Christian churches are opposed
In the early years of the Roman Empire, due to the strength of the government, the Christian clergy had to accept the supervision and management of the government. However, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, due to the invasion of barbarians and the violent social turmoil, the newly established barbarian governments were unable to effectively manage the whole society, so the Christian community took this opportunity to intervene and intervene in secular affairs.
Of course, in the chaotic world at that time, the duty of the Christian priest was more to save the world and the people, than to exist like a social parasite in the later European feudal society. At that time, the Christian Church managed many social affairs, such as the signing of civil contracts, the hosting of marriages and funerals, and the care of some social orphans and widows.
As the social influence of Christian churches increased, they began to gradually get rid of government control. At that time, it coincided with the turmoil, the government was unable to exercise substantial control over the Christian church, and the independence of the Christian church was increasing.
In a chaotic world, when the kings of the European countries could not fulfill their obligation to protect and administer the people, the Christian Church fulfilled this obligation on behalf of the king, and then the Christian Church gained the corresponding secular power. And finally in medieval Europe, the pope became a being beyond the king.
Christian hierarchical organization
In the beginning, Christian groups met in private houses, and now, three or four hundred years later, they have a complete hierarchy: parish priests (priests), bishops, archbishops, clergy not only full-time, but also salaries. One of the bishops, the bishop of Rome, allowed himself to sit on the pope's throne and take charge of the entire church. This church has its own legal system, with courts and prisons to enforce the law. The church is not only in charge of the church, but also of other important matters, such as marriage and inheritance. The Church also has its own tax system, because all people are obliged to pay for it.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church survived as an independent government. The roles of the Pope and the Roman Emperor were equal, governing all levels of civil and military officials under their command.
Crusades
Ever since Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and made it the official state religion, the religion's ideas about violence have also begun to shift. Since it is impossible for the government not to go to war, if the church wants the support of the government, it must nod its head in agreement, recognizing that the government can sometimes go to war because of fairness and justice. The Church encouraged knights to attack non-Christians—and that was a valid reason. The Church also encouraged crusader expeditions to the Holy Lands of the East, which had fallen into the hands of Islam. If you're willing to go out there and fight, you'll get a special reward.
Christian participation in politics began as early as the 4th century AD. At first, the accession of a large number of nobles in the Roman Empire, including members of the royal family, to Christianity was a great contribution to the development of Christianity. However, when these nobles and privileged classes brought the secular power struggle into the Christian church, not only did Christianity no longer remain "pure", but also the church, especially the Church of Rome, tasted the sweetness of power. When the Eastern and Western churches once again had different views on their understanding of doctrine, and the contradictions rose to an irreconcilable stage, the Church of Rome did not try to resolve them through debate and meeting as before, but used secular power to suppress dissenters. The famous Crusades and indulgences are both products of the heyday of Christian power. This lesser-than-bright tactic, while causing a large number of Christian deaths and injuries, is considered by historians to be the bane that led to the eventual division of the Church in the East and the West.
Trading of indulgences
In the Middle Ages, with the establishment of ecclesiastical power and the compulsion of faith, the way of atonement for sins changed greatly. The past forms of atonement for sincere repentance and physical self-torture have been replaced by various forms of atonement purchased by money, such as indulgences, which have legitimized the sale of souls; the popes and clergy have not only made faith a way to make money, but also included the sacred priesthood in the scope of money transactions; in addition, by the 10th century, clergy marriage and concubinage have become an open and even fashionable phenomenon; to a certain extent, popes and clergy have become duplicitous "hypocrites". This leads to the hypocrisy of christian beliefs and morals.
When Christianity gained a foothold in the Roman world, it gradually became self-contained and narrow-minded, began to exclude "heresy", became tyrannical and cruel, of which the persecution of various "heretics" by the Inquisition, founded in 1233, was the best interpretation; by the late Middle Ages, the Church of Rome had become a "fornication Babylon" and the Inquisition had become a "terrible hell".
Ancient Greek literature
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Church preserved Greek and Roman scholarship. This is a surprising development, because the writers, philosophers, and scientists of ancient Greece and Rome were all pagans, not Christians. Christians, on the other hand, believe that all written accounts are false and that the only truth is Jesus Christ. So why did the Christian Church preserve pagan literature?
Because Christians did not have a system of education at first, before the Christian Church ordered the institutionalization of Christianity, it relied heavily on the assistance of high-ranking intellectuals who were familiar with the traditional Greco-Roman education system. These scholars used Greek philosophy and logic to explain and defend Christian doctrine. They believed that christian doctrine was naturally complete only when the great philosophers and moralists of ancient Greece and Rome touched on only a part of the truth; but these Greek philosophers could serve as a guide to the truth and discern the truth. Thus, although they were pagans, the Christian Church preserved their writings and made good use of them.
If one reads only the original texts, these documents represent the philosophy, values, and attitudes towards life of a non-Christian pagan. However, the medieval Christian Church's grip on all knowledge was so overwhelming that no one had ever read the original texts. The church's approach is to take the passages it wants, to bring together these out-of-context bits and pieces, and then to weave them together with the passages taken from the Bible to construct a set of Christian theology, that is, a set of accounts of God's world and God's plan of redemption. In this way, Greek philosophical thinking, academic knowledge, and logical ideas were all recruited to serve and support Christianity.
Heaven is getting closer and closer to mankind
Throughout the history of human development, the biggest problem that has plagued human beings is the fear of death. All religions, in essence, revolve around this question to give human beings answers, to give human beings relief.
The same is true of Christianity. But one of the reasons for the great success of Christianity is that it is closer to God (or heaven) and ordinary people, and from its history of development, we can see that God is getting closer and closer to ordinary people. The primitive religions, the gods, and the people, are two very different worlds. Hebrewism gave the populace hope of going to heaven, but it needed to be achieved in the form of a group purchase (the whole nation was God's chosen people). After the appearance of Jesus, individuals can also go to heaven, but only through the approval of Catholic priests. By the time of Luther and Calvin, the priests had been abandoned, and as long as the individual practiced seriously and succeeded, he could go to heaven. In short, lowering the threshold of entry and taking the popular route has greatly increased the influence of Christianity.
Theoretical innovation alone is not enough. In other aspects, such as specific forms of mission, the technical level of mind control, and the achievements of ancient Greek and Roman civilization over thousands of years, Christianity has reached the pinnacle of perfection. The details are as follows:
Mass ceremony
At each Mass, pasta and red wine are served, representing the flesh and blood of Jesus, respectively, to show that Jesus is closely connected to each individual. This was actually inherited from Hebrewism. In some of the rituals of European Hebrews, in a dimly lit room, a stove is lit, a Bible reader leads the reading, the men sit in the front, separated by a curtain, and behind them sit the women, and after reading the Bible, the men sing and dance around the fire, while the women stand and chant in the back. And Christianity, especially the complexity and complexity of Catholic rituals, is creating a sense of mystery, a way to fear God and trust in the church.
Stay tuned for more mysteries in the next episode!