Religion: Christianity

Aug 14

4 min read

In past blog posts, I've discussed the role of religion in culture. I feel that it's important that we start delving into different religions and understand their differences and similarities to other religions. The first one I've decided to talk about is Christianity.

Introduction

Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, meaning it only worships one God. However, Christians worship this one God in the form of three people: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is currently the largest religion, spread across all seven continents. Christianity has around 2.4 billion followers (31% of the world). The teachings of Christianity are based on the teachings of the messiah Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Christianity is a complex religion. Several branches, or denominations, exist worldwide. There are multiple reasons for these different denominations in Christianity, most of which can be summed up to cultural differences and different interpretations of the bible. However, I will be discussing Christianity as a whole, and the different denotations later in this post.

Jesus Christ - Founder of Christianity

Considered the Son of God and the second person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, or Jesus of Nazareth, was born to a young Jewish virgin named Mary in Bethlehem. This event was considered supernatural since God impregnated Mary with the Holy Spirit. While very little is mentioned about Jesus' early life in texts, we know he was raised Jewish and had an earthly father, Joseph, who taught him to become a carpenter.

However, Jesus strayed from being a carpenter and began preaching his teachings instead. At the age of 30, he began traveling around the area of Nazareth, teaching people about God and urging them to change their lifestyles. Jesus and his group of followers created a branch of Judaism called Jewish Christianity. Jesus' intention was to establish a new sect of Judaism, which we know did not turn out that way.

During his travels with his disciples and followers, Jesus preached to the masses and performed multiple miracles throughout his life: being born to a virgin, turning water into wine, multiplying fish and loaves of bread to feed people, walking on water, and bringing people back to life.

When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the Passover festival, he angers the religious authorities. There, one of his disciples, Judas, agrees to betray Jesus. After celebrating the Passover meal, Jesus is arrested and charged with the death penalty. It was there that he was crucified on Good Friday and then later resurrected on Easter Sunday. Six weeks later, Jesus ascends to heaven.

After his death, one of Jesus' disciples began spreading the word of Jesus and the teachings of Christianity until it gained massive popularity and broke off into its own religion. Along with that, there was a holy text called the bible created by his disciples to persuade others that Jesus was the Son of God and the savior of the world.

What Are the Basic Beliefs of Christianity?

There are a multitude of beliefs of Christianity in all of the bible, but there are a few main teachings that are well-known:

The Trinity: The idea that there is one God that exists in three "persons" (The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit)
The Afterlife: Christianity believes that there is an afterlife for people who die. There's heaven, a place meant for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, and hell, a place meant for those who don't believe in Jesus Christ.
Salvation: The idea that converting to Christianity and accepting Jesus Christ as one's savior would help one go to heaven after death.

These are the three major beliefs in Christianity, including the different denominations. There are some major differences between the denominations, though.

The 7 Major Christian Denominations

There are seven major denominations in Christianity that differ from one another.

Angelic: Uses the 'Book of Common Prayer,' has two sacraments, rejects Roman Catholics' view of transubstantiation, allows women as bishops/priests, and adopts a posturevia media.
Baptist: Accepts that each church should control its own affairs, believes people must make a profession of faith before being baptized, stresses the importance of regenerating church membership, and emphasizes the importance of religious liberty.
Eastern/Orthodox: Holds high views of tradition, includes several intertestamental books and other additions, emphasizes incarnation and resurrection, and a union of God is stressed as the overall point of salvation.
Lutheran: Has the 'The Book of Concord', emphasizes the need to read Scripture through the lens of law/gospel distinction, and utilizes the two kingdoms doctrine.
Methodist: Teaches the Arminian view of human will and teaches that Christians can become fully mature.
Presbyterian: Believes in the Calvinist view of salvation, practices baptism through sprinkling, and allows Presbyterian elders to marry.
Roman Catholic: Has seven sacraments, includes additional intertestamental books, celibacy is the norm for bishops/priests, emphasis on atonement, and believes that justification encompasses all of salvation

Christianity, one of the most widespread religions of all time, is very complex. Its stories and ideas have had such an influence on the world that they're still being studied to this day. In my opinion, the stories and morals that are emphasized throughout this religion are so impactful and powerful that there is no question why 31% of the world is a follower of Christianity.

Religion: Christianity

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