Spiritual Culture to Control Material Civilization
The most important century for the mankind is the first century.
In the first century Christ Jesus was born, started his mission, was crucified and resurrected. And then, all the documents to be later put in the New Testament were written. But the Jewish-Roman war erupted, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and Israelites were dispersed out of Palestine.
This century set the basic framework of the history of the mankind in the next 2000 years where the European civilization based on Christianity/Judaism became the mainstream.
The next important period is from around 1450 to 1550.
In this period, the Eastern Roman Empire went to ruin; Gutenberg introduced mechanical movable type printing to Europe, causing the Printing Revolution and paving the way for wider diffusion of the Bible; Columbus reached America; the Vatican started to built St. Peter's Basilica; Luther started Protestantism; the Church of England was separated from the Vatican; Copernicus presented the sun-centered theory; and Saint Francis Xavier engaged in the mission to Japan.
This period set the basic conditions for the next 500 years, namely up to today, while putting an end to the effects of the ancient Europe and opening the era of the expansion of the European civilization and Protestantism to America and East Asia (mainly Japan).
However, before the emergence of Christ Jesus, the most important years for the mankind were around 500 BC when the Buddha, Socrates, and Confucius were born; the Old Testament was completed; and Hinduism came to have strong influences in India.
Based on these cultural bases, the mankind started to develop the modern technology and science since the middle of the 19th century with discovery and application of electricity, electronics, nuclear energy, modern chemistry and biology, etc. The modern material science and technology have been mostly developed and promoted in Europe, America, and Japan.
To study and develop modern science and technology that give great power to the mankind, the mankind needed deep and robust cultural and religious frame work. Otherwise, there should have been no social environments and systems suitable for the study and development of modern science and technology. Only deep spiritual culture matching great power of the science and technology can control the mankind and prevent them from using the power to destroy one another and damage the natural environment. For example, without influences of Christianity and other religions, the mankind might have already started nuclear warfare in the late 20th century.
The spiritual culture the mankind has cultivated in these 2500 years has been able to control desire, arrogance, violence, and folly of the mankind equipped with the powerful modern science and technology up to today. However, with further development of science and technology in the 21st century, the mankind must need more effective and powerful spiritual culture and framework.
So, it is time for the mankind to review the past history and spiritual culture before blindly entering a new era with more advanced material civilization. Otherwise, the mankind might surely loose control of their new ability and power that could destroy the whole human society.
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Mat 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
Mat 9:19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.