Richard Pak
UNIV 111
Diagnostic Essay
The creation of Christianity has marked a change in the world drastically in many
ways. Jesus Christ’s teaching brought a new set of ideas and adds a whole New
Testament to the Old Testament. From persecution to being a major religion Christianity
has seen many phases and has been tested many times.
The Pope is one of the most influential figures and religious leaders for the
Catholic Church. Pope Gregory VII’s dispute with King Henry IV is an example of how
influential the church was. King Henry IV and the Pope fought over who had more
power. The King said that the he should have the power to appoint bishops. In response
the Pope excommunicated King Henry. When the King returned to power he then tried to
exile the Pope. The two parties then settled and created the Concordat of Worms. This
showed that the religious leader did not just have the power to fight the king, but also
withstand the king’s power.
Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade in 1095. This was an attack that was
meant to defend the Christian faith. With the growth of the Muslim population, Pope
Urban II deemed this religious war necessary. The Crusade was made up of knights and
was told that they were fighting for God and that their sins would be forgiven if they
participate in the slaughter of the Muslim people. In total there have been seven main
Crusades and a few smaller ones. These massacres will lead to the high tensioned Middle
East we see today.
During the 1300’s to around the 1600’s we see the Christians in Europe execute
tens of thousands. These people were executed because they were thought to be witches.
This craze was known as the Salem Witch Trials. These fears of witches lead to the
United States, which lead to more executions.
The Christian community has been the main group to hate on the LGBT
community. Many of them believe they should persecute the LGBT community because
of Bible versus like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor
idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor
the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
On the other side some Christians follow the “he who is without sin may cast the first
stone” mentality. They have the idea that they don’t have the right to judge other’s sins
because they aren’t perfect ether. Both parties are Christian but they have opposite views.
Christianity and the United States government are known to have a connection.
This is true even with the “Separation of Church and State” factor. On The U.S. currency
we have many references of God. In our public schools we recite the Pledge of
Allegiance, which has the phrase “under God.” Even in politics we find many politicians
claiming a certain religion and a good amount of them claim Christian is their faith. We
see a hilariously exaggerated form of this in the film “The Campaign” staring Will
Ferrell. Will Ferrell is a Congressman who is going to give a campaign speech. He is
asked by his manager “What is it all about?” and Will Ferrell replies “America, Jesus,
freedom.” This is a satire; it makes fun of how the American people think and how they
vote. This joke is saying that, for some Americans, if they hear a politician talk about
America, Jesus, and freedom then they will vote for said candidate.
In the world today many Christians has obtained the missionary mentality.
Missionaries go out into the world, sometimes near and sometimes far, to spread their
beliefs and do volunteer work. Through this Christianity is spread to third world
countries. This act will affect people of different cultures and religious backgrounds.
Many people will be given a service, whether it be a buildings, repairs, education, and
resources. This will provide them with a better or more convenient lifestyle before. They
also might convert to Christianity, which will affect their lifestyle and their view on life.
Christianity has challenged many minds today. These challenges will cause
differences in opinion and interpretations. These interpretations will lead to many
different denominations. Recorded in the 2000-year edition of the World Christian
Encyclopedia there are about 33,820 denominations, and even today more and more
different interpretations are being formed on this one religion.
As a species we often don’t look at how we’ve been affected by an event or a
culture, but we often are. With that in mind Christianity, believer or non-believer, has
affected almost everyone. From the day it started to the end of the world, people’s views
and lives will be affect by this religion. It has been evident in the past and will be evident
in the future. Some of our leaders, friends, and even family may be a Christian or has
made a life choice because of a Christian or its values.