The reasons for the adoption of Christianity in Russia

There were several reasons for accepting Christianity in Russia. One of the main factors that prompted her to become more civilized and to give up paganism was Vladimir's desire to make Russia a single state and to connect the peoples living in it. At that time, the creation of a strong princedom was necessary. Paganism did not allow to unite the tribes and caused a number of conflicts between them. Together with this, the prince's power was insignificant. To consolidate the people and strengthen their own importance, Prince Vladimir made the adoption of Christianity.

But this is not the only factor that provoked the event. The reasons for the adoption of Christianity in Russia were different. It was necessary and rapprochement with other countries, in particular with Europe. In those days paganism was not welcomed by many countries that adopted Christianity. Therefore, it was the cause of alienation and hostility, manifested in relation to the Russian state. These were the international reasons for the acceptance of Christianity by Russia.

We should not forget about the possible personal motives of Prince Vladimir. He did not want to live in sin, and tried to get rid of his pagan lifestyle. During the whole period of his reign, he did enough actions, which personified him not on the best side. It was necessary for him to be purified, and it was possible to achieve it by adopting Christianity. A good example was the past of his grandmother Olga. She personified the image of the princess, who left a good memory of herself. Prince Vladimir also had personal reasons for accepting Christianity in Russia. This is his upcoming wedding with the sister of Prince Byzantium. Such kinship was necessary to strengthen the authority of Prince Vladimir and a more solid becoming of princely power.

When the thought arose of abandoning paganism, it was necessary to determine the faith. This historic moment, very important for Russia, took place in Kiev. There the ambassadors arrived, professing the three main religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It was Prince Vladimir who chose religion for the Russian state. Islam did not like him because he refused to use wine. According to the prince, for Russia this was not acceptable. Judaism he rejected because of the lack of this religion of his own state. Jews in those days wandered all over the earth. The proposal of the representative of the Vatican also did not please the prince. He referred to the opinion of his grandmother, Princess Olga, who categorically rejected Catholicism. And only the speech of a representative of the Orthodox Christian church had the desired effect. Vladimir said goodbye to representatives of religions, without making a final choice. But then he proclaimed that the faith of Christians is the best and that they have very beautiful temples. This history of the choice of religion for Russia has come down to our days in the form of a legend. Therefore, it is impossible to say with certainty what prompted the choice of Christianity. But one thing is clear: the reasons for the adoption of Christianity in Russia were and this process has been brewing for a long time.

The reasons for the adoption of Christianity followed from the close relationship of the Russian state with the Byzantine state. With Russia, he was bound by economic and cultural factors. In addition, the Russian state already had a community of Christians, which appeared long before the start of the reign of Prince Vladimir.

The formation of Christianity in Russia was a long and painful. Kiev accepted this religion at once, but some cities did not want to part with paganism. Therefore, the introduction of Christianity had to use violent measures. Paganism to the end did not disappear from the lives of the inhabitants of Russia. There was an intertwining of these two directions. This is a feature of the Christian religion in the Russian state. The reasons for the adoption of Christianity in Russia were only a force that accelerated this process. Sooner or later, it had to happen.