This blog post examines whether religion has been a driving force for human unity and progress, or a cause of conflict and inequality, through various historical examples.
Religion, endowed with transcendent legitimacy, becomes beyond doubt and a powerful medium for uniting humanity. People relied on religion to pray for prosperity, and those who followed its norms could trust each other and unite their strength. However, religion goes beyond uniting people; it also influences their thoughts and actions. Until the Middle Ages, Western nations were weaker than Eastern ones, but I believe the reason Western nations rose to prominence in the modern era was due to the influence of Christianity. Furthermore, the significant influence of Judaism is seen as a key reason Jews could impact the American economy.
To examine religion’s influence, one must first understand its history. Catholicism, which dominated Europe for a millennium, began its expansion after Jesus’ death when it was designated the state religion of Rome. It subsequently became Europe’s dominant religion. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the surviving Eastern Roman Empire became the Papal States under the Vatican. As the Middle Ages began, the Pope’s power surpassed that of any king, and all life revolved around religion. People obtained all information from the Bible, considering knowledge not found within it unimportant. People received the important sacrament of baptism and followed Catholic formalities, such as performing rituals every Sunday. Thus, the Middle Ages saw everything, including science and literature, under the influence of Catholicism. In this way, Catholicism became a system that controlled people’s behavior and dominated humanity.
Escaping this Catholic domination marked the beginning of the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a cultural revival movement seeking to return from a God-centered society to the human-centered life of Roman times. As the Renaissance unfolded, people’s religious views also began to shift gradually. During this period, as the Catholic Church emphasized mere formality and became corrupt—selling indulgences at exorbitant prices, for example—Martin Luther and Jean Calvin initiated the Reformation, giving birth to Protestant Christianity. Though originally Catholics, they declared independence from the Catholic Church and established their own versions of Christianity they believed to be correct. Martin Luther argued that all humans, including the Pope, were equal before God and criticized taxation issues, gaining support from peasants. While Martin Luther received backing from peasants and local lords, Jean Calvin’s Reformation gained support from merchants, artisans, and the middle class.
Jean Calvin advocated the doctrine of predestination, asserting that God determines everything, and believed one’s occupation was a vocation bestowed by God. He emphasized that to gain assurance of God’s salvation, one must faithfully perform the work assigned to them. This doctrine instilled in merchants and artisans the belief that diligent work and the accumulation of wealth were virtuous, laying the spiritual foundation for modern capitalism. In his 1904 essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, German economist Max Weber argued that the fundamental spirit of Western modern capitalism originated in Protestantism. He analyzed that Christianity promoted the development of business and contracts, as well as the accumulation of wealth for reinvestment.
Some might argue that the development of Western civilization originated not from Christianity but from the Renaissance. While it is true that the Renaissance stimulated diverse artistic creation, it did not fundamentally alter people’s core values. Even during the Renaissance, artists primarily received patronage from wealthy nobles and produced works according to their patrons’ desires. In contrast, the Reformation completely transformed people’s values and thinking. People now found a substantive reason to work diligently and could lead fulfilling lives satisfied with their occupations. The Reformation emphasized spiritual transformation over material achievements, profoundly influencing subsequent human history. After the Reformation, freed from Catholic oppression, people began developing scientific thought and methods, enabling the Scientific Revolution and Industrial Revolution. At this time, Christianity’s spirit of vocation successfully drove industrial structural change.
The United States was significantly influenced by the Reformation. Founded by Christians who crossed the ocean seeking religious freedom, America has established itself as the world’s current political and economic superpower. The tradition of the U.S. presidential inauguration oath and swearing on the Bible in court demonstrates Christianity’s enduring influence. Surveys indicate that 60% of American citizens consider religion very important, and the country exhibits a high culture of charitable giving and adoption rates. Thus, Protestantism can be seen as having played a crucial role in America’s development.
Jews are also regarded as a successful people due to the influence of Judaism. Though Jews comprise only about 16 million of the world’s population, 93 Nobel laureates are Jewish. Furthermore, 20% of American lawyers, half of New York City’s middle and high school teachers, and 30% of Ivy League faculty are Jewish. Judaism is a religion that follows the rules of the Old Testament, emphasizing economic activity and the accumulation of wealth. The Talmud, a Jewish guidebook, contains proverbs such as “There is no door that money cannot open.” These religious values likely had a significant impact on Jewish success.
Of course, religion does not always exert a purely positive influence. Not everyone lived happier lives after the Industrial Revolution, and economic crises like the Great Depression occurred. Furthermore, conflicts between religious factions were fierce; many were punished for blasphemy while trying to escape the oppression of medieval Catholicism. Religion also influences modern conflicts, such as those involving Islamic extremist groups like ISIS.
Religion not only provides people with spiritual stability but also profoundly influences their ways of thinking and behavior. Religion has contributed to humanity forming large-scale communities and has become a driving force in people’s lives. Christianity and Judaism have served as motivating forces, uniting and guiding believers to live faithfully, thereby enabling their followers to wield power in the world. It is perhaps due to these characteristics of religion that Christianity has established itself as the world’s most powerful religion.
