Religion In 500 Ce

In between 500 B.C.E. and 500 C.E. many classical societies, such as China, India, and Mediterranean generated different religious traditions. Different societies used religion to established different morals, values, belief that guides the people and state in their social and political issues. Many of the religious beliefs and traditions attracted the masses, helping keep society together while also pushing it forward over time. In India, Buddhism and Hinduism became the two dominant religions. Christianity became popular in Mediterranean culture, and Islam rose during the postclassical era of the Middle East. As the glue of most societies, religion was a tool of unification. In most cases, religion also intertwined with class distinction.

The religion recognizes the different castes, but its key teaching is that salvation is given to those who performed their caste responsibilities. The four principals of human life heavily influenced their ethnics and cultures: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. Dharma is the duty to religious and moral laws, artha is the search of economic wellbeing and honest prosperity, and kama is the enjoyment of social, physical, and sexual pleasure. These three principals tell the people to accept what is given to them, perform their role dutifully, concentrate on their actions alone, and not strive for reward and recognition. For those who actively participate in the world and perform their caste responsibilities, they are promised, hence, moksha, the salvation of soul. Hinduism was used as a tool to “control” the class system. Hindu priests were the highest in the castes system and they maintained their position by controlling all of the religious beliefs and customs. Examples of control included using the idea of reincarnation and karma. A person’s behavior would be rewarded or punished with good or bad karma. After death, the person’s soul would be reborn into a higher or lower caste depending on their accumulation of karma. By accepting one’s place in society, and through devotion to duty, a person could supposedly increase their chance of reaching a higher caste in their next incarnation. This idea kept the upper castes in power and the

It did not recognize the different social classes; therefore, Buddhism was very appealing to the lower class. Buddhism was found around 500 B.C. when an Indian man named Siddartha Gautama began preaching about enlightenment. He was against rituals and rejected the caste system and gods. Siddartha used the idea of reincarnation, which was borrowed from Hinduism, as a form of reward and punishment after death. His teachings were well received, especially among the oppressed lower castes. Since there is no god to judge the evil doers, the ‘karmic winds’ carried people’s souls to their next incarnation. The idea that once a person’s reaches the same level of enlightenment as Buddha, they will longer need to be reincarnated. Buddhism made heavy demands on individuals. In order to escape from incarnation, individuals had to give up “personal property, forsaking the search for social standing, and resolutely detaching oneself from the charms for family and the world” (Bentley 181). Buddha and other monks lived dedicated to the search for enlightenment and salvation. Over time, monasteries were built and became essential to Indian society. They preached, explained, and encouraged people to follow the Noble