Christianity is a historical religion, meaning that it is based upon not
only ideas and writings, but also upon certain events (e.g., the Exodus,
the Resurrection, etc.). The texts upon which the teachings of
Christianity rest are the Tanakh and the New Testament. A
thorough knowledge of these texts is necessary to understand Christianity
- if you haven't read these texts, then don't assume that you know what
Christianity is. There is an immense variety in the forms
("denominations") of Christianity, but they all share the same texts, the
same historical events, and the same basic ideas. Some of these forms are: Roman Catholocism, Egyptian Coptic, Eastern Orthodoxy, Baptist, Lutheran, Anglican, and many others.
A little history The Christian religion began in Israel; it first spread to the countries of Syria and Ethiopia, in which it was the dominate religion from around 100 AD to around 600 AD.
It is important to remember the historical perspective on the spread of this faith: Christianity was in Syria before it was in Greece, in Ethiopia before it was in Europe, in India before it was in England, and in China before it was in America.
The Basics For academic purposes, the following outline can be taken as a rough sketch of Christian beliefs and practices:
God loves all human beings; "love" is taken not as an emotion, but as concrete, supportive, and helpful actions.
God desires and commands that human beings help and love each
other.
Human beings are by their own nature prevented from helping other
because of their selfishness; humans are slaves to their own desires
and find it impossible to break away from the power of their own wills;
the opposite of "love" is "selfishness."
God offers humans the opportunity to free themselves from selfishness;
the Person for Whom the Christian religion is named was a first-century Rabbi named Y'shua (in English, "Jesus"); He explained God's offer, and
showed that it was made available first to Jews, and then to all
humans.
Y'shua demonstrated His divinity by rising from the dead; even His
bitterest enemies did not contest the authenticity of this event.
Those who practice the Christian religion are those who dedicate their
lives to feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, helping the poor, and
otherwise being of service to their fellow human beings.
So what do Christians believe? you might want to ask; but the question itself is somewhat "off the mark" - on the one hand, your beliefs (accurate or inaccurate) will not earn God's favor in any way; on the other hand, Christianity is at least as much a matter of practices as beliefs: it's not merely what one believes but what one does.
Hey! You've contradicted yourself! First, you said my beliefs didn't earn me anything, and then you said that not only did I have to believe, but I also had to act accordingly! Which is it? Let's try it again: your beliefs won't earn you anything - God already loves you. But if you believe and live according to those beliefs, then you're opening the door to "peace of mind" and "authentic living" - you're gaining freedom from being controlled by impulses and from a sense of pointlessness about life.
O.K., so I can't earn God's favor with my beliefs or my actions; it's a free gift. But what do Christians believe, just for curiosity's sake? One might answer, Christians believe the Bible; but that answer isn't too satisfactory. The Bible is a large book (as many words as five normal-sized paperbacks!), and different people claim to interpret it differently. Individually and in groups, Christians write "statements of belief" or "creeds" to explain what they believe. These statements contain the same truths, but are addressed to different cultural and historical situations. Click here to purchase a little book which outlines the basics of Christianity.
There would be:
329 Christians
174 Muslims
131 Hindus
61 Buddhists
52 anamists
3 Jews
34 members of other religions
216 without any religion
In this village:
6% would have half of all income
50% would be hungry
60% would live in shantytowns
70% would be illiterate
There would be:
564 Asians
210 Europeans
86 Africans
80 South Americans
60 North Americans
Christians would be:
put in prison for their faith in Sudan, China, and 20 other countries
doing 90% of the charity work to help those who are hungry
Food for ThoughtThe Global Village
If we could, at this very moment, shrink the earth's population to a village of 100 people, with all existing human ratios staying the same, the village would look like this:
There would be 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 Western Hemisphere people (North and South America), and 8 Africans. Christians would be found in all of these groups.
70 of 100 people would be non-white; 30 would be white. Most Christians would not be white.
70 of 100 people would be non-Christian; 30 would be Christian. These 30 people would do 75% of the work in helping the poor and the sick.
50% of the entire world's wealth would be in the hands of 6 people - all would be U.S. citizens. Two of those six would be Christians; those two would do over 50% of the world's charitable giving, to help both in their country and in developing countries.
70 would be unable to read; 50 would suffer from malnutrition; 80 would live in sub-standard housing; and only 1% would have a university education. Christians would be doing over half of the work to create equity in this situation.
Religious Persecution Bill Signed Into Law. Without ceremony or fanfare, the president quietly signed the International Religious Freedom Act (H.R. 2431) on Tuesday, October 27, 1998. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers, and it is a good step toward putting America firmly on the side of the persecuted. The final version of the bill creates an independent Commission on International Religious Freedom to investigate religious persecution and to advise the president on foreign policy options. The legislation allows the president to choose from a menu of options to deal with offending foreign governments, ranging from mild diplomatic actions to sanctions, although the president may waive the sanctions if he feels they would harm any "national interest." If the Commission provides credible evidence, then Americans can use this knowledge to press for policy changes.
Get your own Free Home Page