Jesus In America's Influence On Religion

Individuals often credit personal morals and standings to various philosophies adopted throughout the ages. However, the impact of surroundings and history can be overlooked. The path functions- rather than the state--shape present modes of thought, including extremely personal values like politics and religion. What one chooses to believe is severely influenced by location and history. For example, the trend of Islam in middle-eastern regions versus Christianity predominantly found in western culture. Even within Christianity, many denominations split from each other. For instance, when Protestantism split from the Roman Catholic Church. This division arose from social traditions that became part of history, which led to present variations
Therefore, as Jesus is the main figurehead in Christianity, protestants and Catholics have different views on his role; these perspectives stem from events in history, which shaped present formation of congregations, and thus guides modern behavior in the quest to answer: what would Jesus do?
The modern portrayals of Jesus in the protestant and catholic denominations can be traced back to the historic split of the two religions. More specifically, the individual with perhaps the most significant part of this divergence was martin Luther. After posting his 95 Theses on October 31st, 1517, a spiral of events followed. One may even argue his public publishing of arguments led to the settling of America: while most seeking the New World at Jamestown did so in a financial gamble for economic gain, most landing in Plymouth immigrated for religious liberation from the chains of the Catholic Church. (source) While Luther intended for reformation of the Catholic church, complete split from the community was never intended. His frustration with current doctrine stemmed from indulgences: ways for one to lessen the punishment from God for
These include differing mindsets toward political parties, war, and ethics. For instance, the philosophy behind the American Dream was stoked by the Protestant work ethic, or the early belief that following Jesus’s teachings would sway one’s fate after death. Protestants have accumulated a reputation for “work ethic, moral rigor, and social solidarity” (source). This influence, in turn affects other day to day activities. For example, parties. Catholics are usually more prone to larger and more frequent parties, out of the shared strong bond derived from the traditions associated with the faith. Additionally, parties associated with Catholicism tend to be more conservative whereas protestant parties tend to lean towards more secular positions. (source). Political views also then have a domino effect on larger world issues including the decisions regarding war. For instance, when concerning the more recent war in Iraq, both Catholic and Protestant denominations initially denounced the violence as unjustified. Once war was initiated though, the Catholic church tried to support American efforts, even instructing some priests to avoid the topic in sermons. (source). Therefore, different approaches of interpreting the teachings of Jesus result in slightly varied day to day philosophies and