Finding the Common Ground

Christians and Muslims throughout history have been pitted against each other due to seemingly irreconcilable differences and general mistrust on both sides. This is largely thanks to several historical events, examples being the Crusades in which the Christians attacked and occupied the Holy Land and modern-day Muslim attacks on Christians in Nigeria. Many believe that the underlying reasoning for this violence and mistrust between the two religions stems from Islam and Christianity’s lack of common ground. While the two religions are mutually exclusive, they share surprising similarities such as afterlife and belief in the existence of Jesus Christ.

Both Muslims and Christians believe that ‘Judgement Day’ will come and that all men and women will be judged according to their deeds. On this day, these religions concur that the universe will end and that God will select those who are loyal and good, and banish those whom lack belief. Islam’s sacred text, the Qur’an, states that “those who believe and do good deeds, they are the dwellers of Paradise, they dwell therein forever” (2); Christianity’s Holy Bible similarly reads: “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (1). While the specific events of Judgement Day vary between the religions, such as Christians believing the Earth “shall be burned up” (1) and Muslims believing the day will follow a schedule of events known as Qiyama, both centralize on the idea of good versus evil.

Christianity and Islam also interestingly share a belief in the existence of Jesus Christ. To Christians, Jesus is the central figure of the religion and his life and death provide the key to forgiveness and salvation. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the “word of God who became flesh” (1) and is therefore both human and divine. According to Christian tradition, Jesus was born of a virgin mother, performed miracles, was crucified, and his second coming will bring the end of time. Muslims also hold Jesus as a special figure in their faith and believe that he was the second greatest of all prophets, next to Muhammad. The Quran gives details about Jesus’s miraculous birth, wise teaches, and miracles. However, Muslims believe that Jesus “was no more than a messenger” (2) and he is therefore not the son of God or divine.

Despite the similarities stated above, Islam and Christianity are indeed mutually exclusive. One cannot believe in both Christianity and Islam, for the two religions diverge in essential areas. In the example of Judgement Day, Muslims would believe that Christians would be sent to Hell and vice versa. Additionally, as stated previously, Christianity centralizes around the belief that Jesus is God and Islam outright rejects this. While both religions share fascinating similarities and cross paths on certain values, they are fundamentally different. These differences do not mean, however, that conflicts between the two religions should continue. It rather invokes the need for Islam and Christianity to focus on their shared beliefs and respect their divergences.

Lauren McDonnell

Word Count: 518

Sources:

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Iowa Falls, Iowa: World Bible Publishers, 2001.
The Holy Qur’an. https://quran.com/ (accessed 25 March 2019).

Relentless Regimes

The Mongol Empire was a very brutal regime that had no limits. They conquered in all directions to include most of Central Asia and even Eastern Asia. A regime in history that is somewhat similar to the Mongols in regards to conquest and brutality, is the German Nazis during World War II. Like the Mongols, the Nazis were relentless in their conquest in murdering the Jewish people to include women and children in unethical warfare. The Mongol Empire and German Nazis have some similarities in their ruthless acts of war-fighting and conquest.

The Mongols conquered other cities for the sake of their warfighting mentality and revenge. Temujin took it upon himself to reunite the Mongol empire and conquered surrounding tribes in the process. Temujin describes their purpose as, “Man’s greatest good fortune is to chase and defeat his enemy, seize all his possessions, leave his married women weeping and wailing”[1] (400). During their conquests, the Mongols would slaughter all enemies (including women and children), rape women, cut open pregnant women’s wombs, and boil enemy chiefs. During World War II, the German Nazis were similar to the Mongols in their level of brutality. They were relentless in killing their enemies to also include women and children. They used immoral warfare to include gas chambers. They were able to gain power quickly with their strong military, similar to the Mongols.

Obviously, the Mongols and Nazis had many differences. The Nazis targeted a specific group of people, being the Jewish, while the Mongols would slaughter anybody in their way. The Nazis also did conquer many cities, but for the sake of spreading their beliefs of the “superior race” and capturing Jewish people. The reason the Nazis were able to get away with what they were doing for a while, was through propaganda. Adolf Hitler convinced his people that what they were doing was morally right and deceived other nations using propaganda. In this case, Adolf Hitler can be related to Genghis Khan because of their ruthless leadership in conquest and rule. Another major difference is that the Mongols’ conquest lasted over a century while the Nazis only lasted a few years before being defeated.

I believe that although both Mongols and Nazis conducted inhumane tactics in warfighting, the German Nazis are more heavily criticized because of the time period, and it has had more of an impact on today’s society since WWII took place only about seventy-five years ago as opposed to the Mongolian regime which took place in the twelfth and thirteenth century. Most of society now does not understand the terrifying Mongols and their impact on Central Asia and Eastern Europe in early history especially since the Mongol history is still not fully understood.

-Kevin Semma

Word count: 432

[1] Spodek

“Thinking Done by Cowards, Fighting by Fools”

Most consider meritocracy the standard for any institution. In fact, most modern college applications are arguably “meritocracies,” seeking the best and most adequate to shape the future of society. As seen in many ancient Chinese dynasties, however, the system is not perfect. When scholars manage a system designed to reward scholars, as in ancient China, the system works well when it needs scholars, but when the government is required to use force, there is no manner of changing the leadership to adapt.

Mencius, a Confucian scholar, once said to King Hui of Liang, “Only the true scholar is capable of maintaining, without certain means of livelihood, a steadfast heart… when an intelligent ruler regulates the livelihood of the people, he makes sure that they will have enough,” (Pomeranz et al. 102). This was the common view of the Confucian system of merit-based bureaucracy. The scholars, as the most intelligent and selfless group, would be the ones with the knowledge, understanding, and compassion to take care of the people without becoming too powerful themselves, and to a degree this was true. The Confucian bureaucracy placed many in positions of power who used their knowledge and education to the benefit of the people, but this was not a permanent trait of the system.

In the Book of Lord Shang, Shang Yang criticized the Confucian system for being the starting point for the weakness of the law and the dynasty as a whole. As Mencius wrote, the Confucian view of the law was that it should center on caring for the people through virtue, saying, “When men are won by virtue, then their hearts are gladdened and their submission is sincere… if you mete out punishment, it is like placing traps for the people. If a humane ruler is on the throne, how can he permit such a thing as placing traps for the people,” (102). This was the view of the Confucian scholars, and so it was the manner in which the government operated. Since the scholars remained in power through the meritocracy-based bureaucracy, it was extremely difficult to change this system. Shang Yang saw this system as flawed and too weak to handle governance adequately. He states in his book, “sophistry and cleverness are an aid to lawlessness… kindness and humaneness are the mother of transgressions… If the virtuous are placed in prominent positions, transgressions will remain hidden,” (de Bary 110). This was a major flaw in the Confucian bureaucracy. It was run by those who were kind hearted and focused solely on the development of virtue and knowledge in the government. As a result, the system became very weak on crime and lawlessness, especially in the eyes of the more militaristic members of society such as Shang Yang. By focusing solely on a caring and virtuous government, “lawlessness” was left unchecked. Furthermore, since the scholars believed this was the best way to govern, it continued to operate in that manner for generations, allowing the growth and spread of unpunished crime.

Shang Yang continues criticizing the weak, comfort and virtue minded scholars, saying, “If the people see both the comfort and the advantage of these… walks of life, then they will indubitably shun agriculture; shunning agriculture, they will care little for their homes; caring little for their homes, they will certainly not fight and defend them,” (110). This was another major flaw of the Confucian bureaucracy. While the system of virtue, kindness, and caring put forward by the Confucian scholars may have been effective in times of peace, it was less than effective in handling matters of force. Punishments for lawlessness were but one example. As a result of the groups the Confucians promoted as beneficial (merchants, artisans, scholars), the people lost interest in ways of life like agriculture. As the agricultural sector suffered, the nation as a whole suffered, especially the military, which relied on agricultural products to maintain the army to defend the country. Furthermore, Shang Yang argues that the Confucian policies undermined the people’s willingness to fight in defense of China, promoting a “soft” society.

While the Confucian bureaucracy may have had many advantages, promoting the virtuous and caring side of the government in an aim to take care of its people and promote the respectful culture of the 5 relationships, it posed a serious threat to the dynasty’s well-being. As pointed out by Shang Yang, when men of peace and virtue govern indefinitely, deterring crime and defending the nation become difficult. Men who might merit running the country in peace, do not necessarily merit handling it in war.

-Nate Forrest

Words: 597

De Bary, Theodore. Premodern Asia. Columbia University Press, 2008.

Pomeranz, Kenneth L., et al. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A Companion Reader. Vol. 1, Norton, 2011. ffffff

The Legacy of Philosophy

As a Chinese General and military strategist with a record of success during his own time, Sun Tzu’s philosophies have lived far beyond their inception during the Zhou dynasty. Through his writings on military strategy, such as Art of War, these philosophies have been preserved and are now read across the globe by both military and business strategists alike. Principles like the conservation of resources, an emphasis on preparation, and bureaucratic structure of discipline can be found implemented in by contemporary organizations, the influence of which has extended to the culture here at the Naval Academy.

Sun Tzu’s overarching philosophy presented in Art of War is that preparation is what wins wars rather than brute strength. He sees individual weaknesses, such as homesickness, exhaustion, and lack of focus, as challenges to be attacked and overcome far before any attempt is made to attack the enemy. A similar approach can be found at the Naval Academy where four years are spent winning internal wars so midshipmen can commission with the ability to lead others in the fight.

During the transition from plebe summer to the academic year, I was told by an officer that by the time you graduate you will have needed to earn the moral authority to order one man to take the life of another. Whether or not this moral authority is ever able to be truly possessed is a difficult philosophical question; however, the pursuit of such powerful moral authority empowers individuals to act with urgency towards bettering themselves. The intention behind four intense years here, four year filled with challenges in both personal development and leadership, is to provide midshipmen with a forum of preparation to fight their internal battles. Just as Sun Tzu called for the skillful warrior to have mastery of spirit, mind, strength, and change, midshipmen are provided the opportunity to master themselves during their time at the Academy.

Sun Tzu also approaches war with an unorthodox top-down approach. He asserts that “The lowest form of war is/ To attack/ Cities,” and instead argues that the primary focus should be attacking the strategy and alliances of the opposing force. At the Naval Academy, we’re told countless to focus on “the little things,” things like squaring corners at a perfect ninety or plebing our covers even when no one is around. This philosophy that attention to the smallest details compose the core of our fighting capabilities, isn’t in direct opposition to Sun Tzu’s approach to war, yet, in practice this attention to detail can often become excessively consuming. Rather than maintaining the broad, strategic view adopted by Sun Tzu, midshipmen expend energy on the minutia with disregard for how these components form a cohesive purpose.

The written philosophy of the Naval Academy has close ties with Sun Tzu’s strategic mindset towards preparing thoroughly for war. The Academy’s written philosophy, however, doesn’t always align perfectly with the philosophy in practice by midshipmen. By reorienting our actions as midshipmen to incorporate the strategic philosophy of Sun Tzu, we can be better prepared for the fight to master ourselves and our enemies.

Word Count: 515

— Julia Lotterer

Sources:

[1] Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Trans. John Minford. London: Penguin, 2009.

Blog #4

Cameron Douglas

The Naval Academy Compared to Sun Tzu

The Naval Academy teaches its students a variety of tools and tactics when it comes to engaging in military conflicts and pursuing military excellence. Upon entrance to USNA, students are taught the foremost qualities of any military officer: honor, courage, and commitment. While these do not perfectly align with the doctrine of Sun Tzu as outlined in his Art of War, there are a few outstanding principles which find themselves both in Naval Academy curriculum and Sun Tzu’s favored traits. However, after looking at both, it becomes easily to make the conclusion that military training and officer code has certainly progressed since Ancient China. The process the Naval Academy uses to indoctrinate and train its officers is much more effective than the Art of War.

In Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War,” a few key attributes of warriors are emphasized. He makes a great effort to speak of discipline, command, compassion, courage, integrity, and wisdom. These are all great qualities of an officer, yet the distinctions become clear farther along in the text. He goes on to talk about the strategy of combat and the effectiveness of deception in battles. He additionally goes into great detail about the different techniques and attitudes a general should have in battle. It discusses the importance of having extremely competent generals who know how to operate with both small forces and large forces, at night and at day, and with certain goals in mind. Tzu certainly appreciates a diverse leader. He commends warriors who display great strength and fortitude and those who are willing to make sacrifice. It is very focused on the team effort, rather than being individualistic.

The Naval Academy does not assert principles much different than these. During the indoctrination phase called “Plebe Summer,” midshipman are constantly reminded that their own individual desires and needs do not matter when compared with the needs of the entire team. They are no longer their own individual; they are a member of something much greater. They are only pieces in a much larger strategy. Obviously, admirable traits are taught such as honor, integrity, courage, and selflessness. Sun Tzu would perhaps not be impressed with the quality of discipline present at USNA, but otherwise, I believe he would appreciate such an institution.

Although the differences between Sun Tzu and USNA are minimal, they are enough to show a slight distinction which has occured over time.

Words 409

George Lucas’ Inspiration

March 22, 2019 | Blog 4

Your head pulses amidst a thunder of a thousand voices, and your feet burn as you stagger in scorched sand. But you don’t mind the noise or pain because an immense armored creature with horns is galloping at you. Surely, you can endure some discomfort while you run for your life, right?

At this point, I bet you are wondering, “What in the world is going on?”

I can guarantee you one thought: you are trapped in a movie far, far away, and now you’re being hunted by a reek in the Petranaki arena on the planet of Geonosis.

Bummer, I see that the creature has been impaled by a trap. At least now you can listen to me run a parallel between Star Wars and the Roman Empire while you catch your breath!

The aforementioned arena undoubtedly resembles the Roman Colosseum, where thousands of gladiators fought to the death for the pleasure of Roman audiences. As dark as this may seem, viewers are spellbound by the epic scene George Lucas incorporated with a battle between Jedi and droids.

Hold your horses; I’m not done yet. This is not the only similarity between Star Wars and the Roman Empire. In fact, I discovered many similarities in history, culture, and government, too.

Let’s start with the most obvious: culture through architecture. Many of the buildings and architecture on many planets in Star Wars are taken from Roman designs, especially the domed buildings of Naboo and obelisks on Coruscant.

Furthermore, before becoming an empire, ancient Rome was a republic, and the same case was for the Galactic Empire, which originally was the Old Republic. Both betray their closest allies who helped them reach a status of exceptional power: Chancellor Palpatine deceives the Jedi Temple while the Romans betray the Etruscans.

Both universes are under the control of imperial, totalitarian regimes marked by ruthless leaders. “The body of a dead enemy always smells sweet,” said Roman emperor Vespasian. Driven by the belief that the republic would last forever, both fought lengthy and brutal wars. The Romans produced the Punic Wars while the Star Wars universe experienced the Sith and Clone Wars.

Both had a very disciplined military. Both had an elaborate chain of command. Both had an auxiliary program.

The Galactic Empire spread as they conquered one system after another. Similarly, the Roman Empire often allowed the nations that they defeated to maintain their own system of government and self-rule, culture and religious beliefs, so long as they paid homage to the emperor, paid taxes and didn’t cause trouble.

Finally, both empires are taken down by smaller, more determined foes. The Galactic Empire is ultimately defeated by the Rebel Alliance while the Roman Empire’s destruction is attributed to the invasion of various Germanic tribes.

From such similarities between these universes, I can confidently say that George Lucas was inspired by the Roman Empire to create the Galactic Empire we see in Star Wars today.

— Cameron Guan

Word Count: 482

Sources:

Quote by Vespasian (c. 69-79 AD)

Sun Tzu at the Naval Academy

Sun Tzu’s Art of War captures the culture and ideals of China towards the end of the sixth century BC, yet it remains applicable to the experience and training of midshipmen and the Naval Academy. While little of Sun Tzu is recorded in contemporary records, this text describes the behavior and movement required of military personnel that is centered on his philosophy on five fundamental truths. Through the application of these truths, Sun Tzu demonstrates how to attain victory over enemies while living a principled life.

In The Art of War Sun Tzu states that there are five fundamentals on which everything else is based: the Way, heaven, earth, command, and discipline. While not necessarily in the traditional sense, all of these elements are present in the training midshipmen receive at the Naval Academy. “The Way” causes men follow their leaders into battle. Similarly, midshipmen have their own motivations for following orders, while it may not necessary be this illusive unconscious trust of their leader. The way at the Naval Academy is manifested in students want to avoid conduct action by all means necessary. The fundamental of heaven is viewed in the traditional sense as the cycle of seasons, but also applicable in unconventional ways such as the intensity and lull of academic testing in the six week cycle. While there is not a direct representation of the fundamental of earth at the Academy, the fundamentals of command and discipline are large principles that are taught at the here.

The principles of command and discipline are emphasized heavily, especially in learning environments such as plebe summer and even plebe year. Importance is placed on these principles in particular because they have the farthest reaching repercussions for our future development as upper class midshipmen, and eventually officers. The text describes these fundamentals as “courage” and “chain of command” which are key to the daily workings of this institution. The presence of the chain of command streamlines the tasks that must be accomplished, while also dividing responsibility and increasing the success rate of accomplishing tasks correctly.

Additionally, Sun Tzu introduces the importance of strategizing and planning for success on the battlefield. By stating that battle must be “pondered carefully,” Sun Tzu creates an interesting juxtaposition between the violence that is associated with battle and meticulous planning. This principle is applied everyday to midshipmen life as we have to strategize our individual plan of the day to navigate the overwhelming amount of work we are assigned.

In accordance to Sun Tzu, the relationship between these five fundamentals is paramount in the art of making war. While there have been modifications to Sun Tzu’s initial principles, they are still integrated in the tradition and teachings of the Naval Academy.

Blog or Not, there is no try (Blog #4)

Star Wars has proven itself to be a timeless movies series to watch with friends, family, or by yourself. It pits a small Rebellion fighting to rid the world from the grasps of the dark side and the Galactic Empire. Throughout the trilogies, the heroes of the Rebellion manage to thwart the Galactic Empire’s plans of creating a planet killing weapon called the Death Star multiple times. Despite the Tie fighters and storm troopers, the Galactic Empire can draw similarities to empires on Earth both ancient and modern.

The Roman Empire’s upbringing is actually very similar to how the Empire rose to power. Julius Caesar accomplished a couple things before and during his first few months of power. Julius Caesar gains popularity when he defeats Vercingetorix, a king that united the Gauls. The Gauls were people from West-Central Europe that would cause the rising Roman Empire trouble. Upon defeating Vercingetorix, Julius Caesar then massacre or enslaves the Gauls. This led him to gain power and with the help of Pompey and Crassus, he was able to rule the Roman Empire. When in power, Julius Caesar institutes that the people can carry on with their business, as long as they obey his divine rule. “On these considerations he exhorts and charges them to take up the burden of the state and administer it with his help; but if they shrink through fear [i.e. of other opposing civil war party] he will not burden them, and will administer the state himself” (Caesar, Civil Wars 1.32.7). Although the other two persons had shared their power with Julius Caesar, they let Julius Caesar be the figurehead of the Roman Empire.

In Star Wars, The Republic was created to fight against the Separatists. It was through Chancellor Palpatine’s decision that the mass production of clone troopers allows the Republic to defeat Count Dooku, a leader of the Separatist. Count Dooku states these last few words to foreshadow the Jedi’s fate, “What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith?” (Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith). Chancellor Palpatine is revealed to a Sith, and enemy of the Jedi, and uses the clone army to hunt down and slaughter the Jedi. Now, Darth Sidious, allows the people of other planets to live in peace while he commands the new Galactic Empire to do his bidding. The parallels that can be drawn is that Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar defeated a high ranking leader to allow their forces to win the battle or war. Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar also proceed to exterminate a specific type of person or race. Lastly, both rulers allowed their people to carry on with their normal lives, but would obediently listen when their leader called for them. Now, The Roman Empire did not rise to power using lightsabers or missile launchers like the Republic turned Galactic Empire, but both civilizations did rise to power through brutality and one man in the right place at the right time.

Star Wars can also be related to American government. George Washington, like Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar became the figurehead to American beliefs and hopes. Like the Galactic Empire and the Roman Empire, the American people began to conquer their neighbors and expand their borders. Like the Roman Empire with Spartacus, America had trouble with slave revolts, which lead to the Civil War. Star Wars is a timeless movie with countless parallels to both ancient and modern societies.

Vincent Potente 586 words

https://books.google.com/books?id=Hns8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=civil+wars+by+caesar+1.32.7&source=bl&ots=srT8PN3jqM&sig=ACfU3U1oe7raDsaCmoiImhOVZA9iWHUq7Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUmZCDqpfhAhULy1kKHWedCQoQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=civil%20wars%20by%20caesar%201.32.7&f=false

Christianity Through the Lens of Polytheism

I think that the Romans had a completely valid fear with the growing popularity of Christianity as any people would have a natural fear of new things. Christianity to the average Roman would have probably had a slightly more fear as first reports probably would have been of a cult following a recently crucified criminal claiming to be the only god. To the average roman this probably would have seemed pretty strange as the Roman pantheon at the time featured several gods and was expanding as new cults tried to assimilate other foreign gods, such as the Egyptian god Isis, in. Further backing to my theory comes from the letter of Pliny the Younger, a lawyer and the author. His most famous writings consisted of several letters to various emperors as well as a great recounting of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the death of Pliny the Elder, his uncle. Pliny seems to be almost at a loss with the Christians as he writes “…to bind themselves by oath, not to do some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so.” He seems puzzled at these oaths which we see as fairly normal. This could be because he has been told that they are criminal or just because the Christians seem to be very tied to this. By comparison the Romans tended to have more of these things as one would expect in a large city and definitely a large bureaucracy. I think that the Romans were valid in their initial fears and after that the true nature of overall good was revealed. The fears and hatred could have been compounded by the acts of Christians trying to impose the will of their god on the empire. Acts like this included the attempting halting of gladiatorial games by jumping into the ring. This would have understandably caused significant friction between the Christians and the people they are trying to convert as the Christians are taking away the favorite past time of the uneducated mob. This would have had the same effect as trying to stop people from watching or playing football. There is already a lot of money in the sport and those who stand to lose that money could try and stoke flames over the fears of the Christians. I do not think that the Romans were right to try and stamp out the “cult” as they weren’t harmful and it seemed more of a rash and fearful move with an almost unknown, quickly rising cult.

word count: 436

Christianity: Beware the Cannibals

In today’s world, Christianity remains the largest religion. However, there still exists the question of how it got to that position. The Romans thought that Christianity was strange and unnatural. In a way, they thought right.

Step back and look at Christianity from afar. This new and frightening religion’s followers ate the body and drank the blood of someone they believed to be their savior. They also sacrificed this person because he was supposed to save them. Not to mention, a ghost descended on the followers and oftentimes controlled their bodies. What kind of sick beliefs hold cannibalism and sacrifice at their core? No wonder the Romans thought they were barbarians. These people popped up out of nowhere claiming to be enlightened and introducing a new religion.

Now, people that start spouting off about random ideas are looked down upon. The world thinks of them as crazy. Similarly, Romans possessed this mindset about Christians. For all they knew, Christians brainwashed people into sharing their beliefs. Christianity spread quickly and seemed infectious. In his letters to Trajan, Pliny labeled it to be an illness, saying “For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and cure it. It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and that from everywhere sacrificial animals are coming” (Pliny Letters 10.96-97). This proved how surprised the Romans were at the emergence of Christianity. They didn’t know what to do with it.

Up until this moment in time, the Romans served as a very capable people. They created an empire and ruled it for years. Polytheism existed for them as a logical and sensible religion. The empire performed well, seemingly aligning with their devotions to the gods, so obviously the two paired together. No reason for a change of religion existed so they stayed with their polytheism.

All people view change as terrifying. Christianity affected everyone. People the Romans trusted, other Romans, converted without saying anything. When the empire caught those Romans, they had no idea what to do with them. Pliny wrote to Trajan asking for advice “For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered” (Pliny). To persecute a person not a Roman was one thing, but how could they possibly persecute another Roman? They valued closeness among their people. “I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome” (Pliny). Pliny remained confused just as all the rulers of the different nation states did. Change brings confusion and terror.

The Roman’s fear of Christianity remains founded on sound reason. Change scares people. Christianity expanded into the empire quickly and changed almost everything. People converted to it seemingly at random. Good Romans with powerful positions switched their beliefs. A change so big that mass confusion ensued. The Christian beliefs, to an outsider, seemed horrifying. Their gruesome beliefs could not possibly hold truth behind them. The Romans portrayed superstition and fear for a reason.

-Moira Camacho

Word Count: 426

Hackett, Conrad, et al. “World’s Largest Religion by Population Is Still Christianity.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 5 Apr. 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/.

Pliny Letters 10.96-97