Christianity and Islam Essay

Throughout history, belief systems have had political and social impacts on followers. The belief systems of Christianity and Islam have had both positive and negative changes to their societies that they started and traveled to. They had an impact on their followers , spread the belief throughout specific nations/regions , and lastly impacted their followers in both positive and negative ways. Christianity and Islam changed the way people lived their lives and done every day things. Christianity and Islam had a huge impact on their followers because their beliefs made them live their lives in a specific way. For example, in Document 1, Pope Urban II asked the Christians to rebel against the Turks and Arabs due to the attacks that they were doing. This impacted the Christians socially because they no longer did what the Arabs and Turks had asked them to do, they turned against them. Islam had a political impact on the people who followed because the Shah’s policy’s isolated the Islamic clergy as stated in Document 6 and they had an impact socially because there was a creation of Family Protection Act which in turn improved the women’s rights. These changes and decisions helped shape and mold the newly found religions to be what they are today , politically and socially. Christianity spread through traveling and trading. In document 2a and 2b , it shows how the crusades , the time where Christians and Muslims were fighting over the holy land , changed the lives of the Europeans by traveling and migrating. These moves lead to meeting new people and trading spices in new different cities. Islam , in turn , spread through traveling and trade as well. In document 7, it shows how they were spreading through North Africa and the Middle East. They advanced farther than they would have thought they would and made their religion known worldwide. There were both negative and positive impacts that these religions had on their followers. Christianity had a negative impact because the Indians were getting beat and treated harshly as said in document 3. The missionaries were abusing their power and laid laws and rules down that had to be followed. However, in document 4 there was a positive impact because a lot of the Africans began practicing Christianity. Islam also had positive impacts such as the people who followed gained knowledge and their teachings are still taught today worldwide such as algebra and mathematics. Both Christianity and Islam in the long run improved their religions by spreading it. They had both positive and negative impacts on their followers and made their religions known worldwide.