Religión

Blind obedience

By: Daniel González

Aristotle defines us as beings of words (zoon logon echon) capable of speech and expression. Because the world and the human essence itself is made out of words, it is important to teach people to embrace words, as it’s a necessary tool for the construction of any representation of our world. Words are under the responsibility of Journalism, who must shed light into the darkness of oblivion and ignorance. However, the act of censorship can be considered a crime against Journalism's ideals. And criminals can be found guilty in many occasions, one example being the middle ages. Religion has been responsible for the most part of censorship in the middle ages. The catholic church used this weapon to defend from critics against the system. A special case for example being the printing of the bible, which arose critics among the population. The catholic church started censuring information because of the fear of losing their influence on people and their position of power. By linking religion with the monarchy specially adapting the figure of the king to more holy standards they were able to remain in power and control words as a tool of subjugation for the kingdoms interests. Censorship was such a good strategy to control population because by these means they were able to keep people in the midst of ignorance. It is easy to turn to religion when one is found in the depths of confusion. It is easy to fall under the control of other people if words are not embraced, or maybe even neglected. In the position of the holy church in the middle ages, censorship was the way to deny people the gift of words and taking advantage from this same tool which they disposed.

The Real Islamic State

By: Juan Felipe Apráez Abril

Nowadays, with the different society challenges we have to know the origins of the actual sociopolitical phenomena. One of the topics that are essential for a person that wants to be updated about the world and have a globalized conscience and knowledge is the Middle East crisis.

Since millennia, different political and economical problems caused the various wars that many countries around the Arabic peninsula faced; but the most relevant crisis in this part of the world has its origin mainly after the ending of the WWII. Rich countries as United Kingdom or France took the economic power of countries as Syria by putting their own leaders to impose some regimens, this, with the excuse of the project called The Great Arabia.

After that, different conflicts occurred that today are involving kurds, governments, sects and civils.

One of the products of this different conflicts caused by the first world empowering is the wrong called Islamic State.

This group is the responsible of the hugest migration level in the history. It is a huge strategy of recruit and attack to the civil populations in Asia and Europe.

But, is this a real state? Is this actually a group with religious purposes? If the actual Islamic State isn’t a sovereign state, is in the history of the Islam a State that influenced the world for the progress of humanity or the conflicts?

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The Crusades

By: Santiago Ospina

The crusades were a series of military campaigns commonly made at the request of the pope, which took place between the XI and XIII centuries against the Turks and Saracens for the conquest of holy land.

Basically most of the crusades were caused by land expansion, power over Asian trade, or pope's rush over monarchies and eastern churches.

Many important crusades occurred around the Middle Ages and after that period, there were 8 crusades:

The first crusade: the conquest of Jerusalem and the creation of a French kingdom in Palestine (1095 -1099) this was thanks to Pope Urban II.
Second crusade: it was taken to help the French in Jerusalem. It resulted in the siege of Damascus (1147-1149).
Third crusade: it was provoked by the taking of Jerusalem by Saladino (1189 -1192).
Fourth Crusade: it was organized by the French and Venetians for the capture of Constantinople and this caused the fall of the Greek empire (1202-1204).
Fifth crusade: Directed by Juan Brienne and the king of hungaria but this didn’t have any result. (1218-1221).
Sixth crusade: the boss spoke to the Muslims instead of attacking them, so that the pilgrims could visit Jerusalem. (1228-1229).
Seventh Crusade: Crusaders have at target Egypt, but they were surprised by a flood of the Nile and attacked by Muslims and this result in a surrending . (1248-1251).
Eighth crusade: crossed call of Tunis, finished with the death of Luis of France, victim of the plague (1270)

The Power of the Church in the Middle Ages

By : Nicolás Jaramillo 8C

Abstract

The church in the Middle Age was the institution more centralized and absolutist of Europe. It was the maximum authority even over all laws.

This article will talk about the power of the church over the Middle Age´s men and how this power was transformed into manipulation. In that time the church was not divided, it was a time of strengthening theological beliefs.

During that time the church took advange of men´s guilt to get extra benefits through donations of land and money promising the salvation of men´s soul. The fortune was considered as a divine favor that the rich people should compensate by giving a part of their wealth to the monastery and to the church.

Besides that, they asked to receive one tenth of every production of their lands, taking advantage of their lack of knowledge and ignorance about religious issues.

It was about having the wrong understanding of God´s fear.

Do you all consider that system a manipulation from the church?

Religiosidad Medieval

By: Sergio Sandoval

Religion in Middle Ages it was an important factor for civilization progress and it had a significant influence for people thinking and their way of life. In Europe during the Medieval times the major recognized religion was Christianity, in the form of the Catholic religion. The lives of the Medieval people of the Middle Ages was dominated by the church. The lives of many Medieval people including various orders of monks and nuns were dedicated to the Catholic church and religion.

With this come a discrimination for the ones disagree with the religion. In some cases, people who doesn’t follow the religion “rules” get murder by the priests.

The funny and real thing is that that have no change, obviously now a day they are not that savage but they have many control in society. That doesn’t mean religion is all bad, in fact, it’s really good it promotes peace and love in their followers, however, as we already said, the power than they got is a lot a some of them use it without control.

“During the Middle Ages religion as everything. It was not unusual for people to go to church everyday and pray five times a day. People believed that all the good things in life were due to the bounty of god and that the evil events of the times were due to their sins. Medieval religion was extremely important and even the doctors and physicians of the era were also well versed in religion.”

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Religion in the Middle Ages

By: Federico Haderer

The religion in the Middle Ages was so powerful in terms of social and political power. They changed a lot of things in their daily lives: they established Sunday as the day to go to the church and that was obligatory. Another thing that they did was that they gave high class people the opportunity of study so that they could learn Latin; actually, the high class was the only one that understood the Holy Mass.

The Catholic religion got power because they adapted very quickly to the Roman Empire because they saw hope in this religion for the economic crisis in the first century; then, the high classes started promoting it in the lower classes and when they were in their full power they would have the possibility to punish the bad people for being illiterate and they could even kill them in front of everyone. They obliged everyone to believe in God, the one that didn't believe would have consequences, they were very strict with the God ideology. The lower classes didn't have the possibility of talk about the Bible. The religion in old times compared to today's has changed a lot in many aspects: in ancient times the religion was savage because they obliged people to believe; nowadays, the church doesn't have too much power and they don't do anything to those who don't believe in God.