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Christian life and its impact on society
Influence Of Christianity To The Society
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Christianity is a very unique religion. It, unlike many of the world's major religions, places a great emphasis on having the correct beliefs and interpretations of religious doctrines. Being a much more societal religion than many others, Christianity in its early years found that it was important to have every follower have the same understanding of the cardinal beliefs that it preaches. The story of the bible is a very complex one, as compared to other religions. The statement of beliefs of the other Abrahamic religions are all relatively short. They do not rely so heavily on scripture as Christianity does, and therefore there s no need for a comprehensive statement of belief that covers all major events and definitions (Johnson 9). Christianity, even around the time of its founding, was a very controversial religion. Given the religious landscape of the time, consisting of mainly of Greco-Roman Pagan beliefs and Judaism. Early followers of Jesus had to convert former Jews or Pagan Greeks into Christianity, but that caused some prior views of people to hinder their full understanding of Christianity and bring with them plausible, yet ultimately false ideas on the correct interpretation of some fundamental events in the Bible. The Christian statement of belief, or creed, in the beginning was a very rudimentary summary, but as Christianity grew in its early years, it became evident that there was clearly some clarification needed. The creed slowly evolved from the original "apostles" version to the version that is widely accepted today called the Nicene Creed (Fullerton & Hunsberger 317). The main reason for the rapid evolution of the creed was to define the correct interpretation of scripture, and halt the spread of various her... ... middle of paper ... ... Biblical story were left to interpretation. This was the direct cause of the rise in strength of many different heresies that although were based on the correct knowledge, but preached some fundamentally incorrect things. Clarification was needed to combat most of these heresies, and so, it was decided that the easiest way to do so would be to alter a common statement of belief that all Christians would know, even if they did not read the Bible itself. The Council of Nicaea was put in charge of altering the creed to its final form as we see it today. With the addition of many choice words and phrases, the specificity of the creed was increased to encompass all complex and disputable areas of the creed. The major heresies such as Sebellianism, Marcionism, and Arianism were reduced to nothing, as word of the changes of the creed spread throughout the ancient world.
The Bible for many has several interpretations, and meanings. There is not one interpretation or meaning in which Christians all believe identically. Each part of the Bible has its own symbolic meaning to each faith, and their ways to interpret those meanings may differ from other Christians. In Having Words with God: The Bible as Conversation by Karl Allen Kuhn, Kuhn describes the Bible as a conversation between several and God. In this essay there will be a different approach to the same metaphor effect describing the Bible but, as a Pizza. The Bible is like a Pizza in the ways of having many toppings (topics) and layers (depths within the text), not to mention the types or styles just like there are many styles of scripture
It was deemed that the books of the New Testament that are authentically apostolic in nature were included in the Bible. This strict appraisal process used by the church fathers to determine the legitimacy of certain books in the bible is the reason why scripture, once it becomes part of church canon it is incorruptible. Furthermore, because tradition stems from scriptural interpretation that it can be corruptible as it relies on the judgment of human beings, whose interpretations may be driven by internal
The most important historical fact of Christianity is the life of Jesus, the prophet that the faith of Christians is centered around. The historical Jesus grew up in Nazareth where John the Baptist baptized him, thus beginning his career as a teacher and healer of God. Little is known about where Jesus came from or what he looks like, only his personality through actions and words. Like most prophets, Jesus looked to the spiritual world to find answers to remove the suffering; John was the prophet to open Jesus’ eyes to heaven, leading him into a state solitude until he became empowered by the Spirit. The actions that speak for his personality are of power to heal sickness, cast away evil, and perform miracles, all that the prophets gave credit to Jesus, but this what not the focus of his ministry. What drew people into Jesus was his hope to heal humanity, not just people; he urged peace and loving of the enemies, which created ties with the Pharisees. However, the Pharisees did not see God as compassion, so they created categories of clean and unclean people. Christianity is originally created for the undesirables, so Jesus felt that the boundaries were not exemplifying His compassion, thus he set out to change the system. This did not sit well with the Pharisees, so Jesus began to compiled enemies of Rome, which would lead to his crucifixion. It was the death of Jesus that began the Christianity faith, but his words and deeds that empowered the people. Jesus had no new teachings that were different from those before him, but he had a weight of meaning to his words. Christ’s teachings were mostly in the forms of stories where lessons of the heart lay behind the message. Not only did he speak with authority, but he spoke out ag...
It was founded in Palestine by the followers of Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God. The central teachings of traditional Christianity are that of the Trinity, which encompasses God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prediction of the Messiah, and that his life on earth, the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are proof of God’s love for humanity and God’s forgiveness of human sins. Christians also believe that by faith in Jesus one may attain salvation and eternal life. These sacred beliefs originated from the Bible, specifically in the New Testament. In addition, Christians also accept the Old Testament as a scared Scripture. Christianity’s early missionaries spread its teachings in various places, such as: Asia Minor, Alexandria, Greece and Rome. In this present day Christianity missions have remained a major element. Christianity could be defined in several distinctive ways. There are numerous dissimilar forms of worship, many understandings of the role of the structured clergy, and many variations in polity and church organizations within
Throughout history many different secs of Christianity have fought over whose theology was sounder then the other. In many places often resorting to violence to try and establish their views as the most dominant. However, there is one theological belief
Christianity derived from Judaism. More specifically it derived from Jesus Christ who was Jewish, in the first century A.D. Judaism was a racially exclusive religion whose members did not attempt to make converts among non-Jews. (Shelton) This is one of the reasons that Jews went so long without being persecuted. Even Augustus was considerate toward there religious beliefs, and did not deny any Jew of Roman citizenship. He also would move the monthly grain doles to another day if they happened to fall on a Jewish Sabbath, but this peace did not last for long. The Jews blatant refusal to worship any God but there own began to anger the emperor Tiberius, so he therefore sent out a decree of persecution. (Shelton) Many Jews were forced to burn their religious vestments, and were sent to provinces with harsh climates. Others were forced into life-long slavery. During this time the Christians began to break away from the Jews. The Christians believed in spreading their “sacred mission” to the entire world, and believed in accepting any person who wanted to convert to Christianity. This went directly against Judaic belief therefore they split into two religions. (Starr)
Christianity is mainly founded on the life, death, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christianity was developed from Judaism during the 1st century, it has several different branches and forms which accompany different beliefs and practices. Christianity
Judaism and the Greco-Roman world had significant influences in early Christian communities. Each notably impacted the ways these communities defined themselves and related to the greater Greco-Roman culture in the earliest era of Christianity. As many authors and audiences in the New Testament were Jewish and lived in the Greco-Roman world, the connections between these communities and the earliest stages of Christianity are diverse and sometimes conflicting. The earliest Christian communities defined their identities in relation to Judaism and the larger Greco-Roman context in many and conflicting models, some of which include the relationship between Hebrew scriptures and the community, the inclusion of Gentiles based on faith, and accommodation
...tled in Italy and Judea. Many Roman rulers persecuted Christians, under Diocletian they weren’t even considered human, and outlawed from the Roman Empire. Diocletian claimed Christians as reprehensible for the fall of the Roman Empire. When Diocletian retired, Constantine took power and legalized Christianity, then became one himself. Christianity remained perennial even after the Empire fell because once it became widely accepted, due to its teachings on equality, forgiveness, and eternal happiness, many people enjoyed the idea that Jesus accepted sinners, and forgive them for their actions. This led many people to switch from polytheism to monotheism. Many people switched because they no longer believed in relying on pleasing the Gods to make their lives happier, but to figure out to make it better on their own. Christianity gave followers a sense of community.
One of the earliest trends in Christianity was the need for Councils to settle disagreements on the religion. There have been many times where Christians had disagreements on what to consider as the base concepts of Christianity. Some
The earliest recorded text teaching Christianity has its roots buried deep within Judaism. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity grew in acceptance; those that believed in the Messiah separated and began to worship on their own. This marked the beginning of the split of Judaism and Christianity.
... God’s word, and it provides humanity with his truth and revelation. His word is a guide to live by, and through his word, all is made clear. No doctrine or faith in Christianity should stray from the word of God. His word is pure and holy, and it reveals his plans and love for all.
Creed are public statements of faith. The Apostles’ Creed is a statement of faith that describes the teachings of Jesus’ disciple. I believe that this Creed is an important one to commit to memory because it states the most basic beliefs of Christianity. Creeds are important still today because of the practical application that they provide. The Apostles’ Creed is broken up into three sections. Belief in God, belief in Jesus Christ, and belief in The Holy Spirt. These three sections make up the trinity.
There are several key historical references that were influential and these references are imperative to understanding the full context of the canonical books and their relevance to the Christian faith. In most instances, the opposition of generally accepted truths is challenged and when the opposed truth is the winner, it emerges more accepted than it was before. This is the case for the canonical books as well. Challenges of opposing faiths are a major part of their emergences as the truth. Therefore, early Christianity experienced opposition from individuals and their following, thusly creating a devote need for clarification and a solidified statement of beliefs for all Christians. This was a part of the events that shaped the canonical books and it also contributed to the clarification and interpretation of what it actually meant to be a Christian and the consensus of what that meant to an individual seeking to serve the one true living God (Brueggeman 1978). In an analysis of the most prolific influences of the canonical books, the Gnostics, the ideals of...
The Christology has been debated by theologians since the resurrection of Christ. Christology is a doctrine that concerns the nature and significance of Jesus Christ, the study of His nature and work. It has been questioned whether the Son is the Savior and whether the Son in God. For centuries there were councils that attempted to answer those questions and came up with their own explanations.