The Difference Between Religion Then and Now

Everyone knows that the Medieval Era (in this case, it shall be noted as the time between the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453) was a time of religious furor, intolerance, bigotry and fierce battle lines. This was not a simple difference of opinion between Christian and non-Christian, but a constant battle between Christians themselves (between Catholic and Orthodox, Conventional and Unconventional, Papacy and Gnostics). There also was constant quarreling with Jews, Muslims, Pagans - who in turn would usually fall on themselves as the then-dominant Shi'ites battled to maintain control of their empires over the fast-rising and fiercely fundamentalist Sunnis, who themselves were besieged by the Pagan Mongols and battled the Orthodox Greeks.

Religion was everywhere - and a casual observer might ask themselves "Why didn't they just put aside their religious differences and try to get along?" It would seem perplexing, with today's standards of living and tolerance to begin to fathom what it was like to live in an era where a difference of opinion in certain points of history - truthfully not all - would result in intense friction, sometimes even death.

The biggest difference one would need to point out is that religion is considered today to be little more than someone's personal, spiritual beliefs - nothing is gained or granted in the West from being one religion or another. Christians simply maintain their own faith and congregate together, Jews go to their temples, Muslims pray in their mosques, but there's no political acceptance or endorsement for any of these religions, they are very inward in Western society rather than outward. Naturally some, one could argue most, religions attempt to proselytize their faith, but this would appear to be the extent of modern religious expansionism in the West.

The Medieval world did not look upon religion on such a personal level.

Rather than conform to current standards of religious belief, or even thought processes as made famous by Ridley Scott in his box office dud Kingdom of Heaven, servitude towards God was likewise not the driving force of these Medieval forces. Rather, it was something of a sense of belonging. In order to understand this rapidly different interpretation of personal spirituality, one needs to consider the time period and recent history up to this point.

Between the years of 218 B.C. and 476 A.D. the world had been more or less dominated by a sole superpower. This superpower had taken onto itself the responsibility for safeguarding its citizens, from both the natural ailments of life and invaders. With the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the world itself was plunged into darkness, local duxes (dukes) became the regional powers as there was no central authority with which they were forced to report any more. Indeed with their own personal legions behind them, with Rome gone the world was up for grabs.

A giant question mark loomed over the whole of western Europe - the Greeks were relatively unaffected, the transition of power having no real impact on them as they had set themselves up as a fully autonomous sect of the Roman Empire years before. People cared less about who would fill the power vacuum as much as when. Medicine and treatment were no longer available, there was no law of the land to keep the lords in check, roads began to erode as each dux felt themselves only responsible for their own fief.

What could be the unifying force in these times when food was as sparse as hope?

Religion.

Religion did not serve as a personal, spiritual beacon, but something of a guild, a union, or a society of which everyone could lean on one another for support. This of course was the thought process and did not always come about in practice, but at its barest one could trust that as long as religion held, the fabric of society did likewise.

Lords were expected to pay their tribute to the Church, were expected to behave as the Papacy demanded, and while the Holy See did not have strict commands for these feudal lords they represented some kind of show or attempt at order. This was a rapid departure from the chaos that had enveloped the world before. This made the Pope less a simple figure of Christ interpreting adviser, and more the person who was responsible for maintaining the societal cohesiveness of the world.

Naturally there was an inherent fear of the consequence of one's souls and sins - death was a very real and common thing, it could come at any moment, and if you could be assured an ease in the next life it certainly made the plow worth tending for another day. But consider that until the 16th century, most persons had no idea what the Scripture actually said - the Bible had been denied to the common man and even most priests.

But more importantly what religion offered was the sense of societal security. The Church defended you, kept things in order - and therefore when a Pagan, a Heretic, a Blasphemer arose, it was not as much for the glory of God that this person was put down but because of the singular fear that this person represented a tear in that fabric. A cog in the machine was out of place - and when the cogs break down, the machine breaks down.

Religion in Medieval Europe did not just serve as the individual's pathway to a comfortable afterlife, but it was the organization that they had ascribed to in a time of darkness and chaos - the world is better to have abandoned such thoughts, as it did when it was capable of breaking away from the Church, but it is fundamentally important to understand that the religions of the time were not just spiritual guides to be carried out in the house, but was your "club", your proverbial street gang, and they protected you from the other street gangs.