Profile of the origins and appeal of pilgrimages today Coursework

Profile of the origins and appeal of pilgrimages today - Coursework Example Up to the 4th century, when there was a paradigm shift and Christianity became legal, pilgrimage was considered as a purely pagan practice. Christianity in the 4th was controlled in its premature stage by the Constantine the â€Å"Great and the First Council of Nicaea of 325†. This was a contemplative practice since it made Christianity the national church in the Roman Empire. However, on the contrary to the widespread knowledge, the origin of the pilgrimage tradition in Christianity can be traced back to the initial years of the Church. The Christians wanted to visit the places where Jesus was born and resurrected such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In the 7th century, the holy lands were taken by Muslim Caliphates, making the pilgrimage a dangerous undertaking for Christians. The Crusaders successfully secured Christian access to the areas during the 12th century. Nonetheless, in the 13th century the area was retaken by the Ayubiddis, maintaining the status quo that had existed before the crusaders came. Hajj is perhaps the most famous pilgrimage tradition of our time. Various research articles point to the fact that the Mecca pilgrimage rituals trace way back to the days of Abraham. These days are considered as the once that generated the spiritual journey that every Muslim faithful is expected to undertake, at least once in his/her lifetime. Nevertheless, the patterns of this ritual that are being witnessed today were established by their prophet Muhammad. A pilgrimage journey is one that is motivated by internal contemplative needs. The objectives of conducting these missions may vary, but all of them are motivated by spiritual anticipations. For instance, when the early Christians went to Rome and Jerusalem, this was a way of showing penitence. This act was essentially to match the spiritual objectives by the Christians. Mother Teresa of Avilla also augmented this argument when she reckoned that the internal spiritual journey was a