Empires made it so that Religions could become universal. When an Emperor or Empress takes power he/she normally establishes a religion. This can be seen with Constantine I who was the first Emperor to adopt Christianity as Rome's religion. This adoption was a huge stimulus for the spread of Christianity and is one of the reasons that it is so common today. Empires establish, spread, and sometimes force their religion upon others, which many times makes the religion universal depending upon the empire. Some good examples are the Ottomans, the Chinese, the Mauryans, and the British. They all influenced others to undertake their religion. People in the empires usually gained benefits by joining these religions such was found with the Ottomans who taxed all but the Muslims. Most major religions today were found in one empire or another. They were spread because wherever the empire conquered the religion conquered. Another reason that follows with political structure is to escape chaos. These religions just like their empire offered a haven in which they were accepted and they were safe. When things go wrong they could look to their religion for help to protect them or make their life better. The happiness of the people was essential for the empires so empires wanted to have religion so that they could remain a world power.
-Ho Chi Minh
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