The spread of Christianity as state religion came into play at the end of the fourth century. When Christianity became the major religion of Italy, the first thousand years of it was no “Roman Catholicism”, which is how it is known today. The reason for this is because there was no Eastern Orthodoxy or Protestantism to differentiate it. This means that during the middle ages of Italian culture, if you were a Christian, you attended the Catholic Church. This means that any other Christianity other than the Catholic Church was considered a heresy. A heresy is a belief or opinion dealing with the orthodox religious doctrine.
Social customs of Italy are very similar in many of the regions throughout Italy. After World War II, the Italian society had changed the social norms and made a huge impact of daily life. There were many concerns for Italy that resulted from the war, but one of the main elements of change that occurred was the role of women. There was a notable difference in the participation of women in higher education and occupations rather than being inside a home. Another aspect that changed the daily life was the declining number of births that took place during the first years of the 21st century.
One interesting fact that I found out about Italy was the idea that, “In 2010 about one-fifth of the population was over age 65” (Powell 2014). I thought this was really interesting because, you would never be able to tell that Italy has a large group of individuals who are older.
Italy has a variety of sacred sites and each place is designed very uniquely. One of the most popular places that most people are familiar with is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This is one of the greatest icons of Europe and was completed in 1350. Another major sacred site to see in Italy would be the Pantheon which is an ancient temple that was built in 125 AD but then was turned into a church in 609. An interesting face about the Pantheon is that it is the oldest building in Rome. Italy is filled with many sacred sites that are very popular with tourists.
Italy has been apart of the Catholic tradition for quite some time now. Modern day Italy has really stopped abiding to these rules and beliefs that were hugely looked upon during early Italian history and today, very few Italians follow these church teachings. Many Italians still consider themselves to be Catholic but, “Only about 30 percent attend weekly services” (Boston 2004). A major change concerning religion not only applies in Italy but many other countries as well. One really interesting case that occurred in Italy concerned the minister, Rocco Buttiglione. The minister had made a comment about homosexuality, and the commotion of the public lead Buttiglione to be forced to withdraw his name from the European Union.
Religion is really important to groups who come from backgrounds where beliefs and customs come before anything. Italy is dominantly a Christian country, but in modern times, does not seem to be the same case. Many of the individuals who characterize themselves as Christians do not abide by the rules and guidelines that were once looked at as a vital importance. The change of religion throughout Italian history is not considered a negative or positive outcome because; the same idea takes place in many other countries as well. Italy for the most part is still the same and, many of the same customs still are present in modern day Italy.
Dagget, S. (2001, January 15). Pre-Christian Origins of Italian Popular Religion. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.harding.edu/sdaggett/popularcatholicism1.pdf
Sacred Destinations. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/sacred-sites
Lovett, C. (2014, December 2). Daily life and social customs. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy/27025/Daily-life-and-social-customs
Boston, R. (2004, December 2). Wall of Separation. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/when-in-rome-how-cooperation-between-religion-and-government-in-italy-is
Social customs of Italy are very similar in many of the regions throughout Italy. After World War II, the Italian society had changed the social norms and made a huge impact of daily life. There were many concerns for Italy that resulted from the war, but one of the main elements of change that occurred was the role of women. There was a notable difference in the participation of women in higher education and occupations rather than being inside a home. Another aspect that changed the daily life was the declining number of births that took place during the first years of the 21st century.
One interesting fact that I found out about Italy was the idea that, “In 2010 about one-fifth of the population was over age 65” (Powell 2014). I thought this was really interesting because, you would never be able to tell that Italy has a large group of individuals who are older.
Italy has a variety of sacred sites and each place is designed very uniquely. One of the most popular places that most people are familiar with is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This is one of the greatest icons of Europe and was completed in 1350. Another major sacred site to see in Italy would be the Pantheon which is an ancient temple that was built in 125 AD but then was turned into a church in 609. An interesting face about the Pantheon is that it is the oldest building in Rome. Italy is filled with many sacred sites that are very popular with tourists.
Italy has been apart of the Catholic tradition for quite some time now. Modern day Italy has really stopped abiding to these rules and beliefs that were hugely looked upon during early Italian history and today, very few Italians follow these church teachings. Many Italians still consider themselves to be Catholic but, “Only about 30 percent attend weekly services” (Boston 2004). A major change concerning religion not only applies in Italy but many other countries as well. One really interesting case that occurred in Italy concerned the minister, Rocco Buttiglione. The minister had made a comment about homosexuality, and the commotion of the public lead Buttiglione to be forced to withdraw his name from the European Union.
Religion is really important to groups who come from backgrounds where beliefs and customs come before anything. Italy is dominantly a Christian country, but in modern times, does not seem to be the same case. Many of the individuals who characterize themselves as Christians do not abide by the rules and guidelines that were once looked at as a vital importance. The change of religion throughout Italian history is not considered a negative or positive outcome because; the same idea takes place in many other countries as well. Italy for the most part is still the same and, many of the same customs still are present in modern day Italy.
Dagget, S. (2001, January 15). Pre-Christian Origins of Italian Popular Religion. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.harding.edu/sdaggett/popularcatholicism1.pdf
Sacred Destinations. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/sacred-sites
Lovett, C. (2014, December 2). Daily life and social customs. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy/27025/Daily-life-and-social-customs
Boston, R. (2004, December 2). Wall of Separation. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/when-in-rome-how-cooperation-between-religion-and-government-in-italy-is