how might a belief in the need to spread christianity motivate countries to dominate other countries or regions?

A belief that Christianity must be spread everywhere has often been used to justify political control, conquest, and empire over other peoples and regions.

Core idea in one sentence

If leaders are convinced they have a sacred duty to convert others, they may see conquering, ruling, or “civilizing” foreign peoples as not just allowed, but morally necessary.

1. “Spreading the faith” as a moral excuse for domination

Many European empires framed expansion as a religious mission rather than simply a power grab.

• Rulers argued that conquering non‑Christian lands allowed them to bring “salvation” to populations they viewed as spiritually lost.

• Violence, forced labor, or political control could be portrayed as unfortunate but acceptable if they ultimately produced Christian converts.

• This turned aggressive expansion into something that felt righteous and divinely approved for those in power.

A classic example is how Spanish and Portuguese authorities treated indigenous peoples in the Americas: domination and land seizure were justified as part of a Christianizing mission.

2. Belief in religious and cultural superiority

If a country believes its religion is the one true path, it often starts seeing its whole culture as superior.

• Non‑Christian societies were frequently labeled “backward,” “barbaric,” or “pagan,” so ruling them was framed as helping them “advance.”

• Missionary schools and churches often replaced local languages, customs, and religions with European ones, teaching that European Christian norms were higher or more civilized.

• This attitude made it easier to dismiss local leaders and traditions and to justify foreign control over laws, education, and land.

In Africa, for instance, many missionaries combined preaching with promoting European ideas and political loyalties, which supported colonial rule.

3. Religion tied directly to empire and economics

Spreading Christianity was often tightly linked to economic and strategic goals.

• Missionaries could open the door for traders, soldiers, and administrators by familiarizing local populations with European ways and authority.

• Leaders argued that controlling a region made it safer and easier to build churches, schools, and missions, blending religious language with commercial interests like resources and trade routes.

• Some colonial planners explicitly described conversion and empire as two sides of the same project: expanding markets and “saving souls” together.

During the Age of Discovery, Spanish and Portuguese expansion into the Americas and beyond was justified both as a way to gain wealth and as a divine duty to evangelize.

4. “Convert or be conquered” logic

In some cases, religious belief fueled a stark “convert or suffer” mentality that morally licensed domination.

• Indigenous peoples were sometimes presented with ultimatums: accept Christianity and foreign rule, or face war and dispossession.

• Because rulers believed God commanded them to spread the faith, resistance could be framed as resistance to God, not just to another kingdom.

• That framing made harsh punishments, land seizure, and suppression of local religions seem like enforcing divine order rather than simple oppression.

Accounts of conquest in the Americas describe how religious arguments were used to justify devastating campaigns against Indigenous societies.

5. Internal tensions and resistance

It’s important to note that not all Christians or missionaries agreed with using domination to spread Christianity.

• Some missionaries criticized colonial abuses and later supported anti‑colonial movements, arguing that true Christianity opposed exploitation.

• Local Christian leaders in colonized regions sometimes used Christian ideas of justice and liberation to challenge foreign rule instead of supporting it.

So while belief in spreading Christianity could motivate domination, it also, at times, inspired resistance to that very domination.

TL;DR: A belief in the need to spread Christianity can motivate countries to dominate others by turning conquest into a “holy mission,” reinforcing a sense of cultural superiority, tying religion to economic and imperial goals, and framing resistance as opposition to God rather than to human rulers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.