Christianity, Part I
Christianity, Part I
Hopefully, by now, you have been able to finish reading the chapter and consider the following follow-up notes and post question. Please remember to respond to two classmates' posts.
Christianity has an interesting beginning in many ways---it develops from a Jewish tradition with Jesus, born a Jew. Jesus, as you have read, begins close to a three year ministry before he is executed by the Romans on behalf of the Jewish population. And, it is the followers of Jesus who really cause Christianity to survive the death of Jesus. The spread of Christianity would become so wide-spread that the Roman Empire would eventually convert to the new faith. Here is another prominent religion developing in the Middle East, and, as we will see in Chapter 10 so does Islam. And, all three religions demonstrate to some degree an influence and/or important link with Jesus. In Judaism and Islam, Jesus is generally regarded as a prophet. In Christianity he is considered to be the son of God or Messiah. An interesting parallel is the concept of a trinity—the three in one—God, his son, and the holy spirit (sometimes translated as holy ghost) as compared to the holy trinity found in Hinduism. Recall, that there is the notion of Brahma (the over soul), Vishnu (the incarnation of the god, son-like), and Shiva the destroyer ( here has a sense of balance within the universe—life and death cycle). Vishnu, according to some traditions, has been born into the world of humans on a few occasions. Despite a lot of differences between Hinduism and Christianity, this is a noteworthy parallel.
Sacraments are considered important as part of sacred practice amongst Christians. Your textbook defines sacrament as an “Outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace” (page 396). The word itself if often translated as “mystery.” Not all denominations have all the accepted sacraments (baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony) as believed by Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.
Post Question:
Many Christian churches, denominations, and movements exist. Explain how three of these Christian groups view any one of the sacraments listed above. You do not have to choose the same sacrament for each of your three selections. Be sure to compare and contrast your selected denominations, movements, and churches. Do you think that these sacraments help to enhance beliefs or even create a senes of, perhaps, possibly never really having full understanding? And, if there is the possibility of never fully understanding, can that still be a positive in a religion? Explain.