The Different Kinds of Prayers - Assignment Example

Christians Practices, Festivals and Rituals Christian Practices Christianity comprises of a group of believers who strongly believe in Jesus Christ and his teachings as per the Bible and they include the Roman Catholic and the group of Protestants such as Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Seventh Day Adventists (S.D.A) and others. However it is important to note that there are a bit of differences in some of the rituals and practices amongst the Christian denominations such as baptizing the baby by sprinkling water as done by the Roman Catholics or fully immersing the parishioner in water as done by most Protestants. It is also worth noting that most of the values and beliefs are shared amongst all Christian denominations such as the belief that Jesus Christ is a son of God and the savior of the whole world from the sin of mankind. The following writing is part of the findings I got after interviewing my neighbor who is a strong protestant and Christ follower. He says he is born again and Jesus Christ is his savior. According to the Interviewee, Jesus Christ is a son of God He is believed to be from the David‘s descendants. He is believed by Christians as the messiah who came to establish God’s kingdom in the world. Jesus teachings and ministry is very unique and it emphasizes on preaching compassion, forgiveness and love. Jesus is also known as a miracle worker and a healer who resurrected a few dead bodies during his times and many Christians still believe that His powers are still with them and that they can also perform same miracles. Christians believe that Jesus died and resurrected in order to save Christians from their sins. Christians worldwide believe that their prayers can only be heard by God if they pray in Jesus name. Christians further believe that whenever they pray or ask anything in the name of Jesus then their prayers are answered instantly. Unanswered prayers are thought to be held by the devil who does not want to see God’s people prospering. Christians are all over the world especially in Europe, Africa, South and North America and the religion rapidly spread to several parts of the world because of the need to spread gospel and show people around the world the truth. Christians believe that spreading the gospel is part of their responsibility and that God rewards whoever spreads the gospel and win many souls in the name of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless Salvation from sin and hell is by God's grace, based on the work of Jesus Christ alone and that salvation can only be received by faith apart from any human performance or merit. According to Christians, Eternal life is a gift of God and nothing can separate the believer from the love of God and that as unbelievers face eternal punishment, believers face eternal life. Jesus being the center of the Christian faith His teachings are taken seriously and he even set out two big commandments (Love God and love your neighbor) which is considered very vital amongst Christians. The Christian believe that Jesus also told his followers to spread the gospel to all the nations by sharing their faith in Christ Jesus. According to the Christian, Christians believe in giving and assisting the less fortunate people in the society as a way of receiving blessings from God. Christians are encouraged to donate food and any other material thing to the others as a way of sharing as per Jesus teachings. They even think that caring for the less privileged people and even the sick and aged is very important and it is a way of showing love to the victims. Christians believe in the Word of God which is purely written in the Bible and they claim that Bible is the manual of life and that every issue pertaining life is found in the Bible. They believe that the Bible authors of the Bible were inspired by the spirit of God and that everything written in it is the truth which sets them free from every hook of life. Reading Bible or scriptures is very important amongst the Christians since it gives them revelation about new things that they do not know about and even impacts them with divine wisdom.it is therefore mandatory that at every church gathering particularly on Sundays when they go to church, the bible must be read. The bible further includes the 10 commandments which must be kept by Christians or else they would not enjoy eternal life because the Christians believe in Life after Death. Another important tool for Christians is prayer as per the Jesus teachings because prayer is one of the most important ways of communicating with God. There are different kinds of prayers depending on the need and purpose of whoever prays. The man I interviewed also told me that there are no specific days or times of prayers since God is ready to hear and answer prayers anytime. However before a Christian particularly pray, they need to repent their sin and get saved so that God can answer their prayers otherwise the devil may hold the prayer thus preventing it from reaching its destination. Prayers are mandatory on Sundays and may be Saturdays according to other denominations since this is regarded by Christians as the day God rested after creating the heaven and the earth as well as the human being. During the church services, the Christians are required to carry offering and tithe to the church as some believe that this is a way of thanksgiving and tapping to the God’s blessings as they argue that all the wealth and riches are God’s. Rituals Christians believe in drinking wine and taking of bread as blood and body of Christ respectively as this commemorates the Last Supper or the Communion that Jesus left for them to and is considered an important ritual since it is a way they can receive God’s power of salvation. Christians also value baptism which they may involve either immersion or pouring of water by adults and or infants as a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit from God and cleansing the Christians from sin. There are also prayers done to newly married couples and the bible considers married people to be in one body of Christ and that the husband must love his wife as the wife submits to the husband. Marriage weddings are normally done ceremoniously in the church as the couples exchange vows in the church before the congregation. Couples are expected to be clean and to have been practicing abstinence before marriage and they should not commit adultery after marriage. There are also some rituals such as naming ceremonies of new born which is practiced by some denominations as a way of officially welcoming the new born in the world and giving the baby a name. Festivities Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25th of December after celebrating the month of preparation for Christmas which is known as Advent. There are also days that are regarded as season of commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection such as lent which includes forty-day preparatory period of repentance, fasting and self-denial as it commemorates Jesus’ forty-day fast in desert and it begins on Ash Wednesday. There is also the Holy Week which is the week before Easter and it involves observation of the grave rites remembering the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Furthermore, there are Holy Thursday which is the Thursday before Easter Sunday which commemorates the Last Supper and observation include washing the feet of people as Jesus did to His disciples and Palm Sunday in commemoration of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In Easter, there are Good Friday commemorating Crucifixion of Christ, Holy Saturday commemorating the burial of Christ and Easter Sunday commemorating resurrection of Christ. Finally the last festivity is Pentecost which marks fifty days after Passover and commemorates the filling of Jesus’ disciples with the Holy Spirit and it observes a time for baptizing converts. Read More