Changes in Belief System in Europe.
The earliest inhabitants arrived from Africa about 700,000 years ago. This group of people mainly depended on hunting and food gathering. They used hand tools such as axe made of stones. They also made fire to protect themselves from cold weather. History has it that the Neathernals who lived in caves were the first to bury their dead and displayed good social -organizational skills. They also performed rituals and organized themselves into strong social groups.
It was not until 35,000 years later that some technological changes started to sweep through Europe. First was the pressure-flaking technique. This technique enabled them to make finer tools like arrows, fish nets and spears. These boosted their hunting techniques. Soon the population grew and specialization of roles in the society began. As a result, there was increased ethnicity and group identification emerged. Each group sought to identify themselves with specific groups and symbols. Rituals were performed and they also perfected painting techniques and sculpture making. It is also worth noting that in Europe, the belief of the existence of witchcraft. There existed Gods and Goddesses who controlled the daily lives of the people. This was common in the whole of Mediterranean region. Ceremonies were part of their daily live and they expresses this in rituals. The old religion is referred as being about “human experience and human expression and cannot be denied as key ingredient in the development and cultural myths and rituals”. The Greece strongly believed that old is about “human experience and soul in both physical and metaphysical realm”. The ancient Greece referred to caves as the wombs of Goddess. This only explained how the Greece believed I the existence of Gods and Goddesses
The early Europeans such as Celts and Germanic worshipped different Gods. Their life in life was purely pegged on the existence of these gods and nature. In the 3rd century, the Roman Catholics were the only group that believed in Christianity. The combination of indigenous beliefs and Christianity gave rise to a culture of hard work in Europe.
Classical civilization in Europe.
There was a complete change in climate that prompted the growth of agriculture in Northern Europe. With the presence of copper and bronze the people in Northern Europe invented plough which they used for farming purposes. It was not until 4000 years ago that civilization emerged significantly in Europe. It started in Greek and later spread to other parts like Rome. It is during this period that the Greek developed impressive sculptures and constructed temples to honor God and appeal for blessings. This period saw the emergence of philosophers, aristocrats and Socrates. The Western pillars were; Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates put emphasis in ethical values and promoted hard work among the Europeans at the time when they were going through revolution. Again, he put much emphasis on ethical values like modesty, honesty and justice. On his side, Plato developed ideas about the states and thus the state would be ruled by enlightened philosophers. He emphasized on gender equality and the need for education for all. He suggested that marriage would be organized by the state and children to be removed from their parents. This aimed at ensuring that the emotional attachment between children and the parents was reduced to enhance the spirit of nationhood.
The Greek city states developed central governments which were strong. They also developed strong military technologies. This led to the occupation of Mediterranean regions by the Greek and the Romans. However, the Greek lost their control over the region and the Romans took over. This promoted the spread of Christianity in the region. Under the Roman emperor Constantine, the church and the state became comparatively strong and Christianity spread to Western Europe thereafter. The state and the government formed an interdependent spiritual and political power thereby controlling the continent politically and turned the continent to believe in modern Christianity, replacing the traditional religions. The original inhabitants turned in Christianity and abandoned their traditional religions.
Christianity and colonization in Europe.
“While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only”. This a famous verse in the bible as reflected in Dante’s book.
Christianity spread at a very rate in Europe and within a period of about 50 years, the Christian faith had grown significantly. As Christians believe, the earth and everybody was created by God. The belief that human beings were given authority over nature provided a driving force that made the people to explore nature. The Christians in Europe came together and formed missionary societies. The church also instills discipline among its followers. We get a good example from Sir Gawain’s book gives us a story of a stranger who enters the king’s hall. He is sent away forthright. This, according to the other is not a Christian way of receiving visitors. Another example in Gawain’s work that shows just Christian teaching is the celebration of the Christmas Day. This a celebration only celebrated by modern Christians, a religion that replaced the traditional religions. Christianity is also depicted as a religion that advocates for brotherhood. Gawain’s journey to meet Green Knight took him long before he met a castle where he stops and later the lord of the castle invited him to stay for sometimes. This shows us some of the early Christians’ beliefs and practices. The new Christian authority set some churched-based courts for prosecuting law breakers. The new church declared traditional churches demonic and non-believers were convicted in these courts. Through education and technology, the new education gained popularity in Europe. Policies that favored the religion and beliefs were enacted in the church. However, there were resistances from traditional religions, although in silence. The spread of Christianity in Europe paved way for colonization in many European countries including Latin America and North America. It is worth noting that Christianity has undergone reforms and change. There have been several denominations that have arisen from the former church missionary. In western culture, the church and the state are considered two different entities. Also, the strength of the church has significantly reduced with the existence of strong central governments in Europe. We get to see the religious cultures in the Dante’s divine comedy where he says strong, faithful and caring his master is. The Master in this case according to Dante is God. He writes this work with the intention of showing the work how good it is to be loved by God. This book adds more to the development of Christianity and its effect on the society.
In 18th century, some scientists went against all odds and work without the interference of the church. Individuals like Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon were the earliest scientists who went out of way to bring significant changes in Europe. It is during this period that the spinning machine was invented. This machine helped a lot in the textile industries. This made it possible for the large scale industries. These industries paved way for the productions of coal and iron which in turn facilitated construction of roads and railways. This is the mother of industrial revolution in Europe. Availability of capital and labor e growth coupled with technological innovations in Europe. As a result, towns and cities grew, demand of food went up because of population growth.
Industrial revolution started in England and later spread to USA and Japan. In 16th century, other European countries like Portugal, France, Italy, Denmark and Germany embraced technology and developed more industries.
Post-modernity.
Technology has brought a lot of changes in Europe. For example, Einstein formulated the famous thermodynamic law that laid foundation for physics and post-modernity.
In conclusion, early European people expressed love to nature and all that are found on earth. This was nurtured in their belief that God gave them power over nature and their sole responsibility would be to protect it by all means. The Greek’s view of nature promoted the emergence strong cultural values that later contributed towards the spread of Christianity. This later contributed to colonization.
References
Grimassi, R. (2002.). The Witches' Craft: The Roots of Witchcraft and Magical Transformation.
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Haverkor, B. (2008). KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF SYSTEMS IN EUROPE. European
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Alighieri, D. (1871.). The Divine Comedy, Volume 2. Boston: Fields, Osgood & Company. .
