir
was usually isolated by a monumental screen that effectively prevented laymen from even seeing
the service, and special devotional books came into use to supply the congregation with suitable
subjects of meditation during mass.8
The program of the Gothic church fulfilled iconographical as well as social requirements.
The intellectual centers of the Middle Ages had long been associated with the Church, and the
tradition of learning that had been preserved in monastic and cathedral schools gave rise to
universities such as Paris and Oxford in the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Such an
association obviously had an effect on the arts, which were still primarily religious in nature.
Scholarly clerics, for instance, were appointed to arrange the intricate, theological programs for
the sculpture and the stained glass that decorated the church. The relationship is thought by some
historians to have been even closer, for scholastic thinking first took shape in Paris early in the
twelfth century, at the very time that Gothic architecture came into being there. It is possible that
architects, who were "abstract" thinkers in their own right, may occasionally have absorbed some
of the habits of thought of the philosophers. In the absence of written documents, however, it
cannot be proved whether these habits were consistently embodied in the design of the buildings.9
The Gothic age, as has often been observed, was an age of vision. The supernatural
manifested itself to the senses. In the religious life of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the
desire to behold sacred reality with bodily eyes appeared as the dominant theme. Architecture
was designed and experienced as a representation of an ultimate reality.10 The Gothic cathedral
was originated in the religious experience and in the political and even physical realities, of
twelfth-century France. It was described as an illusionistic image of the Celestial City as evoked
in the Book of Revelation. The essence of Gothic style was most fully developed in its conquest
of space and its creation of a prodigious, visionary scale in the cathedrals of the twelfth century.11

Cathedrals and Religion

Introduction
The Gothic Age

³As the third year that followed the year on thousand grew near, there was to be seen over almost all the earth, but especially in Italy and in Gaul, a great renewal of church buildings; each Christian community was driven by a spirit of rivalry to have a more glorious church than the others. It was as if the world had shaken itself, and casting off its old garments, had dressed itself again in every part in a white robe of churches.²

Raoul Glaber, Historia, c.1003

The Gothic Age (c. AD 1130-1530) marked the end to an age of chaos, primarily caused by the sacking and pillaging of the Vikings. After the great minds of Western Europe were freed from using their vast knowledge to defend against invaders or plagues, they now had the time and the resources needed to design any and everything in this era from bridges to city walls and castles to cathedrals. This was also a very religious age, with plenty of money being pumped into the Church, some from the crusades, with all of its included looting, and a lot more from all of the tithes all of the people who were born in the population explosion gave faithfully. Another even bigger source of income for the Church came to it in the shape of power and prestige, when the power of the church peaked in AD 1277.
Not only was this a good time for the Church, but this was also a very good time for all of humanity. The standard of living dramatically rose, and along with it, the population of Western Europe shot up. In 1346, the estimated population of Europe was fifty-four point four million just before the plague hit and wiped out more than a third of the population.1 2 This was more than twice the population of Europeans in the year 950 when it was 22,600,0003 .
While the population was exploding there were so many new cathedrals built that in the relatively short time period of two hundred and fifty years, there was more stone quarried to be used in cathedrals (several million tons) than was quarried during the age of the pyramids in Egypt, where there are pyramids that are over two hundred and fifty million cubic meters big.4
The Gothic age survived many crusades, a plague that didn¹t leave Europe until the late 18th century, and many other horrible atrocities. Following this great age, there was a period without the great accomplishments as in this age, since everyone was just happy using what their forefathers had done. If not for this age, we would today be without many of our modern conveniences, so I firmly believe that this age was essential to modern day living.

Body of Knowledge

Gothic Architecture
Anyone who has ever walked into a true Gothic cathedral knows how much of an impact one can have on a person . The sheer magnificence of it will shut even the noisiest of tourists up. One can only imagine the impact seeing such a place would have on a person who has never had the opportunity to see one of the great wonders of the modern world, such as a skyscraper. The name alone is enough to bring visions of grandeur, or Las Vegas, a place known for its flashy style and glitz. Just think what a person who has never seen either one of these places, or any place anything like it, would think when they saw a choir with a roof so high a fourteen story building could fit in there* and not even touch the rafters.5 And Imagine what you would think of a stadium that was so large it could hold one million people (the largest one today holds a ²mere² forty-two thousand people1). This is what Ameins Cathedral was like when it was built. The entire town of ten thousand people could fit into it all at the same time to go to the same mass. It had a floor that was seven thousand, seven hundred square meters.

New Ideas in the Cathedral that Reflected Christianity
There were many aspects about Gothic cathedrals that reflected the then modern-day ways of life, such as how a common belief in those times was that the closer you were to God, the holier you were. The architects would build huge spires and high ceilings which would make the building look absolutely massive. Another clever technique of the time was to create picture stories on the windows with stained glass since the vast majority of the people couldn¹t read or write to help the common folk learn the Bible without having someone read it to them.
-Walls
The walls in a Gothic cathedral were way ahead of the walls in the style that preceded Gothic, Romanesque. The walls in Gothic were thin and had a lot of stained glass in them, not to mention the fact that the new style was a lot higher. The reason that the architect could put up thinner, higher walls was because of two new inventions, the flying buttresses and ribbed vaults. The latter of the two, ribbed vaults, sounds simple enough, but it is effective and ingenious enough to have earned a place in history. All they really are, are supports that go from corner to corner like rafters, although, unlike rafters, they are up against the actual ceiling, therefore putting the weight on the corners and, at the same time, effectively supporting the ceiling.
The former of the two inventions, flying buttresses, was also very important, since they, like the ribbed vaults, allowed the architect to build the walls thinner and higher, but it also supported the weight of the walls and the roof. Flying buttresses are basically kickstands that rest up against the side of a cathedral, giving it a wider base, and, a lot like an arching bridge, they put equal pressure from two opposite sides on a keystone.
-Stained Glass
³[Stained glass windows were] ...a bearer of holy images, an intrinsically rich material resembling valuable stones, and a mystery, because it glowed without fire.²
-Abbot Sugar
It was very common in this day for a person not to know how to read, and there was also a great burden on the Church for the villagers to know basic important scriptures, so there had to be pictures on the wall. Since one can only go so far using frescoes, paintings and other ways to portray a picture, stained glass was an interesting alternative. Before since the walls were thicker and build more as a means to support the high ceilings, stained glass never really was an option, but now with the help of the two previously mentioned means of support, the walls could be made thinner so glass also could be used now.
-Spires
The function of spires goes far beyond just being there for the appearances, since the church bells are kept in the spires. These bells would tell the town what to do, as in time to go to church, time to eat and among many other different things, time itself, and could be heard clearly throughout the entire town.
Even though spires were present before the beginning of the Gothic age, this was the first time they could be built so high, thanks to flying buttresses and ribbed vaults.

Cathedrals
When funds were readily available, cathedrals didn¹t take very long to build, usually two stages,Ý although, some times, it took as many as two hundred years. The fastest, though was Chartes, which was built in exactly twenty seven years.6
My Two Favorites
There were many different cathedrals built in the Gothic age, but I think that the two most important ones are the cathedral at Notre-Dame in France, and Abbot Sugar¹s masterpiece, St. Denis, which was mentioned previously for its tremendous size.
Notre Dame of Paris is famous because it was the first cathedral to use flying buttresses as a means of support, 7 and it also was known for its incredible detail. It has many spectacular figures carved into the stone
covering its famous portholes. Notre Dame also has some very famous Rose windows, which show the lines of ancestry (the begating) in the Bible
The St. Denis cathedral is famous for its prodigious size, and the fact that it was the first cathedral to use ribbed vaults. I also really admired the architect of St. Denis, Abbot Sugar, because I agreed with a lot of his points of view on cathedral design. One such example can be found in the quote that I used above, about the stained glass. I totally agree with him that point, because I think cathedrals used to have a strong foundation in first impressions; that if you want your cathedral to make the money necessary for upkeep, you must be willing to impress whomever will be going to the church.

Conclusion

At one time in France, there were over eighty cathedrals, or in other words, a cathedral for every two hundred people. All of these cathedrals being built, not only in France, but also all over Western Europe, needed a lot of stone, and most of it came from France. In fact, by the end of this era, there was so much stone quarried out of Northern France, that the only way to get the rocks needed to build a cathedral, they had to get their bricks from old, run down cathedrals and castles.

A Wonderful Time For the Church
The reason, I think that there were so many cathedrals, not just as a whole, since the amount per capita is just as staggering, was because this was a great time for the church. As I said before, there were no shortages in men and money to build cathedrals, so the only difficulty was just getting your hands on this money.

A Wonderful Time For Mankind
Besides all of the advances in the field of architecture, there also were a great deal of inventions for the everyday man. Inventions that greatly increased the standard of living, and eating habits.

Reasons for this Being such a Wonderful Age
In the Gothic Era, now that there was a high standard of living, the commoners were a little bit closer to being equal with the nobles, which I think was the most important breakthrough that ³broke through² in this age.