Sarah ChalfieToday we looked at the spreading of the three universal religions: Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. We focused on the four different ways that they spread throughout the old world, through trade, missionaries, war, and support from elites/rulers. Each religion did better with certain forms of expansion than others. We also looked at the trickle down effect that was occurring in societies that these religions from the rulers to the rest of society, and how it was advantageous for societies to embrace these new religions. We also discussed what role monasticism played in society, as a result of these new faiths. Monasticism was more a feature of Christianity and Buddhism that Islam, an in those societies they functioned as educational centers with the ability to provide for the local people. Lastly, we looked at the impact that these religions had on the societies they penetrated, and how generally, the traditional religions of these regions were swallowed up by these universal ones.
