Spread Of Christianity Research Paper

Christianity is the most popular religion in the world today. Have you ever wondered how Christianity came to be the worlds largest religion? Thirty-one and a half percent of the world’s population consider themselves Christian. Christianity was started by a man named Jesus Christ, the son of god, and his disciples. Jesus lived in Judea, and was crucified around A.D. 30. It is believed that Jesus rose from the dead a few days after the crucification. There are 4 major branches of Christianity, Roman Catholic,Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and protestant. Christians believe in only one God, and follow The Holy Bible. Christianity certainly did not become the worlds largest religion overnight, in fact there were many factors which helped the spread

The spread of Christianity was helped by conversion by force. In 1478, Isabella and Ferdinand got the approval they needed to expel Jews, Protestants, and non-believers from Spain. At first, the Jews were the main targets, and around 40,000 Jews were kicked out of Spain. If the Jews wanted to stay in Spain, they were forced to convert to Catholicism, these Jews became known as converso. Those who refused to leave Spain, and refused to convert, were tortured or killed. This became known as the Spanish Inquisition. During the Spanish Inquisition, 341,021 people were put on trial. The sentencing varied, and there were several outcomes. First, the person could be acquitted, meaning they would be let free and nothing would happen. Next, they got be let go, like those who were acquitted, but still

During the Roman Empire, the Pax Romana helped with the spread of Christianity. The Pax Romana was a time period during the Roman Empire that made it safe to travel the roads. By having safe roads, ideas could be shared and spread easier. With these safe roads, trade was also much easier. Traders were able to share their faith, and beliefs to those they traded with. This helped the ideas of Christianity spread as fast as it did. The ideas of the Christians weren’t fully accepted in Rome at the time. In A.D. 64 many Christians were tortured in killed because they were blamed for a fire that burnt down much of Rome. This did not stop the Christians from sharing their ideas, and converting others. Constantine, the Roman Emperor, was against Christianity in the beginning, and allowed the persecution of Christians to continue. One day when Constantine prayed for help while fighting he saw a Christian cross in the sky with words that said “In this sign you will conquer.” After putting this symbol of his soldiers shields and flags they won. After this victory, Constantine legalized Christianity. He built churches, used Christian symbols on coins, and made Sunday become the day of rest and worship. Christianity spread due to Constantine’s conversion of his own, and his legalization of the religion. Once the religion became legal, more people were able to practice it without fearing the punishments. Those who hadn’t