Final answer:
Religion influenced the end of Chinese maritime expeditions and spurred European explorations, with Chinese concerns over religious unrest and European motives driven by the spread of Christianity and economic pursuits. European navigational advancements, derived from Chinese inventions, facilitated this era of exploration.
Step-by-step explanation:
The role of religion played a significant part in the cessation of Chinese voyages and promotion of European explorations during the Age of Exploration. Chinese voyages, such as those led by Zheng He, ended as China's Ming dynasty adopted policies that minimized external influence and maritime ventures, partially due to concerns over the potential unrest religious missionaries could cause.
On the European side, religious zeal, particularly from Catholic nations like Spain and Portugal, motivated explorers to spread Christianity and vie for religious dominance against Muslim powers.
Moreover, as Europeans sought to circumvent Muslim middlemen on the Silk Road, they were driven by the desire to secure more direct and cost-effective trade routes to Asia. This economic ambition, combined with their religious motives, played into the improvements of navigational technologies, like the compass and the sternpost rudder, which were originally Chinese inventions that the Europeans refined for their voyages.
Lastly, the presence of missionaries, including Catholic ones, and the political actions of nations like Spain and Portugal, which established colonial footholds, significantly altered the religious landscape of regions they encountered, leading to the widespread spread of Christianity as a result of their global explorations.