Division Between Citizens in Ancient Rome and Modern America

Today, Americans are constantly posed with the question: whose side are you on? The growth of tribalism, or the behaviors and loyalties that stem from one’s social group, is on the constant rise in America. Political ideology is one of the many ways that people show their support for their beliefs and ideas. This loyalty creates division between the American people, and is one of the biggest conflicts that we face in America today. Similarly, the Ancient Roman Empire under Constantine faced a similar division between their people- either to convert to Christianity or to continue worshiping their own pagan gods. Christianity was eventually adopted as the official religion under Theodosius which united the entire Roman Empire under one religion. Before Christianity was united, the citizens were conflicted between keeping their pagan traditions and converting to Christianity. Religion and political parties are some of the ways that people feel that they belong to something bigger than themselves. Although we are unsure how the continuing conflict of tribalism in America will end, a similar conflict occurred in the Ancient Roman Empire that eventually led to its fall.

The beginnings of political tribalism in America started over 20 years ago over the Democratic and Republicans stances on issues such as taxes and military spending (Kornacki). Many political issues today are black and white. Meaning, if one political party supports one idea, the other political party supports the opposite of that idea. This can be seen in issues such as abortion, marijuana legalization, and healthcare. The truth is that these issues can have a lot more different opinions, which is one of the many reasons that makes living in a two-party system difficult. Because of these polarized opinions, legislation is becoming difficult to pass through congress. A great example of this is when earlier this year, congress had difficulty passing a budget. The result was that much of the government was shut down, including civilian teachers at the Naval Academy. It is human nature to belong to a group that shares their opinion. The Economist stated last May that, “The problem (in America) is structural: the root of tribalism is human nature, and the current state of American democracy is distinctly primeval. People have an urge to belong to exclusive groups and to affirm their membership by beating other groups” (Savage). Through polarization of ideas, a large amount of people can feel like their ideas relate to a political party.

Before the rise of Christianity in Rome, the Roman Empire demanded that people’s loyalty was to the state alone. The Roman people were expected to practice the state polytheistic pagan religion with many state-sponsored festivals throughout the year. Christians were not able to participate in these festivals because they were only interested in worshiping one god. The lack of participation by the Christians at these festivals added to the segregation of faiths in the Roman culture, and eventually led to the fear and misunderstanding of Christianity itself. Also, many Christians were forced to worship in solitude during the night because it was outlawed by the Roman state. Many people feared Christianity because it seemed very mysterious to them and they did not understand it. Much later during the early rule of Theodosius in Ancient Rome, he banned pagan sacrifice. Shortly after, many pagan statues were destroyed and replaced with Christian churches. In 391, Theodosius made a decree to punish any one accused of witchcraft. Pagan members of the Senate in Rome pleaded that Theodosius would allow pagan worship again, however this was not successful. The conflict between Christians and Pagans created a division in the Roman people. Religion in Rome was one of the reasons why the Empire eventually fell.

WC: 617

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/11/14/tribalism-doesnt-explain-our-political-conflicts/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.dbcf91133ac5

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/books/review/steve-kornacki-the-red-and-the-blue.html

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_I#Support_for_Christianity

Cracraft, Benjamin Blog #3.

Can Two Major Religions Coexist?

Christianity and Islam have many similarities rooted in the foundation of their beliefs. Both religions today are widely practiced all across the world by many cultures, with over 3.7 billion combined followers. Both of these regions hold many of the same ideologies, but continue to coexist to this day. Christianity and Islam are monotheistic-meaning they believe in one god, although they differ in the way that they worship and interpret their god’s teachings. Although Islam and Christianity have many similarities, they are not mutually exclusive because each religion interprets their god’s teachings in a unique way.

One similarity between Islam and Christianity that surprises me is that both religions are divided into groups. Islam has two main groups: the Sunni and Shia. This division originally occurred regarding a dispute as to who is the legitimate successor of the prophet Mohammed. This division can still be seen to this day, with many countries being predominately one faction or the other. Similarly, in Christianity we see divisions in three main groups: Orthodox, Protestant, and Roman Catholic. This groups also have unique traditions, believes, and practices. Christianity groups also tend to occupy the same geographic areas.

Another similarity between Islam and Christianity is how they both worship from holy texts. The Bible, which Christians worship from, are stories that were written by authors who were inspired by god in their writings. Many of the stories in the Bible are about God’s only son- Jesus Christ. The Bible is seen to Christians as the word of God. Similarly, the Quran is seen by Islamic people as the word of Allah given to mankind through the prophet Mohammed.

Furthermore, both religions have many important rituals that help people practice the teachings of their religion in their everyday life. Christians practice rituals such as baptism, prayer, communion, marriage, and conformation to express and reaffirm their beliefs in their everyday life. I was also surprised to learn that Islam also practices similar rituals. Islamic people practice the five pillars of Islam which include, a conformation of their faith, prayer five times a day, giving to charity, fasting, and a pilgrimage to Mecca. These customs and traditions that people practice define these two religions to this day.

These similarities however do not mean that the religions are mutually exclusive. Both Islam and Christianity can coexist as long as each religion respects each other’s customs and traditions. Also, neither one religion delegitimizes the other. Both religions have separate thoughts and ideas that developed through the cultures that they developed in. Cultures differ no matter where you are in the world. To say that your religion is better than someone else’s religion would also discredit and disrespect their culture. Both religions can be practiced differently similarly to how cultures around the world behave differently. We should appreciate each other’s regions and take into account the many similarities that Christianity and Islam have to help understand them better.

WC: 487

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tViPIynK3_bqu_Rzf_DD1kP4Sagpe3EV

The Roman Empire: Similarities between the United States and “Star Wars”

Star Wars is one of the most well-known franchises of the 21^st century. Many origins of its plot line and antagonists relate back to the politics the Ancient Roman Empire. Ancient Rome and the fictional Star Wars franchise have many similarities that both involve corruption in their governments, military expansion, public entertainment, and the selfish intent of their leaders. Many people postulate that the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, was inspired to base the politics of the movies on the Roman Empire. In fact, before the Star Wars and Roman Empires, both were previously republics. Although Star Wars is a fictional story, the Roman Empire, Star Wars and the United States have very striking similarities that any Star Wars geek or history buff can appreciate.

Both Empires had very selfish monarchs who did whatever they needed to do to gain power. The Sith Lord (leader of the Star Wars Empire) and Caesar both had an immense desire to conquer and expand their rule. Ancient Rome was ruled by Emperor Julius Caesar, and Star Wars Empire was ruled by Senator Papaltine. Both of these emperors faced a similar fate when they were both betrayed by someone that they trusted. Brutus assassinated Caesar after he feared that the Emperor’s power was growing too dictator-like and strong. Similarly, Darth Vader threw the Sith Lord (previously Senator Palpatine) into a pit- ultimately ending his rule.

Additionally, public entertainment that was provided by the empires is similar to both empires. The Roman Empire held chariot racing in a large circular arena. An enormous structure was built, which half a mile on each side, where spectators would watch the racers circle around the arena. The races were very popular among the citizens. Often, there were clashes and between different chariots in the arena as a method of gaining the upper-hand against your opponent. Similarly, in first Star Wars movie “The Phantom Menace”, young Anakin races a pod around a circular track in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators. The excitement from the chariot races in both movies is a way for the Empire to sponsor entertainment for its citizens.

The American Government also has many similarities to the Roman Empire because it was partially based off the Roman structure of government. One of the largest similarities is a legislative branch of the government (i.e. the Senate), that makes the laws and both the Roman Empire and the United States Government. In order to have a set of checks and balances between both branches, the head of each government can be removed by the legislators. Furthermore, in both governments the head executive leader is also the leader of the military. Also, Caesar and the President of the United States can veto any laws that are passed by the legislators.

The Roman Empire has interesting similarities between the United States and the fictional story “Star Wars”. Both the United States Government and the Star Wars Empire were inspired by Rome’s structure of government and took several of its features. Many scenes in Start Wars are strikingly similar to how the Roman Empire operated. The United States used many of the Roman Empire’s government framework in its creation. Perhaps the Star Wars galaxy is not so “far-far away” after all.

WC: 543

https://blogs.transparent.com/latin/star-wars-ancient-rome/

https://www.history.com/news/the-real-history-that-inspired-star-wars

http://romangov.weebly.com/rome-vs-us.html

Ancient Roman Tolerance in the Wake of Christianity

Christianity in Rome before the third century CE was outlawed and many believed that its ideas threatened the empire as a whole. Through the teachings of Jesus, Christianity taught many people new ideas and how to properly live their lives, promising salvation after death to those who devoted their life to only god. Christianity began to spread into Rome when decades after Jesus’ death, the Apostle Paul wrote much of the New Testament in the Bible. Paul was a Roman citizen and sent many of his teachings in the Bible to communities throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity eventually spread throughout the entire empire and became Rome’s official religion under Constantine the Great.

Persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire happened between 64 CE and 313 CE. The Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE is often seen as the beginning of this persecution. The Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the fire which is completely absurd. In fact, Nero is rumored to have started this fire himself- which gave him the ability to punish the Christians. However, before Christianity, the practice of worshiping a monotheistic god was unheard of at the time. Many people feared this new religion because they did not understand it. The most common Roman religion at the time was polytheistic, and included many superstitions about how the gods were feeling. The Romans would do well as long as the gods were happy. Although the spread of a monotheistic religion throughout Rome was originally feared due to the threat of the stability of the Empire, this fear was valid because it introduced a very different way of practicing religion and thinking in Rome at the time.

The social issues related to the growth of Christianity in Rome was that it delegitimized the fact that Roman citizens had to have exclusive loyalty to the state. Cairns states how, “The exclusive sovereignty of Christ clashed with Caesar’s claims to his own exclusive sovereignty” (Cairns). Although the Roman Empire practiced syncretism, they demanded that people’s loyalty was to the state alone. The Roman people were expected to practice the state polytheistic religion with many festivals throughout the year. The Christians were not able to participate in these festivals because they were only interested in worshiping one god. The lack of participation by the Christians at these festivals added to the segregation of faiths in the Roman culture, and eventually led to the fear and misunderstanding of Christianity itself. Also, many Christians were forced to worship in solitude during the night because it was outlawed by the Roman state. Many people feared Christianity because it seemed very mysterious to them and they did not understand it. People were also not interested in hearing about a religion that was not sponsored by the state. In the early third century, a Roman government official told Christians: “I cannot bring myself so much as to listen to people who speak ill of the Roman way of religion (Brown).” People feared Christians because they believed that Christians did not support Rome. They also feared it because it was not a state-sponsored religion. Both these fears are valid in the eyes of the Roman people because the citizens were interested in peace.

WC: 500

Brown, Peter. “The World of Late Antiquity”, pg. 17, Thames and Hudson, 1971.

Cairns, Earle E. (1996). “Chapter 7:Christ or Caesar”. Christianity Through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church (Third ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan.

How Free Speech is Fundamental to Democracies

The most significant similarity between the American and Athenian system is the right to free speech. Both the American and Athenian system rely on the exchange of ideas and opinions from all groups of people. Without the ability for people with diverse ideas to speak freely to each other, democracy would fail. Debating and the exchange of ideas between citizens and political leaders in the American Democratic system is how many people decide who they should elect into office. Athenian Democracy also utilized the right to free speech by allowing any citizen to speak during the assembly. Although both the American and Athenian systems of democracy are different in structure, they both embrace one of the most fundamental ideas of democracy- the right to free speech.

Athenian Democracy gave the right for citizens to use free speech during the assembly. Meaning, any citizen was allowed to speak at any time. This allowed for many people to voice their opinions into a large audience. Many times, citizens used emotion and exaggerated facts in order gain votes by charming the assembly members. It was important for the average Athenian to voice their opinion and contribute to their government because “freedom needed, in addition to mere liberation, the company of other men who were in the same state, and it needed a common public space to meet them—a politically organized world, in other words, into which each of the free men could insert himself by word and deed” (Arendt 147). Democracy rests in the hands of the people. A great example of when the assembly voted on if they should pay citizens to attend the assembly. Many groups opposed this issue (such as the Solonian Aristocrats), but the issue eventually passed the assembly. The people needed representation across the assembly, and by having the right to speak at any time showed the people that the people are in control.

Furthermore, the American Democratic system allows its citizens to voice their opinion on issue. A great example of this on the one of the lowest levels of government are city town hall and school board meetings. Many of these meetings have opportunities for citizens to voice their opinions on topics such as taxes, and how the government spends its money. Although we vote to have representatives on our school boards and city government, we still have the opportunity to voice our opinion at these meetings which is very similar to how Athenians ran their democracy. Speaking from personal experience, I know firsthand how riled people can get at local town hall meetings. Often times, a police officer shows up in case people get out of hand. Giving people the opportunity to speak is a fundamental right of democracy. People would not be able to voice their opinions without it. Because a democratic government is ran by the people, democracy would not exist without giving people the right to speak.

Arendt, Hannah. Between past and Future: Eight Exercises in Political Thought. New York: Penguin, 1978.

https://www.ancient.eu/Athenian_Democracy/

Tyranny: An Analyzed Definition

Ben Cracraft

9 September 2018

The West in the Pre-Modern World

Sagstetter

Blog #1

In my opinion, the article, “Why Tyrants Dehumanize the Powerless”, written by Sarah Jones, both correctly and incorrectly uses the term “tyrant” in context throughout the article. The article explains how tyrants, such as the Nazi’s and Donald Trump pursue power by dehumanizing the weak. The ancient definition of tyranny would also not fit when used in this article. Although the article provides historical examples of powerful people seeking the support of their people, the article is partially incorrect in calling these people “tyrants”. The ancient use of the word “tyranny” did not always have a negative connotation. People would often support their ruler and not question their divinity or method of rule[1]. The article, “Why Tyrants Dehumanize the Powerless” states many examples of powerful leaders throughout our history, however, the article does not fully use the term “tyrant” properly.

The article explains how Donald refers to Mexicans crossing the border into America as criminals and rapists. This article does not correctly use the term tyranny in either a modern or a pre-democratic context. In a modern context, the term “tyrant” does not fit when used referencing Trump. A tyrant is someone who’s rule is absolute and is unrestrained by the law or constitution and abuses their power[2]. It could also reference someone who is brutal and oppressive towards their people. Trump has to follow the constitution and is kept in check by our government’s checks and balances. Additionally, the pre-democratic definition is much different. A pre-democratic tyrant would refer to someone who inherited their power illegitimately and rules at the will of the people.

Additionally, this article lists the Nazis as a tyrant. The use of this word is correctly used in both the modern and ancient context. The term tyranny fits a modern context because the Nazi’s were extremely brutal and oppressive towards large portions of its own people. They gained power violently with a great deal of opposition. Additionally, the article uses the term tyranny with the ancient definition correctly because the Nazi’s were a political party with support from many of its people. In conclusion, the article “Why Tyrants Dehumanize the Powerless” uses the term tyrants both correctly and incorrectly in a modern and ancient context.

Works Cited

https://newrepublic.com/article/149232/tyrants-dehumanize-powerless

https://www.britannica.com/topic/tyrant

[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/tyrant

[2] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tyranny