International commerce has been responsible for the spread of cultural and religious ideas for centuries. When overseas shipping vessels arrive in a foreign port they bring with them the belief system of their home nation. The interaction that follows with the local residents involves the trading of ideas and concepts of good and evil that they may share or not share. The Roman Empire and the Catholic Church that developed from it knew this and used it to help spread their faith across the globe.



Overseas shipping in the name of God goes back to the Middle Ages when Rome, at that time an empire of Christianity but not the military power it once was, encouraged the Catholic monarchies of Europe to spread the faith in their quest for more territory. The discovery of America in 1492 led to an effort on the part of Spain to convert the heathen people of the New World. Missions were established and overseas shipping companies became prosperous supplying the new outposts.

In the century preceding Columbus discovery, Europe underwent some dramatic religious changes. Rome was the seat of Catholicism and the emperors and Caesars of old were referred to as Popes. England had separated from the Church and formed the Church of England, the beginnings of the Protestant faith. Spain, the champions of Catholicism, and England, home of the upstart Protestant faith, waged a war of expansion In the Name of God. As is often the case when a deity is invoked as a reason for a specific action, the conquest of North and South America and the war between England and Spain really had nothing to do with religion.

It may have been the motivating force for the common soldier but for the governments and merchants involved it was all about control of overseas shipping profits. The new hemisphere meant new trade routes and markets that hadn't existed before. As the nations of Europe began to colonize in the new land the need for overseas shipping of supplies and weapons became greater and the desire of men in power became stronger.

The ability to be able to feed, cloth and otherwise supply a village, city, colony or country has always been the key to power for nations who seek to become empires. The overseas shipping companies of Great Britain used their superior numbers and the backing of the Royal Navy to become the dominant force in North America and the Caribbean. The Spanish, who arrived on the continent first, actually expanded into a larger area which eventually included South and Central America, Mexico and the West Coast of California. Both countries used force of arms to carve out their territory but it took the trade power of overseas shipping from Europe to hold it.

The morality that is taught by different churches and religions has been one of the greatest forces of good in the history of man. Behind the struggles for power and the closed-mindedness of certain church leaders are faiths that teach the difference between good and evil that have been responsible for the civilization that we have today. Governments and those in power don't always make the right choice when money is involved. Ultimately, it's up to us as individuals to choose what is right and what is wrong.