All cultures have had religion as a major part of their lives for centuries. Many great things have been made possible by religion, as well as some less so. Religions were spread and attracted new believers. Others also converted to other religions. Missionaries are the ones responsible for spreading God’s word in many religions. This applies to Christianity as well. The Christian missionary’s job was to spread God’s word to everyone. Western exploration was greatly influenced by the desire to spread God’s word. People were motivated to explore the west world by spreading the word about God and accumulating wealth and power.
After expulsion of the Muslims from Portugal, Portugal decided to explore the west. Portugal’s rulers aimed to conquer Africa due to the strength they gained from the successful expulsions of other peoples. The threat of causing havoc to the Muslim community and the potential for riches attracted the Portugese leaders (Stearns34). Vasco Da Gama, a Portugese mariner, set sail from Portugal to Calicut in India in 1498. When asked why he did it, he replied that he was a Christian and that spicing up his life were the reasons. He was driven to Calicut by the mass conversion of Hindus to Roman Catholicism. Vasco Da Gama was like most other explorers of that time, he wanted Christians and spices. Either the people traveled to convert or find riches, or both (Stearns150).
Some countries weren’t as interested in spreading Roman Catholicism, while others were. English and Protestant Dutch didn’t care about converting Christians. The worldwide operation of Spanish and Portugese was not complete without the spread Roman Catholicism.