Romney Spencer

8/15/16
Hist 134
Religion and History
For the reflection I have decided to talk about the role of religion in history as I feel that
it has had the greatest impact not only on history, but the modern world today. Religion has
always been an important factor in culture as it creates a sense of unity and in the past it would
give explanations to things that people could not explain normally. Three people I think used
religion in there society well are Caesar Augustus, who used his religion to make himself out to
be a demigod. Then there was Muhamad, who uses his religion to unify his people and startup
said religion which is still around today. Lastly there was Ashoka, who used his religion to bring
about a long standing peace with his people.
To start I am going to talk about Augustus who ruled the Roman Empire. Augustus was
already the Roman Emperor however his position was lacking stability due to the circumstances
of his coming to power. So, to solidify his position he turned to the roman religion, which at the
time had lost a deal of its presence in the society. One article we read says Early in his reign,
Halleys Comet passed over Rome. Augustus claimed it was the spirit of Julius Caesar entering
heaven. If Caesar was a god then, as his heir, Augustus was the son of a god-("Augustus.").
This solidified his position because by being a Demigod he had his own divinity which put him
above other people. Another thing that helped him is that he actively restored the old roman
temples and even restored their traditions. This, amongst other things he did, greatly brought
back the importance of religion and the gods and therefore himself.
Secondly I will talk about Muhammad who through his use of religion not only started
what would be a great empire, but also Islam which is one of the major religions today. Born to
the major tribe in the city of Mecca Muhammad was an educated man, and after his encounter

with an angel along with some encouragement from family he began to preach Islam. However
he had little success and was eventually forced to leave the city at which time he and his small
group of followers left for the city of Medina. His experience there was much different as this
article states Muhammad was received in Medina as a leader and a spiritual visionary. He and
his followers set about the establishment of a genuine community, or Ummah, free of pressure
and persecution.("Islam From The Beginning To 1300."). As a result Islam expanded nicely in
the city and brought its people together under one religion. Soon after, Muhammad raised an
army and took the city of Mecca and laid the foundations for what would become the Islamic
Empire. Due to his way of ruling and the emphasis he put on his religion Muhammad and his
followers had become very successful at spreading Islam though out the empire.
Lastly I will talk about Ashoka who promoted Buddhism and was one of the most
interesting Indian rulers of his time. Ashoka was a great leader and an intelligent commander
however after witnessing his troops destroy the kingdom of Kalinga he saw war as bad and
converted to Buddhism and spread its message of peace. Soon after he converted he began to
rule with peace and the empire experienced a growth in wealth and wellbeing that typically
comes with it. In this quote we see how he spread his religion even beyond his borders,
Moreover, the Maurya directly promoted Buddhist missions to other regions, and although in
most cases it was only later that the peoples of many of these countries became Buddhist to any
large extent, these Maurya missions seem to have been directly responsible for the conversion of
the ruling class of at least one country, Sri Lanka.("Civilization: The Mauryan Empire of
Ancient India."). By doing this he made sure that his religion would pass on in history long after
the fall of his empire.
Over all I think it is important to look at religion because of how it affected our world
today. One article we read asks, How will he use history to define his present?(Postma), and I

think its important to raise that question because of all the differing religions we have today. We
can also look back and take past events to better understand what could happen. As one article
says, A quick election will suggest that this process happened smoothly. A slow one opens the
door for a surprise candidate to emerge.(Perry). Lastly I think its important because someone
who has a religion should know more about it to gain more of an understanding as to why
somethings are the way they are. As one article puts it, Clearly we need careful reflection
about, and search for, enduring patterns and critical turning points in the past, for these are the
historical facts that everyone needs to know(McNeill). It is important to remember that if you
need to understand someone from a religious point of view you can, and should, look back at the
history of their religion.

Bibliography
"Augustus." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
"Civilization: The Mauryan Empire of Ancient India." Atlas of World History. Timemaps, n.d.
Web. 15 Aug. 2016
"Islam From The Beginning To 1300." World History Project. N.p., 2002. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
McNeill, William H. "Why Study History? (1985)." American Historical Association. N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
Perry, David M. "How History Can Help Us Predict the Next Pope." The Atlantic. Atlantic
Media Company, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2016
Postma, Michael. "What Can History Teach Us Today?" ASCD Express 6.22. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Aug. 2016.