Introduction
Christianity dates many years before the birth of Jesus. However, it is the birth, life and the subsequent crucifixion of Jesus Christ that Christianity is significantly centered. This is because the coming of Christ led to significant revitalization to the Christianity movement. It is however the crucifixion of Christ that considerably influenced the emergence of the church in many regions. This can be attributed to the spread of the news and the teachings of Jesus throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.
Further, the writing of music in relation to choral genre was made formal in convents and abbeys. This was mainly practiced for the purposes of instructing younger generations on music as well as ensuring a smooth passing of customs. Consequently, a noteworthy invention of calendar was done by one of the early church leaders - a Pope. The calendar is referred to as the Julian calendar and has since been handed down from one generation to another and the same has been maintained to present.
Another major contribution of the church to the western civilization is the issue of holidays. In the early times, holidays were only found in the Christian experiences. For instance the popular celebrations were the Easter and Christmas holidays. This influenced the establishment of other celebrations in the secular calendar although most of them are no longer being celebrated. Another contribution relating to education was the development of deductive and inductive reasoning. This was established by one of the fine minds during the middle ages of the existence of the church. This development enhanced the philosophical approaches in thinking. The two approaches to thinking are still in use in the Western and other jurisdictions to date (Schmidt, 2004).
In addition, the gospels of Christ further emphasize on the self-respect and reverence as was anticipated for all persons and more so for women. This was the initial text provision for gender respect. This also had a connotation of tolerance for the sick, lame, sinners and crippled who were not respected previously. Further, the artistic aspects were significantly developed in a bid to depict the disciples of Jesus and his life. This was one of the main contributions of Christianity to civilization. This provided considerable insight to art through embracing the expression of visual thought.
The benevolent practices in places such as hospitals are also a reflection of the early Christian performances. The practice of the early Christians was in respect of assisting in giving those who did not have. The aspect of giving is rife in many Western practices in the present day. This is evidenced by the help it offers to the poor countries in regard to disaster management as well as assisting in funding projects to the developing nations. In a bid to also extend the kindness, the European governments liaise with the non governmental agencies in a bid to reach the less privileged in the society.
In conclusion, it is important to note that there were many practices which owe their origin to Christianity doctrines. The education as noted herein above is evidence of the significance of Christianity in the conventional as well as in the contemporary societies. Many learning institutions such as well regarded universities for instance Cambridge, Basel, Oxford, Heidelberg and Paris boast of an early Christian origin. With regard to the foregoing, there is no denying that Christianity Engineered and contributed immensely to the development almost if not all the spheres of life in the Western civilization.
Work Cited
Thomas E. Woods, Jr., Ph. D., How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization,
Washington, Regenery Publishing Inc., 2005, p. 47
Shelly, B. Church History in Plain Language, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson
Publisher, 2008, p. 195
Schmidt, J. How Christianity Change the World, Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing
House, 2004, p, 191
