|
The
events that led to the conversion of Pagans all over the world to Christianity show
various things. One could say that Christianity
adopted countless ideas from Paganism.
This shows the beginning of Christian hypocrisy, which is mostly
noted at its adoption and, to an extent tolerance, of numerous Pagan
traditions albeit the oppressive restrictions and punishments forced upon
the Pagans. It must be
remembered that during the Middle Ages the only branch of Christianity in
Western Europe was
Catholicism, a very narrow and arguably, quite a literal interpretation of
the Bible. The religion took
more than millennia to penetrate the hearts and souls of the peoples of
Europe.
This topic is exceedingly interesting because, as
with all history, it has a great effect on the present. There are many small traditions that perpetuate today of
which their origins remain quite unknown.
Some of these will be looked at.
An important factor in studying a topic such as this, is to note
that most of the written documentation of Paganism, also known as the
"medievalist's daily bread", was lost due to the Church’s
zealous acts of destroying Pagan materials. This makes an analysis of the
epoch quite difficult, meaning that knowledge of Paganism today is what is left over from an oral
tradition and movement that was forced underground and from limited
references to be found in medieval texts.
The Middle Ages harbored many contrasting sentiments. Some felt it
was "a time of blood and terror" but others, most of them
writers who at the time were clerics, either felt that the end of the
world and judgment day imminent while others were speaking of
"a delight for humankind" and the famous quote by a Burgundian
monk, "the world then shook off the dust from its old
vestments, and the earth was covered in a white robe of
churches".
Christianity
is one of the three world religions in today, having followers
everywhere. However, individuals are starting to feel the need for
an alternative inspiration with which to lead their lives. Has
Christianity's sell by date passed or is it upcoming? These aspects of
religion will be looked on the page entitled "Today". Each
of the pages will look at different areas of life where the Christians had
place to incorporate Pagan tradition into their new religion, making
links between the theologies and drawing conclusions.
"Nature" will look at the various Pagan inclinations to nature
and their reverence of it. As the title expresses, the page on
"Women" will deal with the treatment and position of women
in both mentalities. "Gods" will discuss the vision and
the symbolism of the Gods to both the Pagans and the Christians. The
page on "Idolatry" is concerned with the actual veneration of
these gods through idols and relics and the religious holydays that are
dedicated to the gods. The page on "Wealth" deals with the
churches use and misuse of money. "Ceremonies" deals with the
evident relationship between the Pagan ceremonies/stories and the
Christians ones. The miscellaneous page will look at contingent yet relevant
information in relation to both theologies and their underlying
similarities.
|
