Who knew that in the 1300s the plague would strike along trade routes (Doc 1) to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, killing nearly a third of the people there population that has been exposed to it in just five years? Many during this time period would say that God not only knew, but was also responsible for the spread of the plague known as the “Black Death, Great Plague or even Great Plague”; it was a combination of three different plagues from three different bacterial strains: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic (basic assay). No matter what kind you got hit by, it almost always led to a death, an agonizing death. When Europe and the Middle East were hit by the Black Death in the mid-14th century, religion was the most important aspect of everyone's life. The two most popular religions at the time were Christianity and Islam. Although these religions are very similar in their beliefs, what differentiates them is how their followers reacted to the Black Death and what they believed about it: whether to see it as a blessing or a curse. The most common opinion regarding the cause of the plague was religious. European Christians viewed the Black Death as “God's just reward for our sins” (Doc 4) for leading an immoral life. Christians looked to God and asked him to forgive their sins: recognizing that the plague was the result of their choices. They lived a life full of fear and warned to “do not stray from the right path and perish” (Doc 4). Along with these beliefs, Christians blamed the Jews for the plague. They believed they had poisoned the wells and thousands of people were killed as a result (Doc 7). The pope, however, issued a statement stating that the Jews were not responsible for the plague (D...... middle of paper ...... fight there in the prayers... Then, after performing the prayer of dawn... they all went out together.” With the Koran in hand, the Muslims were soon joined by the Jews and Christians who held their own religious books, “begging God's favor through His Books and His Prophets.” more popular than before. People looked to religion for answers, forgiveness and salvation. Although many of the actions of Muslims and Christians were different during the plague, they had a common belief: God created the plague without depending on race or religion, the plague was the most destructive natural phenomenon in the history of the world (Background Essay) and killed almost everyone it infected. Being religious helped many people deal with the difficult times created by the plague in that period of life.