How did Christianity influenced the ideas of democracy?

Answer 1

One central ideal common to all of the above is that of personal responsibility to the society one lives in. Personal duty to your society, that duty being to act in ways which positively impact your society, goes hand in hand with the concepts of personal liberty.

Judaism emphasized the obligation of moral behavior toward your neighbors, and Christianity added more emphasis on personal freedom and responsibility toward individuals as well as society as a whole. The Renaissance saw the rise of political philosophies again emphasizing duty to ones society and culture, and individual morality. The Reformation brought even more emphasis on the individuals personal freedom and responsibilities as the two sides of a societal coin.

Think of the privileges you have as an independent free person in a free society. The other side of that coin is the responsibility to use that freedom and those privileges for the good of your neighbor as well as yourself. That is the democratic principle in a nutshell, and also the central thrust of the philosophies that have come down to us through the four influences you mention.

Answer 2

Concepts and theories of democratic governance predates Christianity. Democratic systems were found in ancient Greece and Rome. Furthermore democratic ideas of rule by consensus are also found across other civilizations and tribal governances.

Answer 3

Well that's a big question, but it started with the idea that all men were created equal (Christianiy recognizes that all people are equally deserving of love, liberty, and opportunity), so consequentially a government was formed that is supposed to give every person an equal voice. Obviouslly, the "Founding Fathers" didn't fully recognize Christianity's view of humans, as they still allowed slavery (although some of them were against it). Also, like all things (especially government), nothing turns out perfect. Democracy doesn't always lend itself to everyone equally, there is still possibility for injustice, but it is far suppurior to any other government past or present.

Answer 4

Christianity's influence on the rise of democratic ideas included the belief in personal duty to your society, and positive impact to society which concurs with the concept of personal liberty envisioned by democracy.