Christianity Marks Departure essays

Christianity Marks Departure essays It can be maintained that Christianity marked a departure from the values and belief structures of the Greco-Roman cultures to the extent that the first tended to emphasize the importance of expansive teaching and conversion of followers, monotheism and a separation of church and state, while the later championed the importance of mystic secrecy, a variety of patron gods or civic gods, and the importance of rulers as gods. The Greco-Romans fell into a variety of cult organizations that emphasized the importance of keeping secret the doctrines and rites that could redeem their followers, according to Professor Weber. By contrast, the early Christians felt the road to their salvation lay in the salvation of followers, via their education and inclusion in the process of educating others. In addition, according to Professor Weber, Judaism... Strengthened itself as a distinct, self-conscious belief by giving followers courage in times of persecution and making them fearful of offending Jehovah.... Early Christians supported the notion of a single, all-powerful god. These early Christians, who still described themselves as Jews, worshipped the god Jehovah, and saw him as the sole recipient of their allegiance. Greek political organizations, by contrast, emphasized the importance of a variety of gods supervising various city-states, while religion was seen as a necessity for the well-being of the state, as supported by Spielvogal, Western Civilization, A Brief History. Religious festivals were an important part of Roman religious practice. There were two kinds: public festivals ordained and paid for by the state and private festivals celebrated by individuals and families. (Spielvogal, 1999, p95) Since Christians did not recognize the Roman gods they refused to participate in the festivals and were starting to be considered by the Romans as harmful to the community. According to Professor Weber the ea...