Universal Religions

I agree that the main reason universal religions came about during the years 300-600 was because the decline of the strong centralized powers of the Han and Roman empires. During a relatively stable reign, the people of that empire are happier to let things be. They do not need to have as much faith. Instead, they feel they can rely on the government, whether to do good or bad. Since a way is already established, there is no need to break that precedent. However, after the fall of the Roman and Han dynasties, there is a period where people do not have the normal precedents to go by, so instead, they turn to religion as a way to cope with what is happening and a way to try to predict the future. It is because of this following that the years 300-600 are labeled in the history textbook as the time of Universal Religions.

~La Reina Sofía

Universal Religion

Religion became a universal part of peoples lives during the time from 300 BC to 600 BC. During this time many things impacted the spread of religion. The main reasons for the spread of religion are the increase in travel, political instability, and the nature of many religions. Due to increased trade that developed from the new city states and the ability to transport goods, many new ideas and religions were spread to area. Through the trade routes people were exposed to ideas and beliefs of foreign countries. They then either adopted this new of thinking or at least proclaimed their refusal to adopt it, therefor spreading more interest in it. Along with the trade routes, the instability of the government in many regions left the people feeling scared and unsure. Many people looked toward religion as a way to find help and answers to their problems. Religion gave people a sense of comfort and security during difficult times. One of the most prominent reasons why the trade routes and political situations were able to act as such larger breeding grounds for religious beliefs is the nature of many religions. Many of the religions that became popular during this time preached about spreading the word of their god and their faith. Once someone became faithful to a religion, the majority of the time they began to spread their faith to others, typically through the trade routes. All of these reasons aided in the spread of Universal Religion.

- Helen of Troy

Knights v. Samurai

Knights & Samurai Links

Knights of Ni: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRUe-gz690&feature=related

Monty Python, The Annoying Peasant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaWvVFERVA&feature=related

Lego Feudal System: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lts_1HSOQhY&feature=related

A BBC Series on martial arts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9HR7TTOReE

Rashomon trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCZ9TguVOIA&feature=related

The Last Samurai montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Sag494lhI&feature=related

Monty Python, She’s a Witch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJFA6uEfUlM

King Arthur Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N6pZX0sDAk

Samurai Pizza Cats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDr89sjYJP4

Mythbusters: Can Ninjas Walk on Water: http://mythbustersresults.com/episode78

Spike TV: Deadliest warrior: http://www.spike.com/show/31082

1453: The Fall of Constantinople

As envisioned by a student in another AP World class....

Tournament Results, Pd 1

The Multiple choice tournament began this morning in period 1. The Thundercats were in the lead, briefly, due to their ability to identify the promotion of Confucian teaching as something Shi Huangdi did NOT do, but they got tripped up by the Nestorian view of Jesus. They live to fight another day, and every team in the class, including the Nixon Administration, remains tied at 5.

Unification

Religion as we see it today was developed by the need for unification among the people who lived where the religion was born. At the time of the formation of many of these religions, there was no set ruler or emperor. This specifically pertains to christianity. Since there was no clear ruler after the time of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the people of Europe and even places such as Africa and the Middle East needed something to unify them. They found this unification in Christianity, which brought together the people of all these places through faith and belief that there was a wonderful place that good, virtuous people would be rewarded with after their departure from the Earth. Christianity brought people together locally because the churches not only as places of worship, but as social environments for the community.

-Aristotle

Why Universal Religion?

Religion took control throughout the world between 300-600 C.E. due to extensive trading. Intercontinental trade routes were vast and ran from China to the Mediterranean. This helped move many religions throughout the world and to spread faster than ever before. Merchants picked up religions on their journeys and passed it on to the next people they came across.

Jesse James

Why Universal Religion?

Why Religion Became Universal

The more recent religions were the ones that became universal because they emerged during a time of political turmoil. It must be noted that during the time that the religions started to become more universal, both the Han and Roman empires, then the two most powerful nations in the world, collapsed. Naturally, people started to lose faith in the stability and power of their governments and turned to the immutable divinities of religions like Christianity and Buddhism. As more people became religious, those in power realized that if they wanted to make their reign appear to be more legitimate, they should claim that the entity people were worshipping endorsed them. To do this, they created giant statues and churches to show their alliance with these deities and forces. Combine this trend with the fact that people and ideas were moving constantly along the Silk Road, and religions became universal.
-Socrates

Whats religion?

The rise of religion was mainly due to a lack of structure during the period of 300-600 CE. Without any true government to protect and serve the people, the inhabitants had to find something to help them struggle through this tough time period. This is why they turned to religion and why religion grew so prominent. Religion have people structure, like the caste system, and allowed people to live their lives with order.

Morgan Freeman

universal religion

with the falling empires and no declared power,people were in need of a structure or something that they could guide by. religion created that sense of structure for them by giving them rules to abide by and limits. they accepted the spread of religion because it wasn't as strict as a defined ruler,but at the same time religion created a universal goal that they could use to discipline themselves in the way that a government/ruler would.

-Marilyn Monroe

Religion

From 300-600 CE there was a huge universalizing of religion because after the fall of the Han and Roman empires people needed structure to live by. Religion filled the void of a lack of an empire. People wanted order. It is also in combination with the fact that people wanted to be hopeful and believe in something. In the stressful time of not having an empire to live under people wanted to turn to religion to feel like there was something good. It was also an easy way to characterize large groups of people that had no other way to identify themselves due to lack of no empire.

-Malcolm X

After the fall of the Han and Roman dynasties, new religions developed and spread throughout different areas because there was no strong centralized government or ruler. Religion provided structure and people became united through religion by sharing common beliefs.
britney spears

With the fall of the Roman and Han Empires, structure was needed to fill the void in people's lives. Thomas Hobbs believed that humanity as individuals were too poorly suited to govern themselves. Religion gave people a way and a guide on how to live their lives. They didn't have to make the decisions about right and wrong, and had an ultimate goal to base their life off of.

Vlad Putin

Religion and stuff

(The Black guy is the collapse of the Han and Roman empires while the hippo is organized religion)

I think religion became a defining feature in world history during this time period because the lack of a strong, centralized ruling body (The Roman/Han Empires) caused a void of authority in the world at the time. Anarchy descended on the world, but it wasn't a Joker-style anarchy with blood and violence but anarchy because people where living their own lives with the only guidelines being religious doctrines and stuff.
-AHong

Universalizing Religions?

With the absence of power in the age that the universifying religions came about, the absence of power was the reason for said action. With the absence of power, the common folk needed to rally themselves among an omnipotent force that did not bare down upon them with the stress of such things as taxes and war. For this reason, religions became much more widespread and accessible; God(s) became easier to understand and more "fun" to devote themselves to. Perhaps a little anarchy is what a peaceful society needs.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Rise of Religions

The idea of how people were lost after the collapse of vast empires like the Han and Roman empires is probably the most logical theory of why different religions developed and grew during 300 CE--600 CE. Because there was no strong government to offer protection to citizens, people needed an outlet in which they could put their faith in and feel protected and/or useful. People therefore turned to organized religion as a source of solace. In addition, people who shared common religious beliefs often lived together in the same community. This commonality could definitely have been enough to bring people together as well as strengthen their faith.

--Nelson Mandela

Why the Rise of Universalizing Religion?

With the downfall of the Roman & Han Empires, religion became the easiest way to characterize large groups of people and a way for society to rebuild itself. People no longer had to focus on war and controversy between societies which lead to the vast spread of religion throughout Europe, Asia & Africa.

~Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson

Universalized Religion?!

After the Han and Roman empires collapsed, there was a 300 year period in which no dominant, or even strong, political leader took affirmative action. Although the empires had fallen, life still had to go on and religion was able to reach a mass amount of people that other wise would have many differences, and unite all under a common, structured, belief system. Perhaps this theory seems a little too fundamental to have been able to maintain peace for such a long period, but matched with the fundamental beginning arising after the detrimental fallen empires, it is completely logical that inhabitants indeed grouped with those that had the same values. After all, their once loyal habits had to be redirected elsewhere.

-Sasha Obama

Universal Religion

Religion was ascendant during this period because there was not much turmoil going on in other parts of the region. People could focus more on religion because there wasn't a major war breaking out all the time. Also the spread of culture brought new religions to the surface.
-Anastasia Romanov