Life in the Middle Ages was far from our current definition of "pleasant" or "enjoyable"; however, the positive influence of religion had a dramatic impact on the quality of life for many inhabitants of this age.
Peasants, who populated most of Europe at this time, would rarely be seen as people living an enjoyable life. Many people suffered from disease, and more still suffered from starvation. As religion gave people something to focus on other than where there next meal would be coming from, their minds were set at ease with the understanding that there would be a better life for them when Death finally came for them. The idea that a person belonged to something greater than themselves, as well as giving people hope during hard times, positively influenced not only a lifetime, but also generations.
Religious influence was positive for both adults as well as children. A child who's incredibly dangerous infancy lasted longer than one year grew up learning about their God and ways of their faith. Facing serious malnutrition and disease, children were taught the hardness of life early, and many times cruelly as they watched their siblings die at an inexplicable rate. Religious teachings gave reason to children for why people would die, and led them to feel content with knowing that there was some form of afterlife to which they crossed into. Some forms of Christianity taught children that by following simple rules of faith, death would result in rejoining of loved ones in Heaven; however, if you did not follow the rules you were cast into hell to burn for eternity. In the Muslim faith, children are taught that what they do in life molds their souls for the eventual heaven or hell existence after death. Both of these ideals encouraged good behavior in children which in turn improved the quality of life for not only that individual, but also for the community.
Adults who had survived the harsh childhood of the middle ages usually found themselves still struggling to live up to the modern definition of a "good life".
