Before the coming of Jesus Christ, religion as a concept still existed. However, what is today known as Christianity did not exist then. People who lived during this era worshiped or believed images gods or spirits that resided in trees or mountains. The dominant religion was Judaism. The scripture that was in use was the Old Testament which at the time was known as the Hebrew Bible. People, at the time, believed in God and kept the commandments which are stipulated in the bible. But then, not everyone was a Jew. Many religions were in existence as seen in the Old Testament where different people worshiped different gods ranging from Baal to many other Gods including Jehovah, God of Israelites. This therefore means that Judaism, the dominant religion was just part of the religions that existed.
Other religions such as Shamanism that existed before Christ believed in the worship of spirits. Shamanism is considered the oldest religion next to Hinduism and Judaism. Before Christ religion was based on customs and traditions. According to most research, religion before Christ was unorganized. However, after Christ religion became organized in that the church came up with doctrines based on faith. It is extremely crucial to understand that religion begun before Christ. The dominant Christian faith came to existence after the death of Jesus. Before then Rome, which was considered as the developed part of the world also believed in gods. There was a god for everything. This still influences Greeks until date.
In any part of the world, religion is known as the backbone that holds everything together and brings different cultures and customs together. In America, the very constitution that governs the citizens was written based on the Cristian doctrine. In this study, one is going to examine some of the changes that have been influenced by religion and how this has gone to influence both the communities within American and its relations with other countries.
The constitution of America was adopted in 1787. However, religion in America can be traced as far back as 1600. According to the history, most people from different communities broke away from what was then the main church, this being the Catholic Church. This was the first of religious diversity that would go on to be experienced in America. After breaking away from the Catholic Church, some communities came together to form different churches and religions (Beal, Harkness, 2008).
These churches were known as the Protestants since they protested and broke away from the Catholic Church, which was the main church during those days. Some of the churches that were formed after the separation include Jehovah Witness, The Methodist church, Judaism, Eastern Methodic among others. These different entities influence different cultural believes among the people of America. Religion as a whole has had a tremendous influence on how people relate with each other among different states in America (Gaustad, Noll, 2003). According to the constitution of America, the government has right to influence or enforce any doctrine or believe among the citizens. People were given the right to choose what religion they wanted to join by the constitution. About twenty-one different religions exist in America today. Christianity is considered as the most dominant of all religions both in America and in the world. The rest include, Islam, atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism among others.
At this period, this went ahead to influence different cultures and believes among slaves themselves. Since the Latin’s and the Portuguese from South America had started to come into America, most of them tended to relay on the Catholic Doctrine. This has been the trend until today. Religion in America did not just influence the cultures but also went on to influence the social and political life of Americans. Through religion different ideological patterns, linguistic and civilization cultures were introduced (Williams, 2008).
Annotated Biography:
Beal, T. Harkness, F. (2008). Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction
Very Short Introductions. New York. Oxford University Press.
The book gives a short description of the history of religion. In this book, the authors try to give a give a brief history for the introduction of religion in America. According to the author religion is one of the biggest influence on the civilization political and economic perceptions of the people of America. The authors state that through religion, different perceptions that helped in shaping the constitution of America were achieved
Gaustad, E.. Noll, M.(2003). A Documentary History of Religion in America, Volume 1 New York. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
Williams, P. (2008). America's Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-first Century. Illinois. University of Illinois Press.
According to the author, the 16th and 17th centuries are indeed the periods when the religious belief of America was shaped. Peter Williams states that different religious believes have tremendously influence how Americans relate today. Nonetheless, the 17th and 18th century was the period the mainly influenced the different believes in America. According to the author, the different religious believers and ideologies have shaped America.
Reference:
Beal, T. Harkness, F. (2008). Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction
Very Short Introductions. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gaustad, E. & Noll, M.(2003). A Documentary History of Religion in America. Volume 1. New York: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
Williams, P. (2008). America's Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-first Century. Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
