Ch.16 (Strayer, pp. 461-477) Response

This section of the chapter focuses on the expansion of christianity that happened all over the world in the modern era. I don't like talking about this, as I am not a fan of religion and still cringe over what happened to the native americans because of the european invasion upon them, and how religion (though not the only reason these natives suffered) took part in it. Of course, Native American's were not the only people experiencing the expansion of christianity, as it did spread globally (though not as significantly in places like China). It's saddening to see that a large amount of what I read in this section seems to be about the negative things caused by religions and the conflicts around them. It makes me wonder what kind of positive aspects of religion are there that are worth all this trouble, if any. It's surprising to read and think about, even if it could be considered common knowledge, that there is conflict even between the religions that branch out from the "original conflict" such as with Islam. Something that caught my interest was Martin Luther's idea that salvation comes from faith alone and church has nothing to do with it.