Stewart Gordon's When Asia Was The World

The Appalachian region is the most complex geographical unit or area to define, based on characteristics and functions of culture. This cultural area is 205,000 square miles and extends from northern Pennsylvania towards northeastern Missippi, which it composed of parts of 13 states and 420 counties. Twenty-five Million, people who live in Appalachia, considered this region as a native or home culture area based on personal perceptions. Most people believe Appalachia, as a formal culture region, is upon a measurable set of common cultural, human, and anthropogenic traits. Many people in Appalachia are descendants of several European immigrants such as the Irish-Scotish, Germans, and the Welsh. Christianity is the dominant religion and an enormous

Religions have existed for millenniums, cultivation and sculpting the old world into what it is today. Each religion is unique in its own sense, meaning that each religion is its own mix, it’s own jam. Every one of these jams, or religions, have been spread across nations. Some jams are smooth like butter, finding easy acceptance and even easier assimilation, whereas some jams are chunky and laden with difficulties. Buddhism’s jam was one of interesting circumstance, containing a vary of smooth and chunky consistency. Ultimately, the response to the spread of Buddhism in China was mainly positive acceptance, but at certain times, negative.

Where Asia or more specifically the Chinese had an abundance in resources and a vast network of merchants, the structures which secured their society faltered in the face of adversity. Abu-Lughod’s central premise runs counter to the popular idea of Europeans becoming the de facto world power by the age of colonization or the sixteenth century, where it . The overarching historical themes in Abu-Lughod’s Before European Hegemony are the prevalence of economic trade, the culture and society which existed within these nations, and the events which shifted the necessary influence to tip the balance of power in favor of Europe’s nations.

The goals of the western powers were not strictly economic, but also prescribing to their ideas of Christian exceptionalism. As stated by Thomas David Dubois, “during the late eighteenth and especially nineteenth centuries, Catholic and Protestant missions from throughout Europe and North America brought their faith and civilization to every corner of the globe. This reach was facilitated by the penetration of imperial military power, leading to the frequently evoked image of the missionary arriving with the Bible in one hand and a gun in the other” (Dubois 127). This was the situation in China which eventually incites the Boxer rebellion and showdown at Peking. Yang simplifies the imperial conflicts in China through the symbolic events in Bao’s life which lead him to fight. His encounters with priests, and foreign soldiers embody the nation’s ongoing strife with westerners gaining control of their country through religious indoctrination and forceful control. The society’s ability to channel the gods through ritual embodies their own religious conviction which further empowered them to protect their culture against those who wished to displace it with

Geography not only plays a part in the spread of a religion but also can be inspiration or reflection for the religion itself. Many societies have numerous deities inspired by the landscape in and around their civilization. However, I believe not all religions drew inspiration from the land they lived in.

Religion in Western civilization has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in shaping and developing Western society. Regardless of the form of religion, such as polytheism or monotheism, people in ancient societies believed in a God or Gods. This belief in a higher power was an important part of human progression and expansion. Religion was the backbone of Western civilization and has always been a very important foundation of culture, schooling, philosophy, art, and social interaction. Before Judaism and Christianity, philosophers such as Aristotle ponder the thought of a higher power and in his book Metaphysics wrote about eternal motion was an unmoved mover. Throughout time and from the expansion of ancient people, new religions formed from the thoughts of morality and virtue. With the help

During the early Pax Romana, Christianity, emerged and it spread rapidly in the Roman Empire. The founder of Christianity was Jesus who used parables with moral lessons to communicate his ideas. Jesus emphasized mercy, sympathy for the poor and helpless, morality, forgiveness, and service to others. Christianity eventually became the official religion of Rome because of its unifying force and the fact that it appealed to all classes in society. The humble, poor and oppressed found comfort in his message of love, equality, human dignity, and promise for a better life. It can be seen that Christianity had the most significant changes in Roman society compared to the other religions. Christianity improved the social, cultural and political way

Ancient Mesopotamia"Land between the rivers" (3500 B.C.E) and Ancient China(as early as 3500 B.C.E) are two of the many civilizations in history. Both civilizations left evidence of their way of life and accomplishment Mesopotamia ranging from the 12- month calendar, plow, cuneiform, ziggurats and number system based of on 60 count. China from ink, pictographs martial arts, great wall of China, and the art of porcelain. Mesopotamia had several civilizations within its own such as Assyrians, Sumerians, Babylonians etc.

Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece were very powerful and influential forces around the time that Christianity had began to spread. In Rome’s society, people followed under an emperor, who had strict rules about religion and the type of beliefs one should have. At the time, Rome’s official religion was pagan, but later converted to Christian. Ancient Greece had different religious beliefs than those that Christianity consisted of, but these countries were both powerful and helpful in spreading this new religion. Greece and Rome were impactful on Christian doctrine as well as helping this religion thrive and continue to expand to new areas. With these type of factors in mind, this paper will answer the question “How did Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome impact Christianity?”.

Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo are both known for being the world’s greatest long distance travelers, however, because of their different backgrounds it had influenced the way in which each traveler wrote about their experiences in China. This contrast is dominantly believed to have been influenced by their different religious backgrounds, and how each had viewed the world. This was ultimately is influenced by ones cultural and religious background. In this essay I will examine the different experiences that both Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo had experienced during their visits in China.

The novel Monkey: Journey to the West is one of the greatest classics of Chinese literature. The novel follows the adventure of Tripitaka followed by the protagonist, monkey and his disciples to India in order to find ancient Buddhist scriptures. The story consists of Chinese legends, tales, and superstitions. Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, which are the three main religions in China, play a huge role throughout this story. In the adaptation of Monkey: Journey to the West by David Kherdian, religions are often woven in to the journey of the traveling companion in order to show the path toward self-cultivation and collective harmony.

Fundamentally, idolatry is the worship of an image or object or the excessive devotion towards a person or item. From a religious perspective, idolatry is the worship of images and representations other than the true God. Idolatry is a practice whose scope is often misunderstood, prompting the efforts by different people to demystify the practice both in the past and in the world today. Martin Luther, for instance, explores his understanding of the practice in his Large Catechism, a text meant to guide Lutheran clergymen in their service. This essay discusses idolatry, with specific emphasis on Luther’s ideas and presentation of the same and its prevalence in the modern world.

“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life” (Buddha). Throughout different time periods religion has impacted the society in which people live. Religion has and continues to dictate the rules citizens have to follow in all areas, especially social, educational, and political. Religion influences morals, values, and people’s identities. Many people turn to religion for not just spiritual answers, but for guidance and help in everyday life. Religion also affects the inner workings of a society. However, religion has evolved with time. In earlier societies, only one religion was usually allowed and accepted. In Salem Massachusetts during the Witch Trials, every citizen had to be seen as a good Christian. In this case, religion determined whether or not a person was good and trustworthy. Currently, all religions are accepted and many do not judge others based upon it. For

With the creation of the story The Life of Pi, Yann Martel, causes others to question the true meanings and roles of storytelling and the realities that human beings accept to be true. In this fashion, the reader is left with questions about what truly is real in both life and in this novel even when it appears only on the verge of being realistic. Martel composes this novel in the certain way of being almost unbelievable to both fit under the category of magical realism and to fit his aspiration for this abstract novel. Magical realism was necessary for this novel in order to create the image and aura intended and to directly relate to Pi’s existential crisis. The existential

In the opening sections of Ab Urbe Condita by Livy, there is a constant theme of war. From the very second page, Livy introduces a battle between Rutuli and Aeneas (Lavinium) and the Trojans. Later, this theme is portrayed again with the war with Sabines, and again with Rome. Coincidently, death is also a prominent theme. Of course death is a byproduct of war, however, death is portrayed regardless of war as well, and we see this with the drowning of “To Capetus Tiberinus” and a slew of assassinations within the story. Another important theme in the opening section relates to the religious undertones spread throughout the stories. Religion is evident, especially through the names of characters (i.e Mars, Hercules), and also with the “Temple