Christianity
Historically, missions have been religious communities used to convert local populations to Christianity. Missions often provided the logistics and supplies needed to support that work, as well as a way to "civilize" recently Christianized indigenous peoples through cultural assimilation and Westernization.
Catholicism's support for the Spanish missions in the Americas played a key role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Catholic mission communities commonly consisted of churches, gardens, fields, barns, workrooms, dormitories, and schools. They were often located based on the availability of a good water supply to support the local population.
Read more about this topic: Mission (station)
Famous quotes containing the word christianity:
“With two thousand years of Christianity behind him ... a man can’t see a regiment of soldiers march past without going off the deep end. It starts off far too many ideas in his head.”
—Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894–1961)