chapter 16

i didnt read this chapter on tuesday but we also didnt talk about it in class, thats why i am reflecting on it now.
i always knew that religion was one of the main reasons why countries fought with one another, the basic beleifs of how we came about and the attempt of one country converting another country to their desired religion. I had not known that Muslims had ousted Christam Crusaders by 1300. I wonder what things would have been like if the Muslims did not do this. Would christianity be even more powerful? Probably. Would there be less Muslims in the world? Maybe. It is a weird thing to think that such a small event could have made such a huge difference in the variety of religions in the world.
I cannot believe the lives that Popes and preiests had lived. More focus on the ones that were higher up and the ones that got away with things like corruption. Most importantly i am shocked to read that popes would take bribes or sell indulgences in order to remove penalties or sins. this is not how christianity works. i am a catholic myself and feel very strongly about this situation. you cannot bribe yourself out of sin, it takes some good old fashion prayer or confession and nothing feels better than praying for forgiveness. i dont think i could ever bribe my way out of a sin, i would feel so guilty and could never live with myself. sadly, some people think this is the way to receive forgiveness. however, these are the people that need to find God the most.
i find the chart on page 464 very interesting because i do now know much about the protestant faith. being a catholic i have not studied many other religions. it is crazy to see the differences in beleifs like how important Mary plays a role and other such things. I was always raised on catholic beliefs so i find it weird in some of the cases of what the protestants believe in.
it sounds a bit odd at first to think that when people expanded across the world, their main concern was to find other people who shared the same faith as them.
after thinking more about this however, it makes more sense because it would eliminate many debates because they all have the same beliefs. it is a bit surprising because for the longest time we were taught that people expanded to find new land and discover things like gold and spices. religion was never brought up as a huge issue or the main goal.
not only am i catholic, but i am also very interested in the sciences. which makes things some what confusing. i can easily see how many cultures turned to science to explain things and follow it like it was a religion. with so many religions to choose from, why not go with something that we have "evidence" on. the scientific revolution is one of the things that is evident in our schooling today and that makes a huge controversy for many scholars in all countries. however, without this scientific revolution we might still be drawing the world flat or thinking that the earth is the center of the universe. i think that the scientific revolution has not only helped bring the science side of things to the table of evolution, but it has also forced the religious scholars to dig deeper and find more answers to the many questions in life. with these two ideas bouncing off one another, there are unlimited questions that will slowly be answered in time.