Religion and Theology

Islam is the second largest religion in the after Christianity and has extended to almost all parts of the world.  Currently, its followers extend from Morocco to Philippines and include people of different races and tribes in Asia, Africa, Europe, America and Australia. Although initially most of its followers were from Arabic countries, studies of Nigosian indicate that currently, three quarters of the adherents of Islam faith are from non-Arabic countries (2004).  Since the time it was established during the seventh century, it has continued to grow and develop and major changes have taken place. Consequently, it has caused great impacts on people and culture especially due to the fact that it is a religion of action rather than contemplation. In addition, its manifestations have also changed since where there is growth, change is inevitable.  In light of this view, this paper shall therefore focus on modern manifestation of Islam religion and its effects on culture as well as the society.

Background Information
It would be important to discuss some few issues concerning Muslim religion to be in a position to understand how the same has affected society.  The founder of the religion is known as Prophet Muhammad. Muslim spread from the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to Central Asia, a hundred years after the death of its founder. This led to the Islamic civilizations giving rise to the centers of culture and science which produced doctors, nurses, philosophers, mathematicians and astronomers, to mention but a few.   Islam also led to advancements in technology and education since the importance of reading Quran resulted in to a relatively high level of literacy among the general population. Due to the simplicity of the faith of basically believing in one God and his prophet Muhammad, the religion has become the second most popular religion in the world (Nigosian, 2004).             
         
Muslims recognize the supremacy of God who they term as Allah. They also believe in Angels who are created by God and also in all the prophets who preceded Prophet Muhammad. Since the word Islam means submission, they believe in complete submission to the will of God. There are five pillars or principles that are core in the religion which include prayer, concern for the needy, faith, pilgrimage to Makkah and self purification. All Muslims profess that there is only one God worthy of worship and his prophet Muhammad. The declaration of their faith is known as Shahada.   Their prayers which link them with their God are performed five times a day.  Salat which is the name of the prayers, contain verses from Quran and are led by a leader chosen by the congregation since the religion does not have priests.

Given that Muslims believe all things belong to God and man is only a custodian, they hold dearly the principle of giving to the needy as a means of purification. They therefore set apart some of their belongings to be given to the poor among their communities. Fast in the holy month of Ramadan is a mandatory practice for every Muslim, expect for the sick, elderly, nursing and expectant mothers.  During the fast, they abstain from food and sexual relations from dawn till sun set.  Finally, all the physically and the financially able Muslims attend the annual pilgrimage to Makkah known as Hajj.  During the visit, all the pilgrims wear special clothes which are always simple to ensure that all people appear equal before God (Nigosian, 2004).

Modern Manifestations of the Islam Religion
There are different manifestations of Islam in the modern world where some portray a positive image while others a negative image.  In the cultural perspective, it is a complete way of life since Islam and social membership are inseparable (McDaniel, Porter  Samovar, 2009).

The same studies record that Muhammad the messenger from Allah was both a religious and a political prophet. The Islamic law makes no distinction between society and religion but governs both the private and public affairs. Although there are other religions that still affect peoples way of life, Islam seems to be an exceptional since it is a religion that instructs people on how to carry out their lives in ethical, political, spiritual and economic arenas.  It is practiced openly without any hindrance and even taught in schools and other institutions of learning right from an early age.

In the modern world, Islam is also being viewed as a religion of terrorism.  Majority, especially in the West, have associated it with terrorism especially due to the fact that the well known terrorism groups are either from Muslim countries or they profess the Muslim faith. Following an increase in terrorist attacks especially during the last decade of the 20th century, Islam has been associated with the rising levels of insecurity. As a result, majority of the population view the faith as a security threat. It has therefore manifested itself as a religion which opposes other religions since the terrorists attacks are always directed to non-Muslims.

Islam and politics are inseparable and its involvement in world of politics cannot be overemphasized.  In countries like Pakistan and Iran, it has achieved international importance (McDaniel, Porter  Samovar, 2009). It has greatly influenced countries like Libya and Saudi Arabia.  In addition, it has contributed significantly to political conflicts between Arabs and Israelites and Somalis and Ethiopians. The involvement of Islam into the political arena has made it to be regarded as a political ideology which ought to be integrated in all the aspects of the society and not just as a mere religion.  For this reason, the religion has been at the center of political conflicts complicating the situations even further instead of solving the problem.

Impacts of Islam on Culture and Society
Islam is considered to be the greatest religious and social evolution in the mans history since it acted as mighty spiritual and democratic world force.  It was able to produce revolutionary changes due to its simplicity, high ideal of morality in the way of life and principle of brotherhood of man in the social order.  In many places where Islam was introduced, people ended up forsaking their traditional religious practices to embrace the faith. For instance, in Bangladesh, the traditional religions which were present before Islam was introduced were mainly Hindu and Buddhism. After the introduction of Islam by Sufi, Muslim conquers and modern traders, many people forsook their initial religions and embraced Islam. Consequently, they also embraced the Muslim culture of the Arab traders.  Most of them acquired the Arabic names and their language was also affected since studies of Khan (2007 indicate that there are a lot of Arabic words in the current language of people of Bengal.  In addition, as the Muslims from the northern India and Asia continued to occupy Bengal, many changes continued to take place not only socially but also politically. Every group that settled in Bangladesh contributed greatly to the social and political life. Turkish people who migrated to Bangladesh from the thirteenth century impacted the society greatly since most studies shows that Turkish food, dishes, names and terminologies are common among the Bengal Muslims. 

Islam is described as a religion which changes everyone who accepts it. Study of the history of certain countries and continents illustrate various impacts that the religion had in those particular places. For instance, Islam changed Europe from an ignorant and primitive continent, to a wise, dominant and powerful empire. In Addition, according to Zaimeche (2004), the religion did not only leave intellectual heritage in Europe, but also its splendor and luxury.  Islamic education and science was the basis for the civilization and major developments in Europe.  Further studies illustrate that since most of the Muslims were learned, they influenced learning once they settled in Europe. Many schools were opened and science, technology and mathematics began to advance.   As a result, the economy greatly improved.

Virtually everywhere in the world, Islam has had profound impacts. In America, though not very popular, it was readily accepted by the African Americans. This was due to the fact that they were facing a lot of racial discrimination and the religion was emphasizing on equality and social justice.  Despite the fact that the majority of the Muslims are either the Arab immigrants or the Africa Americans, Islam is still termed as the fastest growing religion in the country.  Consequently, as much as there is much opposition, it is still affecting the American culture since people are still abandoning their faith and embracing Islam.  Mosques are on the increase in America because Islams are buying land and building them with an aim of rekindling the Islam tradition way of life. Schools and other community based organizations are being established to cater for the Muslim community.

Having discussed the impact of Islam in Bangladesh, Europe and America, it is clear that Islam has impacted almost every aspect of the community.  In the political scene, the religion influences the major political decisions while in some places it takes control of the state and the political power. Some countries have incorporated the Sharia law in their constitution to take care of the interests of Muslims. It has also influenced the social institution since people who embrace the faith end up accepting the values and the norms stipulated therein. For instance, the women adapt the Muslim way of dressing which require women to cover themselves completely expect for the eyes. Muslim religious practices have become so common such that in almost every country, people recognize their significance (Khan, 2007). 

Conclusion
Like any other religion, Islam has undergone various phases in its growth since its establishment during the seventh century.  Although majority believes that it spreads by sword, most studies reveal that the simple nature of the faith made it to spread very fast and to gain a lot of popularity. As a result, it has affected the society, politically, socially, economically and virtually in each and every aspect. Initially, it manifested as a religion that emphasized on peace, brotherhood, equality and justice.  Contrastingly, in the modern world, the faith displays such a negative image characterized by terrorism, conflicts, social injustices and oppression to women. However, it is important to elaborate the facts since majority do not know the truth about the Muslim faith. 

The Book of Acts is said to have been written by St. Luke.  It is written like a novel, and it serves as a transition from the life of Jesus Christ which led to the establishment of the Catholic Church.
In the previous chapter, Jesus appeared to the apostles and told them not to leave Jerusalem for they will be receiving their power from the Holy Spirit soon.  Chapter 2 starts on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit finally descends on the Twelve Apostles.  There was a sound which was similar to a strong gust of wind which filled the room and then there were tongues of fire which rested on each of the twelve.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and as such, they were able to speak in tongues or in a language that only the gifted could understand among themselves. 

A crowd gathered when they heard the strong wind so they were able to witness what took place.  What astounded them was that they were of different nationalities but each of them was hearing the disciples speaking of praises to God in their respective language.  It was strange but amazing at the same time, and most were bewildered by this phenomenon.  Just to rationalize what was happening, some even claimed that the disciples just had too much to drink.

Peter thus stood up and addressed the crowd.  He explained to them that they were not drunk since it was way too early in the morning being only 9am.  Peter then related that what took place was as predicted by the prophet Joel.  There were other events which were included in Joels prophecy, the final verses of which referred to the 2nd coming of the Lord where only those who called on Him will be saved.  In a way, Peter told this to the crowd so that they may come to believe that everything in the prophecy will soon come true.

Peter then explained to the crowd that Jesus was sent by God to the earth to save man from sin.  Although God had sufficient foreknowledge about what Jesus had to endure in his earthly life, everything took place and Jesus was nailed to the cross.  Man was responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but still he was raised by his father to life on the third day, and as God had intended it to happen.  Peter emphasized that as Jesus was raised from the dead, he now sits at the right hand of His Father. 
 
Since the Lords will and the prediction of the prophet Joel will definitely come to pass, the crowd asked what they had to do to be saved.  Peter replied that they had to repent and be baptized, and ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ.  Peter gave them a lot of warnings and he begged them to leave their old ways and to save their souls from being further corrupted.  The warnings of Peter were well taken and there were about three thousand who were added to their followers on that day.

This denoted the early beginnings of the Catholic Church.  Their followers continued to multiply and all of them adhered to the teachings of handed to them by the disciples.  They persisted in breaking bread and saying prayers together.  Having imbibed the power from the Holy Spirit, the apostles performed many wonders and miraculous acts which encouraged more followers to believe.  One common trait among the believers was their readiness to sell their possessions and their willingness to share to anyone in need.  Everyday, the new believers carried on with their meetings at the temple courts.  They also went on with the practice of breaking bread in their homes, eating together, praising God and enjoying the favor of the people.  The followers of the Apostles increased and thus, more lives were saved.     

Myth, according to Smart is used to highlight the likeness of function among stories in different religions or cultures.(2007, pg 71).  The human being has many stories. Some religions such as the Navajo believe that the only way to assure that a story is correct is to listen to those that are passed down from elders to children and then again from elders to children over the lifetime of each generation. They also believe when this tradition ends so will the stories. This paper will examine what myth and religion have in common and how such things as the Shinto and Tao religions are affected.

The term Tao means path or way. It is the power that envelops, surrounds, and flows through all things, living and non-living.(religioustolereance.org)  The important person here is Lao Tao who lived partly during the time of Confucius. It is hard to tell from the many thoughts about him whether he was a real person or not. However, the resulting book called Tao-te-Ching was meant to stop feudal wars. It really is a combination of philosophy and psychology which is combined into a religious faith and many scholars actually believe it is synthesized from several other philosophies. He is seen as a deity and Taoism is one of the three great religions in China.

Mythesism surrounds the culture of this religion. It is only guessed that there was a Tao but either way, he is seen as a God. The stories that are passed on are similar to other religions in the fact that Tao caused the universe to happen and therefore is a part of all things. In order to accomplish good things, one must align themselves with the Tao. This is similar to Christianity in which God made the world and is a part of us all and the way to understand ourselves and accomplish good things is to align ourselves with God. There are some interesting things to note about nature. In Taoism, there is the belief that nature take its course which is very popular as part of everyones way today due to the environmental mess we have made and are trying to repair. This, then, seems to apply to today and because people are reaching out for something they can believe in, you often see the Yen and Yang symbols in more places than usual. This symbol represents the balance of opposites in the universe.

Only the other hand, Shinto is the faith of the Japanese people. Shinto gods are called kami and they are sacred spirits of wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. In this case, humans actually become kami after they die and there are some extraordinary people who have shrines built after them. Shinto is more free flowing than most religions as there is not right and wrong and no one is perfect. There is no book like the Bible and preaching is not done as it is rooted in their history. The history of this religion, however, is mixed up some with Buddhism. It seems to be a synthesis  in some ways and is being studied as partly so.

In both of these religions like all of the others that have been noted, there is strong symbolism throughout the beliefs of the people. They myths and history are all intertwined in such as way that a cursive reading does not tell the whole story. This synthesis of information from history and religion, however, tells us what is right, what is wrong, what the gods expect of us, how we should live our lives and treat other people.

What is it that drives us as human beings to find ourselves in the history of our planet and the history of our Gods One has to wonder if it takes away the aloneness we feel as individuals without it. If we are connected to history, stories, and myths we are a part of something. If not, where is the beginning and the end If there is no heaven and no hell, why can I not do what I want If the Bible is just a synthesis of many peoples myths than why do I not read it like any other fiction These are the questions that continue to drive us to believe in the myths that are a part of our culture. I cannot explain my existence in any other way and I need to explain my existence.  There is also the issue of fear. If we do not believe in God and see it as a myth and it turns out we are wrong, we will go to Hell. That one fear alone guarantees that most people will follow the doctrines of the Bible to their best ability.

Smart tells us that one of the things that myth tells us is this is how things are and this is how things have been (2007, pg 75). It should have added to that and therefore this is who you are. He also states that myth is able to tell us what the future will be like and what the end of the world will look like. This writer believes that it, in some ways, also reliefs man of the responsibility of taking care of his world. Putting it in Gods hands when we can no longer cope. This relieves us of the responsibility of dealing with it ourselves. 

In conclusion, mythecism, history, stories, and religion are the things that tell us who we are and who we have been. God is who we are like and heaven is where we will go. God will always forgive us. The Bible is Gods word. For other religions, the same things are depicted with slightly different symbols. For many years, there has been the question in the back of this authors mind as to why so many religions have basically the same beliefs, using different symbols. Which is right and if none of them are right, who am I

To say that Christianity is a religion based upon one text only is a great simplification of Christianity. Looking at Christianity from a developmental perspective, there were three main eras An early chaotic era with many different sects and religious writings, the long authoritarian era in which a small number of religious bureaucracies held sway and the late era when the authority of the religious bureaucracies was challenged and people came up with a variety of ways to understand the Bible.

The early era was marked by a wide variety of sects and preachers each claiming to represent the true teachings of Jesus. The four Gospels comprising what is called the New Testament of the Bible were composed in this period. Some of the main sectarian tendencies in this period were those that were in later years known as the Judaizers, these people held that all Jesus followers must adhere to Halakha laws of Judaism and had no concept of Christianity as a separate religion from Judaism. James, the first head of the Christians in Jerusalem and John of Patmos, the author of Revelations were some of the early Christ. A second group was composed of those who held that the non-Jewish followers of Jesus do not have to follow the purification and dietary rules etc. of Judaism, this group, led by Paul of Tarsus eventually evolved into the various Catholic and Orthodox bureaucracies of mainstream Christianity. A third group was composed of the mystical sects of Gnosticism. These groups had a diverse set of beliefs incorporating many different ideas from diverse religious movements. Of basic importance to other Christians was their belief that since God was perfect, it would be wrong to attribute the creation of evil to God, instead they postulated the existence of a minor wicked god or demon, the demiurge to which they attributed the creation of the Heavens and the Earth (Stilwell, 2009).

With the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine to Christianity, the era formalization and standardization of Christian beliefs occurred. The standard text of the New Testament was prepared and a certain uniformity of religious dogma and rituals were imposed on populations under Christian rule. Along the way a quite a few splits occurred in the religious bureaucracy of Christianity, with minor differences in dogma and ritual among Christians of various geographical regions (Stilwell, 2009).

In the final era of Christianity a number of influential preachers attacked the monopoly of the Christian religious bureaucracy in Western Europe, forming new sects based on their own interpretations of the Bible. Once the religious bureaucracies lost the power to enforce uniformity in beliefs and rituals, everyone was free to interpret the text of the Bible as they saw fit and thus many denominations of Christianity were created (Stilwell, 2009).

What events and figures have shaped the development of Islam in the United States

Immigration from the Muslim world has been the main force behind the rise of Islam as a prominent religion in the United States. Two-thirds of all Muslims of the United States are immigrants from the Muslim world (McInerney, 2005).

Proselytizing efforts from Muslim immigrants have contributed to the conversion of many American converts to Islam however most of the converts to Islam occur among the African American community. Most of these converts are to Islamic movements indigenous to the African American community These Islamic movements have beliefs and rituals different from mainstream Muslims and arose from the African-American struggle for equal rights in the American society. Some of the important figures of these indigenous African-American movements are Noble Drew Ali the founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America movement, Elijah Muhammad the founder of the Nation of Islam movement, Malcolm X and Warith Deen Muhammad who were responsible for bringing a section of the African-American Muslim community closer to the beliefs and rituals of mainstream Muslims (McInerney, 2005).

How are newer religions different from older ones How are they similar

New religions may incorporate modern scientific knowledge or modern cultural ideas, two examples of such religions are the Ralians and the Scientologist, both of whom incorporate ideas found in science fiction literature into their beliefs.

New religions are similar to the old ones in the fact that they often require believers to sacrifice their time, labor or money in service of the religion. New religions are susceptible to splintering and sectarianism much in the same way as the old religions are. For example, the official Church of Scientology faces a number of rival splinter groups such as The Process Church and the Free Zone movement.

What effect do you think religious pluralism and the interfaith movement will have on the future of organized religion Explain your answer.

There are two things which can bind a person to a certain organized religion religious coercion and the belief that the religion represents the truth. The inability of the Catholic religious authorities to enforce a standard version of Christianity allowed not only the creation of multiple splinter groups, it eventually lead to the recognition that everyone ought to be free to believe in religion as they liked or not believe in religion at all. Many people left religion altogether, taking advantage of this new opportunity. The recognition by a religious group that their teachings may not contain all the truth or that there may be other parts of the truth is likely to bring further depletion in the number of believers in organized religion.

What are the central beliefs of Islam, and how are they reflected in the Five Pillars (McInerney, 2003)

A belief in the existence of an Omniscient and Omnipotent God, who is the creator of all and the only entity worthy of worship is the primary belief in Islam. In addition Muslims believe that God periodically invested select humans with prophet-hood, and these prophets were responsible for teaching the message of monotheism to others. Muslims believe that idol worship and polytheism occurs when humans forget the message taught to them by God through the prophets and these occasions the creation of a new prophet. They believe that the Prophet Muhammad was the last in the line of prophets which includes among others, Noah, Moses and Jesus. Muslims also believe that those believe in the prophets sent by God and abide by their teachings will, in the afterlife, end up in heaven, a place of eternal delight, while those who reject the prophets will abide in hell forever. Those who believe in the prophets but mostly commit evil deeds will suffer penance in the hellfire before being sent to heaven (McInerney, 2005).

The five pillars of Islam are five compulsory ritual actions that define the religious life of a Muslim. The first of these the profession of faith or Shahadah saying which with conviction causes a non-Muslim to enter Islam. The second pillar is the performance of the five daily prayers following ritual ablutions. The third pillar is a yearly almsgiving called Zakat in which rich believers give at least 2.5 of their accumulated annual wealth to the poor. The fourth pillar is the performance of abstaining from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to sunset in the lunar month of Ramadan. The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Makkah, which all those who are able must perform once in their life time (McInerney, 2005).

These rituals are all considered methods of worship of God alone, therefore they reflect the belief in strict monotheism. They are performed according to the instructions received from the Prophet Muhammad therefore they reflect the belief in prophet hood. These rituals are done out of a fear of the punishment of hellfire and the desire for the reward of heaven, reflecting the belief in the afterlife.
Which of the Five Pillars do you feel would be easiest to fulfill, and which would be the most challenging (McInerney, 2003)

I feel that the easiest obligation to fulfill from the Five Pillars of Islam would be the yearly payment of alms. Even though 2.5 of yearly savings may add up to quite a large amount, the amount the government charges on a persons income is usually far more than this.

The most challenging ritual is the performance of prayer, at five times throughout the day because this requires a believer to maintain a certain discipline throughout their lives.

Irrespective of the faith they ascribe to, many people can rarely trace the genesis of their faith. Most Christians, for example, are born, baptized and raised in the teachings of Christianity, some faith whose origin and current spread can not be discussed without a mention of Emperor Constantine. The spread of Christianity, notably in the Roman Empire owes its spread to this Emperor, who during those volatile times when Christians were ruthlessly persecuted, promoted Christianity, got converted and was even baptized prior to his death on May 22, 337.

Constantine the Great, as he would later be referred to, won a battle against his enemy, a victory that acted as a turning point both to him as person and to Christianity at large. In the said battle, he saw a vision, a heavenly manifestation, and a brilliant light, which in a way described the cross or the monogram of Christ upon which he believed to have defeated the enemy. Forthwith, Christianity was to be tolerated in the Roman Empire and no more bloody prosecutions of Christians would be allowed.

Even after Christianity would be tolerated, other challenges still bedeviled this faith and its propagators. Such included the process of becoming a Christian which was often difficult, complex and lengthy, as one needed to go through various stages and even then, no guarantees were offered. However, the conversion and subsequent baptism of Emperor Constantine prior to his death gave this a new face, that becoming a Christian could be easy, fast and not necessarily accompanied by length catechumenism. In light of the above, this paper discusses in great depth Constantines The Greats   contribution and Impacts on the early church.

1.0 Introduction
The dominance of Christianity in the early centuries was given major impetus by Emperor Constantine the great. He officially permitted and promoted Christianity through out the Roman Empire. Consequently, all the emperors who followed Constantine I continued this legacy, as they were all Christians except one. Later on, the Odosius I came into power and demanded that all his subjects must be Christians. This gave the church that had previously been persecuted a chance to become worldly and an oppressing one. At the reign and Edict of Milan, the Roman Empire was at war with Persia. Rome therefore began to consider the Christians in the Persian Empire as potential threats and as a result, Persian Empire persecuted Christians under its rule. During this time, thousands of Christians were martyred. However, by the time he died, Constantine had raised Christianity from being a position of persecuted minority to the dominant power in religious life all over the Roman Empire.

2.0 Background
Constantine the great, Roman Emperor from 306 to 337 was born in 272, at a place known as Naissus in Upper Moesia. He was the eldest son of Constantius Chlorus and Helena.After his father was elevated to the dignity of a Caesar, Constantine is next found at the court of Diocletian and later in a battle with the Galerius on the Danube. After the resignation of his father, Constantius was made Augustus and the new emperor of the west asked Galerius, the eastern emperor at the time, to allow Constantine to return to his fathers court. This was granted and Constantine joined his father. Unfortunately, he only had time to distinguish himself in Britain before the father died in 305. Following the death of his father, Constantine was immediately proclaimed Caesar by his troops and this title was equally acknowledged by Galerius. This together with the proclamation of Maxentius, son to Maximian, as Caesar in October 306 was the first headway in Diocletians plan for four-headed empire.

In the battles between Maxentius on one side and the Emperors Severus and Galerius on the other side, Constantine remained silent in his provinces. The failure of the attempts by the two old Emperors, Diocletian and Maximian, to restore order in the empire, the promotion of Licinius to the position of Augustus, the assumption of the imperial title by Maximinus Daia as well as the claim by Maxentius as the sole emperor in 308 led to the proclamation of Constantine as Augustus. He had the most efficient army, something that Galerius, who was at the time in war with Maximinus also acknowledged. He however had not involved himself in any battles and was defending his own frontier against the Germans.

In 311, Galerius who was not only the eldest Augustus but also the most violent prosecutor of Christians died. Maxentius threw down Constantines statues and proclaimed him a tyrant, and this made war inevitable. With his army numbering between 25000 to 100000 men compared to Maxentius 190000 men, he did not hesitate to march into Italy.He stormed Susa and almost annihilated a very powerful army in Turin, while he continued his match to Verona where he met a hostile army which was under the prefect of Maxentius guard Ruricius and who shut himself up in the fortress. Constantine however managed to defeat Verona and it surrendered. Despite the overwhelming number of his enemies, he marched toward Rome. He had a vision that had assured him that he could conquer all with the sign of Christ and as such, all his warriors carried Christs monogram on their shields despite majority of them being pagans.

The two opposing forces met near the bridge called the Milvian Bridge, and here, the Maxentius troops suffered a humiliating defeat, with the tyrant himself getting killed at the spot. From this, the victor with gratitude to the God of Christians gave a proof, that the Christian worship was from then on to be tolerated throughout the Roman Empire. After the Milvian bridge victory, there were no more bloody executions while Constantine remained in Rome though only for a short time before departing for Milan at the end of 312.

In Milan, he met his colleague the Augustus Licinius and married off his sister to him. Through this, he was able to secure his protection for the Christians even to the East and even promised Licinius his support against Maximinus Daia. The last pagan and a cruel tyrant, Maximinus Daia, who had continued to persecute Christians even after the death of Galerius was therefore defeated by Licinius. By his order, Licinius soldiers had invoked the God of Christians while Maximinus implored the God of Christians but later died due to a painful disease in the autumn season that followed.

From the Diocletians tetrarchs, only Licinius was now alive. His treachery soon persuaded Constantine to wage war on Licinius. Consequently, a battle that was fought at Castra Jarba left the two parties in such a position that they thought it best to make peace. This peace lasted for ten years but around 322, Licinius openly professing paganism, started persecuting Christians while at the same time treating with contempt the undoubted rights and privileges of Constantine and the outbreak of war was certain.

The two opposing troops met at Adrianople on 3rd July, 324, and the well disciplined Constantines troops defeated and put to flight the less disciplined Licinius force. A fierce battle later ensued and on seeing defeat, Licinius with only 30000 men that had survived escaped to Nicomedia. He now saw that any further resistance was futile and therefore his noble hearted conqueror spared his life. The following year however, he tried to rekindle his treacherous practices which forced the Roman Senate to condemn him to death and which resulted to his execution.

From then on, Constantine became the sole master of the Roman Empire. After the defeat of Licinius, Constantine embarked on beatifying Constantinople with an aim of making it the capital of the empire. With his usual enthusiasm, he took every measure to expand and enlarge the city. For the next ten years, he embarked on promoting the moral, political and economic welfare of his property while making dispositions for the future leaders. Accordingly, he placed his two nephews, Dalmatius and Hannibalianus, to be leaders in the lesser provinces while his sons, Constantius, Constantine and Constans were to be the future rulers of the Empire. Later, the unfriendly movement of the Persian king, Shapur, challenged him, but before he could march against the enemy, he got sick and died in May 337, after his baptism though.

3.0 Recognition and Impact on the Early Church
From the foregoing, Constantine can rightfully claim the Great. He made history in the world and made Christianity, which prior to his rule had witnessed bloody persecution, the religion of the state. The deeper reasons given for this change can however be attributable to the religious movements that existed at the time, as Christians only formed a small portion of the entire population. They accounted for only a fifth of the population in the west, and half in the large section of the East. Constantines  decision depended less on the general situation and more on personal drive , and as such, his personality and contribution is a worth a consideration.

Prior to the reign of Constantine though, belief in many gods had been shaken in various solid ways such as the Diocletian, which only showed significance in superstition and magic. People were completely ready for monotheism or at least its modified form henotheism which took different forms such as the worship of the sun, Judaism or even Christianity. Those who did not wish to make a breakaway from the past and their surroundings often sought an ornamental form of worship, in whose consideration Christianity naturally came last.

Some of the noble minded people such as Emperor Alexander Severus recognized the truth contained in Judaism and Christianity but believed that they would appropriate it with no obligation to renounce the beauty of their worships. In fact, Leo the Great in his days says that it was a belief and custom for many Christians to stand on the steps of the church of St. Peter and pay homage to the sun through prayers.With this, it is therefore easy to understand why most emperors yielded to the delusion that they could unite the entire empire through the Mithras god, one sun-god who combined in him the father-God, of Christians and the other much worshiped gods. Even Constantine, at some point cherished this belief.

Constantine was raised under the influence of his fathers ideas. He was the son to Constantius Chlorus in his first informal marriage, otherwise called the concubinants. For a brief moment, he had been compelled to stay at the court of Galerius and where he had not received a good impression from the surrounding. In his life, he had witnessed various challenges bedeviling the Roman Empire. In all directions, new and vigorous, national forces had shown themselves and only two options were available, giving way to the various national movements or taking a firm stand on the foundation of the antiquity. Several emperors had tried this latter approach but in vain. It was just as impossible to bring men back to the old simplicity as to make them return to the old beliefs of paganism and conform to a national form of worship.

In choosing Christianity, Constantine was no doubt also influenced by forces of conscience. Such includes the impression made on every unprejudiced person, both Christians and the moral force of Christianity, as well as the knowledge that the emperors had concerning Christian military officers and other state officials. This is evidenced by the fact that before Constantine advanced against his enemy Maxentius, he is said to have summoned the haruspices according to the customs, and who had prophesied disaster. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, when other gods could not yield, one god urged him on, as he had close contact with the divinity itself. Constantine is said to have seen in a vision, a heavenly manifestation, and a brilliant light, which in a way described the cross or the monogram of Christ. Encouraged by this vision, he had advanced into the battle and defeated the enemy.

It was as a result of the win that he saw a complete importance of the vision. On reflecting further, it was clear that the cross in the vision had the inscription, HOC VINCES which means In this sign wilt thou conquer. As soon as this victory came forth, Constantine had tolerated the Christians and which had been followed by a further favor with respect to the Christians in the following year, 313. He and Licinius at Milan had issued the famous joint edict of tolerance. Through this edict they therefore had decide to give Christians and all others freedom as regarded religion.

A close examination of the wording of the edict reveals that indeed it contained a lot more than just a belief. It is in regard to the same that Galerius had given a voice, that the persecution of the Christians was useless. The edict therefore granted the Christians the freedom to worship while at the same time not affronting the pagans. For some time, the Constantines approach appeared just like mere tolerance and equality between the Christians and the pagans equally seemed to prevail. He watched over the heathens worship and even protected its rights as well. However, he suppressed divination and magic, something that even the pagan emperors had sought to do. As a result, in 320, he put in place laws that would govern diviners 11.

The laws demanded that any person who either by entreaty or promise of payment encouraged a diviner to practice heathen ways, such a person would have all his property confiscated and himself burnt to death. In addition, informers were to be rewarded. Any person who desired to practice any heathen ways was required to so openly but had to go to the public alters and other sacred places and there, he had to observe the traditional ways of worship. According to the Article by Kevin Knight, the Emperor said that observing the old usage in the light of the day was not forbidden.. In the same way, he directed that if a lightning struck a palace or a public premise, the haruspices were, according to the ancient traditions, to seek out what such an action signified, the interpretation recorded down and then reported to the emperor. Private Individual were also permitted to make use of the old customs but had to abstain from any forbidden sacrifices.

In 330 during the dedication of Constantinople, a ceremony half pagan and half Christian was used. A chariot of the sun-god was set up at the market place with the cross of Christ placed over it. Before his death, Constantine confirmed the privileges of priests but above all, he commanded the non believer troops to make use of a prayer in which any believer could join, and which went as follows,

We acknowledge thee alone as god and king, we call upon thee as our helper. From thee have we received the victory, by thee have we overcome the foe. To thee we owe that good which we have received up to now, from thee do we hope for it in the future. To thee we offer our entreaties and implore thee that thou wilt preserve to us our emperor Constantine and his god-fearing sons for many years uninjured and victorious. 

The emperor further went ahead and withdrew his statues from the temples used by the pagans and he equally forbid all forms of offensive worship.

 From the foregoing, the persecution had made Christians realize that in order to defend religion, one had to be willing to die and not to kill. In this light, Christians had become the defenders of freedom for all. Constantine, whether knowingly or otherwise had continued to accord the church one privilege after another. By 313, the church obtained foredoom from taxation, compulsory services and other obligatory state offices such as curial dignity which was often a big burden.  The church could also inherit property, and Constantine had placed Sunday under State protection. Consequently, on this day, even the pagans were obliged to go out to the open, raise their hands and recite the prayer stated above as a state requirement. Constantine granted all those privileges to the church on the basis that it took care of the poor and was active in benevolence.

Later, a law of 318 denied the competence of civil courts if in a suit an appeal was made to a court of Christian Bishop. This law stated that even if a hearing had began in civil courts, transferring the same to a bishops court was permissible and the bishops ruling would still be binding. Further, a law of 333 required that all state officials enforce the decisions of bishops. In a court of law, a bishops testimony was to be considered sufficient and further witnesses would not be summoned by judges once a bishop had testified. The effects of these concessions were wide reaching such that even the church felt a great increase in its jurisdiction.

In further efforts to promote Christianity, Constantine further did much for children, slaves and women whom the Roman law had earlier despised and treated harshly. Some of the emperors who were ahead of Constantine had put in place laws that forbid the exposure of children but to no success. Exposed children or foundlings were adopted as they could benefit the founder in various ways. Christians had particularly gotten possession of such foundlings and as such, Constantine did not prohibit exposure. He however commanded that foundlings should belong to the finder and the parents to such children were not allowed to claim them. Those who obtained such children could sell or enslave them, as they had property rights in them. This was later prohibited by laws although the bigger burden of protecting such children fell on the church.

Further, in harmony with the church doctrines, Constantine rendered divorce more difficult. He made no changes when request for divorce came from both parties but in the case of such a request coming from one party, severe condition were imposed. According to Constantines laws, a man was allowed to divorce his wife on basis of adultery, poisoning or pandering and in such cases, he was allowed to retain his dowry. However if he discarded his wife for any other reason, he was required to return the dowry and was not allowed to remarry again. If he did, the divorced wife was free to enter such a mans house and take away all the property brought by the new wife. All these laws, the church did not hold any in disfavor.

Concerning slaves and slavery, Constantine promoted the position held by the church. Neither the Christians nor the pagan emperors permitted slaves to seek freedom without regard to the law. The Christian rulers sought to ameliorate slavery by reduction of corporal punishment. Masters were only allowed to use rods or at worst send a slave to prison. Worse still, the owner was not liable even if the slave died under such circumstances. However, in case death resulted out of use of such items as clubs, stones or other weapon of torture, the master responsible was to be treated as a murderer. In the support of this law which was strongly advocated for by the church, Constantine was equally obliged to follow the same when he wanted to get rid of Licinianus. On the same, criminals were no longer to be branded on the face but only on the feet. The face of a human being was perceived to have been fashioned in the likeness of God.

Constantine has often been branded by extremists and pagans as the emperor who used religion only to advance his political goals. He has also been regarded as the enlightened despot who made use of Christianity merely to advance his policies. However, he certainly cannot be acquitted of grasping any ambition. In situations where the policy of the state required firmness, firm and cruel described him perfectly. Even after he had been converted, he still was party to the execution of his brother-in-law Licinius as well as the death of the latters son. In the same way, he was responsible for the death of his own son with his first wife and that of the wife herself who was called Fausta. Constantine had differed with Licinius over religious policies and in 323, and had defeated him in a battle. Licinius surrendered and had been promised personal safety but half a year down the line, Constantines conversion not withstanding, he ordered that Licinius be killed.

Licinianus, the son to Licinius and Crispus, Constantines own son were both Caesars during the joint reign of their fathers. Crispus was executed on the charges of immorality that were made against him by his fathers second wife Fausta. However, Constantine later learnt from his mother that the allegations were untrue and as the state as well Christian rules required, Fausta was suffocated in a superheated bath. Licinianus, on the other hand, was not a son to her sister but to a slave-woman and as such was treated as a slave. At such points, one can not fail to question whether Constantine was surely in support of Christianity but as usual, human nature is full of contradictions.

In light of all the above, Constantine had promoted and impacted on the growth of the early in a big way. He was liberal to prodigality and even preached to those around him. That he was greatly endowed with a religious sense is no doubt. According to article Constantine the great by Kevin Knight, Constantine had a chapel in his palace where he was fond of retiring and reading the bible. The article further states that at fixed hour, he would shut himself up in the most secluded part of the palace as if to assist in the sacred mysteries.. Despite being a ruler, he obeyed all the precepts of Christianity, more so observing the virtues of chastity and morality. He also respected the principle of celibacy, and elevated Christianity by punishing with great severity offences against Christianity.
The emperor preferred the company of bishops as opposed to that of pagan priests. He frequently invited bishops to the court, invited them frequently to his table and gave the church the use of imperial postal service.  Constantine always referred to church bishops as brothers and when they suffered for the sake of religion, he kissed their scars. As he approached his death, he received baptism declaring to the bishops who had assembled during his baptism that he had always desired to receive the saving seal of the Jordan. Among his sons, the eldest, Constantine II showed decided support for paganism but the second and the favorite son was a pronounced Christian, closed all the temples and forbade all sacrifices under pain of death.

For the first two decades of Constantines reign, he offered the world a new possibility, the possibility of easily becoming a Christian without being baptized or even catechized. For him, it was not until he was on his death bed that he received baptism as indicated earlier. And even then, it was because he knew he was almost at his death point. This was one of the greatest contributions that he made to Christianity. Prior to his reign, becoming a fully fledged Christian was not only along but also a strenuous process. The converted needed to truly devote their life, and change everything including their beliefs, behavior and lifestyle. The process of becoming a Christian was broken into four stages, notably conversion, catechumenate, belief on individuals and finally mystogogy.

In the first stage of conversion, the candidate would first meet with the Christians and decide that he would want to become one himself. He needed to apply to the church in order to be considered while the church gave instructions on the way forward. The church would then examine the candidates life style and life choices before giving a go ahead to the second stage. In case the candidate met the required threshold, he would then proceed to stage two, the catechumenate. However, one needed to make drastic changes in life as a great difference between a normal and Christian life was evident. As an example, if the candidate was a military soldier, he would need to promise never to kill, or else he risked being rejected into the Christian life.

At the catechumenate stage, the church put in effort to change the candidates life style and behavior. The stage often involved several meetings with the church officials on several days of the week to receive the instructions on the process of conversion. What is interesting is that depending on the candidate, this stage could last for even five years. According to Ian Mugfords article on the Constantines impact on Christianity, regarding the time it took in the catechumenate stage, he states, that if a man is keen and perseveres well in the matter, then the time shall not be judged but only his conduct.

The third stage, enlightment stage as its name would suggest, focused on the belief of an individual. Throughout this stage, he would receive orthodox teachings, alongside being exorcised to make sure that he was pure. Having gone through the orthodox teachings, he would then be baptized, which was equally an elaborate and a ritualistic process in itself. Finally, he would move to the mystagogy which was the final stage. This involved the catechists explaining to the newly converted Christians the meaning of baptism and the ritual rites that they had just gone through. This was usually done on the week that seceded Easter.

It is beyond any reasonable doubt that by the time of Constantines death, Christianity had acquired a new look altogether. Prior to his reign, the imperial government was in the efforts of getting g rid of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire which was mainly through persecutions. Even after his death, Constantine would have been against the decisions by his successors. One can however be forgiven for attributing their decisions to his life, his edicts or even his conversion. All these had ensured that by the time Constantine died in 337, Christians had assumed all imperial ranks, dress and duties as well as responsibilities of the social elite. Additionally, every successive emperor, say for a very brief period of 360s, was in one form or the other a Christian.

Were it not for Constantine, Christianity in the Roman Empire, and probably in the rest of the world would have been what it is. Had Constantine not devoted his life to Christianity, the conversion process would have remained complex while his successors, in all likelihood, would have forced paganism upon the entire Roman Empire. It is after Christianity had been well established in the Roan Empire that it spread to the rest of the world. Without Constantine, it is possible that Christianity would not be what is today, accepted and the most widely practiced religion of today.

4.0 Conclusion 
A critical evaluation of the mileage covered in the spread of Christianity reveals that its growth to be the most widely spread and practiced religion in the world  has not been a smooth flow situation, but one marked by ups and downs.  The early Christians went through torture and had to endure a lot for Christianity to be what it is today, while some even lost their lives through persecution from non believers. Such was the case in the Roman Empire where early Christians are known to have suffered persecutions at least up to the reign of Emperor Constantine whose contribution to Christianity was enormous as illustrated from the fore going.

His success over Licinius who was his co-emperor in the west, and which he attributed to a supreme power inclined to Christianity gave this religion and its faith a strong footing. Further, his conversion, baptism and all privileges helped Christianity in many ways, and therefore leave no doubt that he had every interest of Christianity at heart. As far as the genesis of early Christianity and its history are concerned, this Emperor truly deserved the title The Great.

Sikhwithin Episode 55 is a compilation of Episodes 45-54, which gives listeners a glimpse over the previous programs. Episode 55 opens up with a heart-warming music. The host, Dr. Savi, welcomes his guest, the singer Sat Kirin Kaur, and they talk about Kaurs songs. According to the singer, her compositions are easy to follow and uplifting. Kaur is having a music tour around Europe in summer. The program goes on with an account of a surviving witness of the Sikh Holocaust that happened in 1984 where  were thousands of Sikhs were brutally killed following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The pain in the witness voice is clear as he narrates what happened during that dark hour.  Most parts of the program actually are recollection of the brutal event in 1984 and other Holocausts world-wide, including the 911 terrorist attack in America. Sikhism condemns people who commit murderous acts as not human and likens them to Hitler. The religious group also shows genuine compassion and sympathy to all the victims of Holocausts. There is also a mention of Michael Jackson and his desire to unite the world. The program closes with a music that has an English title of Peace Has Begun.

Overall, Episode 55 is not boring to listen to because of the confessions of witnesses of tragedies and Sikh believers. They all have their own story to tell, which make the show interesting.  The music between the episodes also helps to break the monotony. Although I do not understand the lyrics, I find the songs soothing and melodious. But above all, I begin to understand Sikhism through this program. Sikhism is not about wearing long beard (for men), long hair, a robe and a turban it is about, among others, living with a disciplined lifestyle and conforming to morality. It is about showing selfless compassion and rendering genuine service to other people. This is Sikhism.

Apostle Paul had wide-ranging knowledge of the Old Testament, as he was a devout Jew originally but then had a meet with the risen Christ while travelling on the road towards Damascus and embraced Christianity.  He acquired philosophical understanding of the teachings of Christs New Testament. Despite an ongoing debate, Paul is credited with having written 14 Epistles during his lifetime.  These epistles make up approximately 38 of the New Testament (Blank, 2002).
   
After a revelation from the Holy Spirit the elders of the church at Antioch sent Barnabas and Saul (also known as Paul) for missionary work.  They set out from the port Seleucua Pieria, along with a third member John Mark for Barnabas home on the island of Cyprus.  From this point onwards Saul starter using his Roman name Paul, and took over as leader of the mission. A Roman Proconsul Sergius Paulus accepted teachings of Christ, and the apostles continued their journey northward and landed at Perga.  At this point John Mark separated from the party, while Paul and Barnabas continued on to Pisidian Antioch (Acts 131314). The first sermon was preached here in a synagogue, but their stay here was cut short as opposition from the Jews grew against them. This pattern of being accepted initially then being forced to move on in face of opposition was the standard pattern they faced throughout their journey.  From  Pisidian they continued on to Iconium, where they found many believers, and then on to Lystra. Paul nearly died here but recovered miraculously. Finally they went to Derbe, and again Paul and Barnabas found many believers.  After this they returned to Anatolia. The first journey took place at around the years 47-48 AD.  The trip was successful and the church was encouraged by the response of the Gentiles. (Niswonger, 1992)
   
In late 49 A.D. the Church at Antioch send Paul as the leader of the second missionary journey. This time he was accompanied by Silas, Timothy, a laborer who becomes Pauls closest friend, and Luke, the physician. On this trip they revisited the churches Paul had set up on the first trip and went further westward into Turkey and on to Europe.  In summer of 50 A.D. Paul has a vision from God assuring him that he will be protected and his message will bear fruit, after which Paul stayed in the city for a year and a half. Here he wrote his first two epistles, the 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.  (Timeline of Pauls Life  Missionary Journeys First Missionary Journey to Pauls Death)
   
Paul went on his third journey to reinforce the churches already established and eventually arrived in the city of Ephesus, where he stayed for a little over three years. During his journey to Corinth Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, 2Corinthians and book of Romans between 56 A.D and 57 A.D. The letters could be taken as the most important work Saint Paul did during his time in Ephesus.
   
After his departure form Ephesus, Paul travelled through Macedonia and on to Achaia in southern Greece, where he stayed 3 months. Two important letters were written at this time. First letter came after Paul received report about Judaizers being active in many Galatian churches and wrote Galatians and second was a letter to the church at Rome in which he told them to prepare the Roman Christians for his arrival. These were the last of the letters while on the journeys to spread and strengthen the word of Christ. (McGee, 1998)
   
Saint Paul continued his missionary work of strengthening and spreading the word of Christ  travelling as far as Spain and the northeastern Mediterranean basin. The remaining eight epistles came during this time.