How Did Christianity Influence Western Civilization

Christianity is arguably one of the the most influential and important aspects that originated in western civilization. The religion started out as a small sect of Judaism and a man named Jesus spreading his word with a few followers. For centuries, Christians in Rome endured persecution and secret worship. With the appeal of eternal salvation and the hierarchy of the church, Christianity gradually spread, began to rise, and eventually became the prominent religion in Rome. Today, Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world. Christianity began with Jesus, a member of a small Jewish sect, going on a mission to Jerusalem to spread the word of God’s love for humanity. While gaining a reputation for miracles and healing,

Bishops gained a lot of power with control of church memberships, finances, and the selection of priests. In 590, “Gregory the Great was named Bishop of Rome…and named himself ‘Pope’ and the ‘Head of the Universal Church.’” He was the key to asserting papal primacy and started the requirement of confession and penance. He also worked to convert the pagan kings, hoping more people would follow in their footsteps. With the belief that Constantine left his crown to the papacy, the future Popes had the power to crown the emperor acting as god’s representative. Charlemagne was crowned as the first Holy Roman

The President of the United States is sworn into office with his hand on the bible. With all of these things considered, it is apparent how Christianity gained recognition and became the most practiced religion worldwide. There are so many aspects of Christianity that influenced not only western civilization over centuries, but world civilization as well. Without Christianity and the belief of everlasting salvation, the world and everyone in it would be very different. There is a certain kind of freedom and hope that only people living in Christian societies