Religion: A Unifying Force in History

Although some may argue that religion has been a dividing force in the past, faith and beliefs have brought people together for centuries, and therefore religion has been a unifying force in history. For any religion to successfully unite large groups of people, it has to have an appealing system of beliefs, and both Islam and Christianity have this trait. Islam was originally founded by the Prophet Muhammad in about 622 C.E. He taught that there was only one God, Allah. His beliefs and teachings spread through and created a small community, only to grow larger. Islam spread through trade, travelers, and in many other ways. Similarly, Christianity was founded by an individual who brought the word of God: Jesus, in the year 33 A.D. Since Christianity welcomed all type of people, it quickly gained popularity and steadily grew through expansion and trade. The spread of these two religions promoted trade, community services, and justified leadership. Both Islam and Christianity had serious impacts on history’s largest empires, and affected regions around the world economically, socially, and politically. Trade was an important factor in unifying people during the reign of Islam. Islam itself was introduced to new areas through trade, and sometimes, war. The religion spread out from its roots in the Middle East through merchants and travelers. As it states in Document 1, Muslim leaders spread out to African societies to hold the roles of religious, social, and political leaders. The leaders that travelled out to new places to spread Islam acted like the traditional African priests, creating peace and helping those who needed it. Merchants were also the carriers of Islam, opening trade routes to expose societies to external influences which is also mentioned in Document 1. Similarly, Askia Mohammad expanded his influence of Islam over the empire of Songhai. “Legal and social reforms were introduced, Islamic judges were appointed in all the large districts of the empire, and justice was administered according to Muslim principles rather

than traditional African laws.” (Document 3) This quote shows that Askia Mohammad organized and controlled the empire well. Askia Mohammad’s actions also had strong political and social reforms through Islam. Another emperor, Mansa Musa, was a strong economic influence as well. On his pilgrimage to Makkah to do Hajj, he spread his wealth to every region he crossed. He was the famous ruler of Mali, a thriving Islamic empire in West Africa. He generously poured his gold to all of the countries and cities in between Makkah and Timbuktu. Timbuktu was the trade center and learning center in Mali, and was also a powerful contributor to the spread of Islam. The Islamic culture had powerful influences in Spain as well, which is described in Document 2. It states, “Nearly every mosque had a public school in which the children of the poor were taught. Many Moslem libraries were excellent; the catalogue of one caliph’s library filled forty volumes.” This shows that the Muslims of Spain created beautiful architecture and art, and deeply encouraged education. That unified the people since it helped the poor gain as much as rich and contributed to larger expansion. Islamic influence was clearly spread out and powerful all over parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Some may argue that Islam has had a divisive role in its history. For example, a method of expansion in the early stages of Islam was war. However, wherever Muslims spread, they let people believe what they wanted to believe, as long as the Islamic laws were followed. Instead of causing harm, Muslim conquerors spread their influence into the conquered land. As Islam spread out however, it came into contact with another rapidly growing religion.
Conquering land and exploration was another way of expanding empires, and this was the main way Christianity spread out. Christianity first became popular in parts of Europe and Asia, but it was when Columbus and all the other explorers that were sent out to explore the world did

it start to spread out. Hernando Cortes, for example, came to the Americas to claim land for Spain, and to convert the people there to Christianity. This is explained in Document 4, where is describes how the Natives welcomed the Spaniards into their city, and how Cortes taught them Christianity. It states, “The brothers and a number of the other lords gathered to hear him, and he told them that the emperor of the Christians had sent him here, so far away, in order that he might instruct them in the law of Christ.” This quote from Document 4 clearly shows how Christianity brought two different people together. Also, the Spanish priests learned to interact with the Native Americans through language and culture and converted them to Christianity. The Spaniards slowly started spreading their religion further into the Americas. Friars, who were men in the religious order, usually took to converting the regions they expanded into. They removed all signs of paganism or polytheism and replaced them with churches and monasteries, like it is listed in Document 5. Also in Document 5, it states, “Indians supplied construction labor without receiving payment.” This shows how the religion of Christianity influenced both the economy and society. Others could argue that the Spanish conversion of the Native Americans was forceful, and the Natives were forced under their control. However, the work that the Native Americans did under the encomienda system was all for the better of the community and Christianity. For example, the encomienda system, which was a system of labor that the Spaniards put on the natives, helped support churches, schools, missions. The Church itself was a great influence to everyone. It served as a political being and an economic supporter. As stated in Document 6, “The other major economic function of the Church was a provider of education, health care and poor relief to the general population…The Church therefore played an important economic role as a circulator of capital, as a profit-making concern in some areas of the

economy, and as a supplier of social services.” It is clear in this quote that Church was a powerful and significant force in the spread of Christianity. One could argue that the Church was more of a divisive force, since it split into many branches. However, the Church has united its believers within those branches, and the more branches there are, the more people that believe in on thing. The Church was and still is an important figure in Christianity, an example of how Christianity does unify the world more than it divides it. Both Islam and Christianity put great importance on education, health care, architecture, and technology. Muslims made some of the greatest achievements in technology, science, and mathematics. It is stated in Document 2, “…the followers of Mohammad achieved much in science, particularly in chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine…” These advances helped increase the level of education, and create a larger system. An example of a large education center would be Timbuktu, in Mali. Timbuktu had a massive library that travelers came to see from all over. Muslims also built great structures and mosques when they conquered lands, and created massive libraries and schools. It is stated in Document 2, “Nearly every mosque had a public school in which the children of the poor were taught. Many Moslem libraries were excellent; the catalogue of one caliph’s library filled forty volumes.” This quote describes some of the establishments the Muslims had centered in Spain. It shows how the Muslims also helped the poor. The Church also held a similar position for the Christians. The Church helped the poor and homeless as a part of its contributions to Christian society. It states in Document 6, “…The other major economic function of the Church was as a provider of education, health care and poor relief to the general population. A great part of its income and

manpower was employed in these activities….” This quote describes how the Church took care of getting hospitals, hospices, poor houses, orphanages, and shelters. As mentioned before, the encomienda system was also used to contribute to society. The laborers were the ones that supported all the projects. Some may argue that although the two religions do help society, the methods they use may not always be as good. Some examples could be African slaves or Indian laborers. However, the contributions would’ve helped everyone in society, and it gave more benefits than damage. None the less, Christianity and Islam both made great advancements, and put greater attention on those who needed it more. Christianity and Islam are still widely practiced in the world today, with the former being the most practiced religion and the latter being the fastest growing religion. Both are extremely important, as they paved the road for so many other religions, cultures, and traditions. They influenced many of the social, economic, and political reforms that have happened in the past centuries. Currently, Christianity holds the title of being the most practiced religion in the world, with 2.1 billion followers. Islam is the second most practiced religion in the world, and the fastest growing one, with 1.3 billion followers. The importance and value of both religions is immense, as they unified billions of people over time through belief and faith,