Erica Heetderks

History 134
August 11, 2016
Connecting History
I am who I am because of history. After studying many ancient cultures, it is clear that
our ancient ancestors have shaped my life in more ways than imaginable. After examining
various civilizations, it is clear that religion is one of the greatest aspects that has helped
influence our ancestors capacity to act responsibly and determine their roles or abilities to
contribute to society.
One of the greatest examples of religion influencing our ancestors capacity to act
responsibly for the betterment of society is with Buddha, otherwise known as Siddhartha
Gautama, and his religion called Buddhism. Buddhism helps explain decay, sickness, and death.
Buddha finds enlightenment and starts to explain the meaning of life to people. He tells people to
follow the eightfold path which includes: right view, right intention, right speech, right action,
right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. (Crashcourse Buddha)
Together, Buddhism from the eightfold path helped our ancestors act responsibly because they
had good morals. They also did their best to achieve nirvana and therefore gave them a specific
role in society which promoted doing good. As Hodges mentions in his essay, John Jay asserts
that history (specifically that of Great Britain) gives us many useful lessons. We may profit by
their experience, without paying the price which it cost them (Federalist #5, 16) (8). This is
exactly what Buddha has done for us. We profit from studying his teachings that he learned in
starvation and through seeing hardship. It benefits us to study history because we learn great
religious teachings that promote good morals and give meaning to life without having to figure it
all out for ourselves that hard way like Buddha did.

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Another example of religion creating more responsibility and bettering society is with
Jesus and Christianity. Jesus taught radical concepts to the Romans. He upheld the poor and the
meek and challenged the authorities. This created a huge movement that is still growing today.
(Crashcourse Christianity from Judaism) Jesus bettered society by taking the norms of the day
and challenging them- making the Romans think. He promoted love and peace and gave good
moral commandments to his followers. (Crashcourse Christianity from Judaism) Studying
Christianity is especially important because it helps us understand the country we live in and the
world around us. Even just recently there was an election for a new pope, and without knowing
about who Jesus was then it would be impossible to understand the election and why it is so
important. One article states another important reason to study history and Christianity, Using
Benedict's own veneration of a 13th-century pope, Celestine V, who also retired because of age,
historians have initiated a discussion of papal history to explore the context of this nearly
unprecedented abdication (Perry). Here is was important to know about the history of the
Christian Church because it helped understand how this specific election was going to go.
The last example of a religion influencing our ancestors and benefitting society was with
Muhammad and Islam. Arabia was divided in to different tribes and, Each tribe had its own
gods, generally symbolized by sacred stones, which served as altars where communal sacrifices
were offered (Stearns). Yet, when Islam rose up as a religion Arabia was, United by their faith
in God and a commitment to political consolidation, the merchant elite of Arabia succeeded in
consolidating their power throughout the Arabian Peninsula and began to launch some
exploratory offensives north toward Syria (The Spread of Islam). Arabia went from an empire
of separate tribes to a nations unified under a single religion. Islam created unity and allowed to
empire to gain military strength. After hearing about an ice storm in Michigan masters brought

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up the comparison to our ice-age ancestors and how through this storm it is like, We'll return to
a society built upon hunting and gathering (Masters). After studying the rise of Islam, I feel
better prepared to be able to live in an ancient society because I know that if there is a united
religion or morals then there will be unity. With unity, a society has a better chance at thriving
and dominating others around to rise just like the Muslims.
I, as an historian of the ancient world, can learn and apply from the history of my ancient
ancestors to my own role in contributing to and acting responsibly for the betterment of society. I
can do this through applying the aspect of religion in my life. Religion helps me act more
responsibly because it gives me a purpose in my every day life. As a Christian, my job is to share
Gods love and the gospel. It also gives me good morals, helps me obey the laws, and helps me
be the best citizen I can be. As a Christian, I also act more responsibly because I understand the
world around me better by understand much of the Christian Churchs history. This way I
understand the fight between Muslims and Christians and many other things that come up in
every day life. Even knowing the history of Jesus helps me understand the Creation and
Evolution debate better- it makes me more aware therefore, I am better capable of acting
responsibly.

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Works Cited

Crashcourse. "Buddha and Ashoka: Crash Course World History #6." YouTube. YouTube, 2012.
Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Crashcourse. "Christianity from Judaism to Constantine: Crash Course World History #11."
YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Hodges, Blair Dee. On the Rhetorical Use of History to Understand the Present. Hodges- Final
Essay, On Rhetorical Uses of History to Understand the Present. N.p., 7 May 2012. Web.
12 Aug. 2016.
Masters, Ryan. "Ocelot Scholars." Ice Age Education Discussion. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Perry, David M. "How History Can Help Us Predict the Next Pope." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media
Company, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Stearns, Peter N. "Islam Arabia Before The Prophet." Islam Arabia Before The Prophet. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
"The Spread Of Islam." Islam, The Spread Of Islam. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.