What were the main religions in Europe before Christianity? Why did Europeans abandon their religions?

Answer 1

main religions are islam, judaism, confucism, animism
they abandon their religions cause of unity, lack of education, and the need to gain power through exaggeration

Answer 2

People didn't necessarily abandon their religions, some converted because they were told that their paganistic religion was the same as Christianity while Christianity started to adopt customs of the early pagan religions. Around the time of Constantine (about 320 A.D.), people were forced to follow the doctrine of the trinity and the newly organized church, or they were not called a Christian. This was done for political reasons, (he was not a Christian until he was baptized on his death bed) so he could have a hold over the people and many of them were afraid to go against the Emperor. Also, in the years 1095-1270 during the crusades, people were forced to believe and killed if they did not accept Christianity.

Answer 3

There were Jews, Islam and a heretical form of Christianity called catharism. I sure Europeans abandoned their religions because they were forced to. The Pope had all the say and was always selected by the king. That way the king could be assured that he and the Pope would agree on how to best CONTROL the people. Read some books by MICHAEL BAIGENT or HENRY LINCOLN. Also books on the crusades are all about that subject and more. You wouldn't believe it!

Answer 4

Most were pagans who believed in a multitude of gods and natural worship. For quite a while, the British believed in a mother goddess. The Druids were around for quite a while, and they worshipped nature. They believed that all types of trees, etc. had different properties, such as strength for oak trees. Most of them didn't so much abandon their beliefs as the Catholic Church convinced kings and their people that these beliefs were actually Christian beliefs. So the celebrations of rebirth by the Germans became integrated into Easter (that's how rabbits and eggs came into it). Samhain was renamed Halloween (it means all Hallows Eve, or the night before All Saint's Day). It was explained to be really a celebration for all the dead, just as All Saint's Day was a celebration for the death of those saints who didn't have their own feast day. Once the king of that country was convinced (or respected the might of the church enough that he pretended to be), the people were Christian in name, but usually continued their old ways, just gradually forgetting their original purpose.

Answer 5

Most of Europe before christianity was pagan, with the exception of the jewish diaspora. There were no muslims at all, because Islam appeared much later than christianity. Most of European countries adopted christianity because their rulers (be it the Roman emperor, the king of Francs of the prince of Russia Vladimir) decided so. Christianity was imposed to peoples of most of European countries as the only official religion ( the first one to do it was Roman emperor Constantin in 313 AD), as communism was imposed to the peoples of ex-Soviet Union and Eastern European countries as an official ideology in the beginning of the 20th century. For many centuries old pagan beliefs cohexisted with christianity, and many pagan holidays and customs were incorporated in it (i.e. 25 of December, Christmas day, was in Ancient Rome the holiday of god Janus, or the custom of painting eggs for Easter was a very old pagan custom in many countries). In most of European countries transition to christianity was rather peaceful, allthough some of European peoples (saxons in the times of Charlemagne, or baltic tribes in the 13-14 centuries) were really christianed by "fire and sword".

Answer 6

Europe was pagan-based religions. They changed over because it was either that or death. As in Christians would move into a place and say "convert or die" People kinda forget that little detail. Also, a lot of pagan beliefs were either adapted into Christianity or associated with the devil.

Answer 7

at that time the most powerful empire was rome and the official religion of rome was solus invicti (the cult of sun). the other nations had similar pagan religions. when the christianity came all the citizens of rome were forced to convert, and so christianity spread through all the europe. besides christianity there was islam (balkans and spain)

Answer 8

Main religious were the gods of the Greece mythology and some like that people believed in lots of gods and the getting of the religion in one god was the entrance into the civilization>>is it OK?

Answer 9

Interesting

Answer 10

What we now refer to as pagan-ism, or "witchcraft". Can you say inquisition? The Catholics came in, converted the leaders and said that all who followed the old religions were witches and put them to death in the most hideous of ways. Burning, boiling, stoning, quartering, etc... Of course they all admitted to being witches after the torture bestowed upon them.