WI: Jesus hates Columbus

What if Christianity somehow condemned overseas exploration, and that was strictly enforced by the Pope and every European monarch? What happens?
 
What if Christianity somehow condemned overseas exploration, and that was strictly enforced by the Pope and every European monarch? What happens?

Columbus sails for the Ottomans?*



*Ignoring the huge butterflies that would inevitably result of course.
 
What if Christianity somehow condemned overseas exploration, and that was strictly enforced by the Pope and every European monarch? What happens?
???If Jesus were the kind of leader who said that - and what 'overseas exploration?', then his religious movement wouldn't go anywhere, and his opinion would be irrelevant.

It was because he preached about the Kingdom of God and relations between people rather than politics that allowed a) his movement to avoid being crushed, and b) people to WANT to join it. (Well, that and the fact that he was God:) - but God's not stupid and he wouldn't have preached things that didn't work.)

If he had preached weird geographic ideas, he'd be just another one of the numerous Messiah-wannabes who were a dime a dozen in the area at the time.
 
What if Christianity somehow condemned overseas exploration, and that was strictly enforced by the Pope and every European monarch? What happens?

That's the most difficult part. If someone accidentally (or not so...) stumbles upon Mesoamerica and brings back tales of cities of gold, some like the King of England or the Holy Roman Emperor will just flip the Pope off, take the gold, and buy armies with it.
 
Why would Jesus dislike overseas exploration? It's not like it was an issue, at the time.
 
I'm not certain it would really work in the long run. Humans seem to have a need to explore, and their were quite a few economic insentives for exploration.
 
This is unlikely for apart from anything else Christianity needs exploration to proselatise. There is a possibility that the protestant nations would move in. There is also the pressure to develop trade. However if Chistendom opted out then the Moselm world would move in a bit like Robert Silverbergs Gate of Worlds.Also the Chinese might start resuming their voyages that were only stopped by the Ming dynasty collapsing from within. Or less likely, the Aztecs began to expand esatwards as in Chris Evans Aztec Century
 
They'd find loopholes. For example: is it really exploration if you're pretty sure you know where you're going?
 
Top