Analysis of the Christianity Religion - Assignment Example

Analysis of the Christianity Religion The Origin of Christianity Christianity as a religion originated from the eastern Mediterranean with the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Christianity can be defined from different dimensions but basically, it is a religion that is based on the life of Jesus Christ and his teachings. Christ is a Greek word that means the one that is chosen. Christians believe in the presence of a supreme being, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit. Having began in the Mediterranean it spread across Europe, and by fourth century, it had spread in the entire Roman Empire. The remaining part of Europe was Christianized by the end of the Middle Ages. Through mission work and colonization, Christianity spread to the Americans, the Asian and subsequently to most parts of the world. Today, Christianity is a superior religion with the highest number of adherents as compared to other religions. Actually, there are more the two billions of Christians all over the world (Charles, 1913). Christian Beliefs Many Christians interpret the information in the Bible differently. Although this is the case, there are certain beliefs that remain essential for Christians’ faith and are therefore acceptable by all Christians across all denominations. Following are Christian beliefs that are quite essential for its existence and propagation: The Doctrine of the Apostles Creed This article of faith was initially used by baptismal candidates but was later expanded to be used by all those that proclaimed the Christian faith. It is through this belief that Christians pledge their allegiance to one God, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Further, the Christians declare the holiness of the church, the second coming of Christ, the day of reckoning and salvation of humanity by the Savior. Moreover, the Christians assert the death and the resurrection of Christ. Other statements of beliefs are present in the Christian religion but not common in all the Christian denominations. The Nicene, the Anathasian and the Chalcedonian Creeds are also used by different denominations. All these doctrines reveal the presence of one unifying power, the Supreme Being. Most Christians have accepted the use of creeds and subscribe to at least one of them. (Charles,1913). Jesus Christ Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the only son of God and that He was sacrificed to save mankind from all evils of the world. According to the New Testament, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, who conceived through the Holy Spirit. The birth of Jesus Christ is marked by all Christians in the twenty fifth of December and is referred as Christmas. The life of Jesus Christ is documented in the New Testament in certain sections referred to as the Gospel, meaning “the good news”. Jesus teachings, his baptism, the miracles he performed and his deeds are documented in the Gospel books namely: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. His crucifixion and resurrection are the foundation of Christianity and they symbolize the sacrifice made by God to redeem man from sins. (Lorenzen, 2003) The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the basis of Christians’ belief in life after death. Christians commemorate the death of the Messiah on Good Friday while his resurrection is marked on the Easter holiday. While Christmas is fixed on the twenty fifth of December, the Easter holiday is not fixed but it is held on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon. (Lorenzen, 2003) Eternity and Salvation Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians believe in life after death also known as eternity. Though Christians across the board differ in their understanding on salvation, the bottom line is that the adherents must live in accordance with the principles of Christianity and follow teaching of Jesus Christ. (Lorenzen, 2003) The Christian Scriptures The bible is the Holy Book in Christianity and the adherents of the Christian faith believe that it is self sufficient having being written by man guided by the Holy Spirit. The Bible can broadly be divided into two major sections including the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the part of the Bible that is common in both Christianity and Judaism while the New Testament is the section of the bible that entirely comprises Christianity. Both were inherited from the Jewish scriptures, the Tanank, while the former contains thirty nine books, the latter is made of twenty seven scriptures. These books were originally written in Hebrew and therefore called the canons. While the Protestants’ Bible contains canonical books only, the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church contains books whose origin was not Hebrew and therefore known as the deutrocanonical (Cross, 1997). Christian Rituals This is a rite instituted by the Messiah as an outward sign to show ones submission and faith in Christ and are collectively referred to as sacraments. Baptism and Eucharist are the widely accepted rites in Christianity. Baptism is the initiation of one into Christianity through immersion into water or pouring of the water three times on the head of the convert. Other sacraments exist in distinguished denominations though not entirely in Christianity and these include: confirmation, holy matrimony, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and confession among others. (Lorenzen, 2003) The Christian Symbols There are several Christian symbols that existed before the modern church but the most conspicuous is the cross. Different dimensions of the cross have developed since the early church but the basic dimensions of the cross are the crossing of two lines perpendicularly or at right angles. Although the cross was used by the early Christians, it gained popularity during the fifth century and its use symbolizes Jesus crucifixion. Another symbol of Christianity that was common in early Christianity is a fish that was engraved on the tomb to symbolize the character of Jesus. A lamb was also used to symbolize the sacrifice that God made for salvation of mankind. A vine is also a common symbol in Christianity that signifies the relationship between Christ and Christians (Charles, 1913). Worship All Christians attend Communal services on Sundays with the exception of the Seventh Day Adventist who attend their services on Saturdays. The resurrection of Christ on Sunday drove the most denominations of Christians to settle for Sunday as the day of worship. Worship in Christianity includes congregational prayers that can be categorized as thanksgiving, intercession and confession. The Lord’s Prayer as was taught by Jesus Christ is commonly recited during the Sunday services. In modern Christianity, worship is characterized by dancing, use of multimedia and concerts that resemble pop music and rock. Musical instruments are also commonly used during worship and the mode of worship may be varied depending on the ceremony. Prayers Various physical signs accompany prayers and are often practiced by certain denominations across the Christianity faith. The physical gestures are mostly symbolic and often show the humility and submission of humankind to a supreme being. Kneeling is the most common gesture during prayers and it depicts the structure of the cross. Other gestures include bowing, prostration and placing of palms together. In certain Christian denominations, the adherents believe in intercession of prayers through apostles also known as saints. Certain prayers are used for specific ceremonies, while others are used during baptismal ceremonies, others may be used to pray for the dead during funeral services. The Liturgical Calendar The Christian calendar is also known as the liturgical year and it is characterized by holy days that most Christians commemorate. These special days were either obtained from the life of Jesus or they were initiated to mark important events. The liturgical calendar therefore determines when the feast days are to be observed and the sections of the Bible to be read at different occasions. These holy days include the Easter holiday, the Good Friday and Christmas holiday while other events would include; the Pentecost week and the day of lent (Cross, 1997). References Charles, A. (1913) The Christian faith: its origin, history and interpretation of the Apostles' and Nicene creeds. London C. Scribner's sons Publishers. Cross, F. L. (1997) The Oxford Dictionary of Christianity. London. Oxford University Press. Lorenzen, T. (2003) Resurrection, Discipleship, Affirming the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Today. California. University press of California Read More