AlecWysocki

August13,2016
ProfessorLark
PortfolioReflection

Religion
Religionhelpsregulatebehaviorandteachespeoplespecificlaws,morals,and
rulestofollow.Cooperationisimportantinsocietyandinreligion,theartofcharityis
preached.Charityteachespeopletobelessselfishandhelpotherswhentheyareinneed.
Religioncanbringasenseofunityamongstpeople.Thesethreemen,Zarathustra,
Constantine,andMuhammad,usedreligiontoinfluenceandmakeanimpactonsociety
throughreligion.
Zarathustrawasoneofthefirstleaderstobringaboutmonotheismtotheancient
worldthroughZoroastrianism.HefounditthroughancientPersiaanditwasoncethe
officialreligionofthePersianEmpire.Manyhistoriansbelievethatsomeofthereligions
todayarederivedfromZoroastrianism.Zarathustrabroughtaboutasenseofunitytothe
Persiansastheywerepreviouslypracticingpolytheism.
ZarathustrabroughtaboutnewinstitutionstothepeopleofthePersianEmpire.
Oneoftheideaswasequalityofgender.Allmenandwomenwereequalinallmanners
insociety.Anotherideawasthecleanlinessoftheenvironment.Therearemanyfestivals
thatcelebratenature,asitisthecentralpracticeofZoroastrianism.Hardworkandcharity
werealsoemphasizedinthereligionandZarathustrabecausecharityisnotedasagood

deed.Peopleofthefaitharesupposedtobeapartofsomethingmorethanthemselves.
Lazinessisfrowneduponinthereligionbecauseyouarenotcontributingtosociety.
AnotherideaemphasizedinZoroastrianismisthecondemnationagainsthumansand
animals.Sacrificinganimalswereapartofhistoryandotherancientcivilizationsforthe
pastthousandsofyears.Liketheequalityofgender,allhumansareequalregardlessof
raceorreligion.
ConstantinehadamajorimpactonsocietyinImperialRomethroughreligion.He
wasonhiswaytoRometobattleanenemywithanarmyfourtimesthesizeofhisown.
Constantinesawavisionintheafternoonsky:abrightcrosswiththewordsbythissign
conquer(ChristianityToday).ThenConstantinehadadreamin,whichJesuscameto
himandtoldhimtotakethecrossintobattleandheshallwin.Thenextmorning
Constantinetoldhismentoputacrossontheirshield.Theydefeatedthearmyfourtimes
theirsizeandConstantinebecametheemperorofRome.
DuringthistimeChristianitywasadominantreligioninRome.Christianswere
persecutedandtorturedfortheirbeliefs.OnceConstantinebecametheemperorofRome,
heconvertedtoChristianity.HemadeChristianityanacceptedpracticethroughout
Rome,ultimatelyleadingtotheendofthepersecutionofChristians.Hebecameawell
respectedemperorbecauseofthisaction.Hebroughtasenseofunitytothepeopleof
Rome.Christianswerenthidingtheirfaithorpracticinginsecret.Theywerebuilding
churchesandinstitutingschoolingformonksandpriests.Otherreligionswereaccepted
alsoinRomeandthepeoplehadthechoicetopicktheirownreligion.Christianity
flourishedinRomeandsoonbecametheofficialreligionofRome.Itcontinuedtospread

throughoutEuropeandtherestoftheworld.Todaythereareover2.1billionChristians
throughouttheworld,whichisthenumberonereligionintheworld.
Muhammadissometimesknownasthemostinfluentialmaninhistory.Hehas
hadamajorimpactonsocietythroughreligion.Islamisoneofthemajorworldreligions
today.BeforeMuhammad,theArabiantribeswereconstantlyatwarwitheachother.
However,Muhammadchangedthefighting.ItwasagainstthereligionofIslamtofight
amongstthemselves.OnceArabiaadoptedthereligionofIslam,thefightingstopped.
TheyacceptedtheteachingofIslam,whichincludedrighteousness,steadfastness,and
worshipofgodalone(HuffingtonPost).
Muhammadbroughtsomethingtothepeoplethattheyhaventhad,religious
freedom.MuhammadallowedtheChristianprieststopracticetheirfaithandhavean
openreligiousdebatebeforeanaudience.Afterthedebateshelaterwrotethatnooneis
todestroytheirhouseofreligionorharmthem,astheywerehisallies.Islamalsobrought
racialequalitytothepeople.BeforeIslamicArabsocietytherewereracialbiasesagainst
nonArabs.However,Muhammadchosetwoformerslavestobehisclosestcompanions.
Inhislastsermon,theProphetdeclaredawhitehasnosuperiorityoverblack,nordoes
ablackoverawhite,exceptbypietyandgoodaction(HuffingtonPost).Muhammad
andIslamalsoaffectedsocietythroughreligionbywomensrights.InPreIslamic
society,womendidnothaverightsandweresometimesusedassacrifices.However,
Muhammadinstitutedmanyrightsincludingtherighttoownherownproperty,to
divorcehusbandifheisabusive,endthesacrifices,andwomensapprovalinher
marriage.ManyoftheserightswerenotevenallowedtowomenintheWest.

ItisnodoubtthatMuhammadcontributedtosocietythroughreligion.Islamisa
majorreligionintheworldtoday.IslamendedfightingamongsttheArabiantribesand
societyandbroughtaboutpeaceandunitytothepeople.Islamspreadthroughoutthe
worldandbroughtunitytovastlandsintheEast.
Religionhasasignificantimpactofthedirectionofsociety.Religiongivespeople
somethingtobelievein.Itprovidespeoplewithasenseofmeaningforlifeandhelps
themworktowardsbeingproductive,moralmembersofsociety.Thistendstomake
peoplehappier.Thesethreemen,Zarathustra,Constantine,andMuhammad,have
impactedsocietyinsimilaranddifferentwaysthroughreligion.Thesethreemenused
religionasatoolmasterfullyandcraftedsuccessfortheirreligionbyutilizingthemselves
asgreatexamplesofwhyreligionisimportanttoeachhumanbeingandtomankind.

Bibliography

1. Frend,WilliamH.C.Constantine.ChristianityToday.Web.15Aug.
2016.
<http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/rulers/constantine.html
>
2. Ahmad,Amaar.ProphetMuhammad:TheSocialReformer.The
HuffingtonPost.TheHuffingtonPost.com,30April2013.Web.15August
2016.<http://www.huffintonpost.com/amaarahmad/prophetmuhammad
thesocialreformer_b_3187443.html>.