A Story of Religions

A Philosophy of Life

Hundreds of years before Christ, ancient Greeks practiced Paganism worshipping Gods like Zeus and Poseidon. Besides the Greeks, ancient Romans as well as Egyptians had several Gods and Goddesses who are now mere cult figures of ancient mythology finding place only in bedtime stories, fairy tales and glitzy Hollywood movies. Around sixth century BC when Hellenistic period was also at its peak, early Greek Philosophers made their presence felt by  giving birth to a concept of boundless thinking that involved dialogues, debates and discussions. Topics from all walks of life including astronomy, physics, biology, arithmetic, geometry and countless others were discussed as a part of a vast field of reason and knowledge which later came to be known as Philosophy. Philosophy went against the norms of traditional pagan worship and asked interested men and women to be free thinkers and be governed by their own sense of reason and logic. Early philosophers of the Roman Empire also took a leaf from the book of their Greek counterparts and further led to the birth and spread of fresh ideas and theories to the west as well as the east.

Crucifixion Of Christ

  Ancient Philosophy and Paganism gradually made way for the novel concept of a monotheistic religion. This was when Christianity was born in the Year Zero. Some two thousand years ago, Jerusalem which had a Jewish majority was under the subjugation of the Roman Empire. The Romans perceived the unorthodox views of Jesus Christ a threat to their own rule in Jerusalem and got him crucified on a cross until he died of blood loss and asphyxiation. Little did they know at that time that a whole new movement will gain traction in the name of Christ in the years to come and change the course of modern history as we know it today. According to the four Gospels, Christ resurrected after three days, signalling a revival of hope and promising a new life of joy and miracles to all those who would follow him. However, Christ disappeared never to return to the Holy Land. Nevertheless, he had left behind his most loyal disciples who have been called the twelve apostles. The most important of them all was Saint Peters upon whose rock Jesus wanted to build his Church. Saint Peters became the first ever Priest in Christianity as he travelled all the way to the capital of Roman Empire-Rome, in order to spread the word of Christ and his message to mankind. People of Rome disillusioned as they were by the tyrant rule of their emperors embraced the new message of Christ and became His followers. People who were used to worshipping different Idols in Paganism were now feeling more blessed and united under the holy figure of one man. Then there was the horrific Fire of Rome followed by brutal genocide of followers of Christ. Christianity was so powerful and its preachers so ardent that it survived and even flourished in these dark and turbulent times. At last, there was an emperor in Constantine who embraced Christianity and led to the creation of a new World Order based on Christian Principles. His capital was at Constantinople (present day Istanbul in Turkey) from where he presided over millions of people in the Roman Empire. This crucial event in history led to an unprecedented rise of Christianity in the whole world.

Whatever goes up shall come down some day. Some seven hundred years after Christ, it was the turn of Islam to rule over Constantinople and most of the Middle East. Emperor Solomon of the Ottoman Empire orchestrated the siege of Constantinople to spread Islam and the teachings of Prophet Mohammed in the west. A philosophy of peace and love that had started in order to bring together warring tribes of Mecca under the patronage of a universal soul called Allah went on to become the fastest growing religion on the planet. It rivalled Christianity at the most vulnerable time when the whole of Europe was reeling in Dark Ages, fetching many converts as it taught to people fresh ideas and provided a different view to look at life. In years to come, it would go on to become one of the largest religions in the world, second only to Christianity.