Religion of Christianity
Hriju Adhikari, Maddy Giddens, Katy Yut
What is Christianity?
Christianity is a universalizing religion followed by nearly 2.2 billion people of the total world's population. It is the biggest religion in the whole world.
Origin of Christianity
- Began 2,000 years ago
- Founded on the teachings of Jesus
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem between 8 and 4 B.C.
- Jesus died in Jerusalem around A.D. 30
Basic Religious Beliefs:
- Teachings of the Bible are accepted
- Roman Catholics- God conveys His grace through seven sacraments:
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Penance
- Anointing the sick
- Matrimony
- Holy Orders
- the Eucharist
- Protestantism (Luther)- individuals are responsible for achieving salvation through direct communication with God and grace is achieved through faith, not sacraments
Classification of Christianity:
- One of the most important universalizing religions
- One of the main 3
Branches or divisions of Christianity:
- 3 major branches:
- Roman Catholic (50%)
- Protestant (25%)
- Eastern Orthodox (10%)
- Other (15%)
Roman Catholicism
Dominant Christian branch in southwest and east Europe. 95% of Christians in Latin America. 25% of Christians in North America clustered in southwestern and northeastern.
Protestantism
Dominant Christian branch in northwest Europe. 50% of the U.S. population. 4 large denominations: Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and Lutheran
Eastern Orthodoxy
Dominant Christian branch in east and southeast Europe.
Diffusion of Christianity
- Relocation, Hierarchical and Contagious Diffusion
- First diffused in Palestine through relocation diffusion
- Contagious diffusion - within Roman Empire; Daily contact between believers and non believers
- Hierarchical diffusion - The Emperor accepted Christianity
- Mission of spreading Christianity
- Paul of Tarsus - Said he had a vision of Jesus
- Was told to spread Christianity
- Mission began in Antioch
- Appealed to those who led hard live
- Spread from Antioch to Syria, Ephesus to Asia minor and Gaul, Alexandria from South and Southeast Roman Empire, from Rome to Italy and Africa and from there to Spain
- Intermarriage
- Migration
- Conversion by missionaries
Holy Places
The holy places of Christianity are in places related to the founder or the God.
- Sepphoris (Tzippori) - Virgin Mary's childhood place
- Nazareth - Mary's well, Church of Annunciation
- Bethlehem - Birthplace of Jesus
- Jerusalem - Site of Jesus's teaching; The Last Supper
- Mount Tabor - Transfiguration of Jesus
Christianity in the World Today
- Christianity has diffused to almost everywhere in the world
- Christianity is followed in the following places:
- U.K.,
- U.S.A,
- North America,
- South America,
- Africa,
- Australasia,
- India,
- Russia,
- The Middle East,
- Europe, and
- South Korea
- 33% of the people in today's world population follow Christianity.
- Nearly 2.2 billion people or 1/3 of the world population
Spread of Christianity
Key Figures
Jesus Christ of Nazareth
- Jesus is believed to be the Son of God
- He was born a Jew.
- Center of Christian worship
- He was a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth
- His life and sermons form the basis for Christianity
The Virgin Mary
- Mary is believed to be the mother of Jesus
- Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary
- She is especially honored by Roman Catholics
Adam & Eve
- The first man and woman created by God were Adam and Eve.
- They are the reason the world knows of Good and Evil
- They ate fruit from a tree in the garden of eden, even though God told them not to.
Holy Text, Symbols, & Places of Worship
Holy Text
- The Holy Bible: The bible is the collection of sacred stories and scriptures of the Christian Religion. It has an Old and a New testament. The old testament was created before the birth of Jesus, after his birth, a New Testament was written. These scriptures include stories like the birth of Jesus and other Christian beliefs.
Symbols
- Cross/Crucifix: The cross is a symbol by which Christianity is recognized. It represents sacrifice to Christians because they believe that Jesus gave his life and died on the cross so that they may go to heaven
- Fish: The letters of the Greek word for fish, ixthus were used by the early Christians as an acronym and secret symbol meaning:
I Iesous (Jesus)
X Xhristos (Christ)
TH Theos (God)
U Uios (Son)
S Soter (Savior)
This statement "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" was also like an early confession of their belief in Jesus as God and Savior.Place of Worship
- Church: Churches are where many Christians go to worship. Typically, Church is held on Sunday and people go to different churches based on their denomination.
IMPACTS
Impact on cultural beliefs and expectations:
- You are expected to pray to Christ, worship at church, celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter, and read the Holy Bible.
Impact on social and family structures:
- Christianity promotes monogamy (only one spouse), it promotes the ceremony and tradition of marriage, and it places values on a family unit that consists of a father and a mother.
Christian Wedding Ceremony