The influence of religious history in the Middle EastOver the past 5 months, I have studied the religious history of every country we have become separated. My project involves tracing religious developments in each of the four countries and the role religion plays in the social, political and moral elements of each destination. I explored the history of the nation and which major figures or events shaped the religious significance of each respective country. I learned about each religion while I was in each country and made connections about how their culture is shaped by that religious aspect. The observations I had on these societies will be correlated to their religious evolution and will be compared to our American society. My goal was to understand the influence of religion in a society. This was a great opportunity to observe this influence since all the respective nations are very representative of monotheistic religions. This plan has been beneficial for my ME studies concentration as well as my history major. To prepare for my trip, I had taken a course on the Orthodox Church at St. Olaf and also read Father's Introduction to the Orthodox Church. Antoine Coniaris. My preparation for this particular faith has continued since my birth. The preparation for Islam consisted of a small introductory book given to me by neighbors in my dormitory who practice Islam. It gave me a good foundation to build on. The Internet was used to prepare for learning the Jewish faith. The Encyclopedia will give me an overview of each country before I leave. Additionally, the completion of Understanding the Contemporary Middle East provided a solid foundation on which to build. In this final presentation, I will leave aside the dates and details that made up my previous speeches and focus on how culture is influenced by its history. History isn't just about remembering dates and dead old people. It's about understanding and analyzing the information that shapes the world around us. All the dates will do for you is make it easier to remember an ATM code, that's all. How many people say “they hate history class… but… they love the history channel?” » Lots of people, because history is fun when you do something with it. When you take information and create explanations for why certain cultures perceive things the way they do, you are doing what historians do and implementing the true purpose of history, making connections between the past and the present and connect people who are geographically separated. and also culturally.