Christianity is one of the major religions of the world. It is a global religion in which majority of the countries of the world partake in. Christians believe in God as the Supreme Being and the creator of the world. They also believe in his Son Jesus Christ and refer to him as the Messiah and the Savior of the World and the Messiah as they believe He died to save their sins. What makes Christianity different from other religions of the world is that it has more followers than other religions, it is more widely distributed around the world, and it is better documented with the start of the bible most especially (Hinnells 2005, p. 441). Hinnells also stated that one in every seven person in North America as well as Africa is a Christian, which eventually accounts for nearly about half a million people just from these continents (p. 441). To some people, Christianity is much more than just getting down on one’s knees and asking God for a favor, it is a way of life, an ultimate belief, a culture which structures the one’s way of life especially depending on the region where one lives. Christianity has also been said to impact education, science, medicine and in general most modern way of life (Encyclopedia Britannica). This paper with talk about how being a Christian influences the culture of everyday life in both Nigeria and Canada (the West). This comparison will give a better understanding of the different way people take their Christian lives. One could be more lax than the other but the similarity both comparison have is that they both concern being “A Christian”. Most of this writing will be objective because I am a Nigerian living in Canada.
Before going into specifics about what Christianity means to people in Africa as op...
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...ada. http://www.wildcanada.net/culture-and-religion-in-canada.html
Falola, T. (2000). Culture and Customs of Nigeria. Westport, CT, USA: Greenwood Press.
Hinnells, The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion, p. 441
James D. Mallory, Stanley C. Baldwin, The kink and I: a psychiatrist's guide to untwisted living, 1973, p. 64
McCarron, G. (2001). Gratitude: Almighty Thanks. Communication in everyday life. Pp.261-268
"Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs Certificate | Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs | Georgetown University". Berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2012-02-04
The Holy Bible. King James Version.
Poll: Most Canadians say religion not important, although the majority believe in God. Retrieved 2012-10-06 http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/04/07/religion-not-important-to-most-canadians-although-majority-believe-in-god-poll/
Religion is a part of society that is so closely bound to the rest of one’s life it becomes hard to distinguish what part of religion is actually being portrayed through themselves, or what is being portrayed through their culture and the rest of their society. In Holy Terrors, Bruce Lincoln states that religion is used as a justifiable mean of supporting violence and war throughout time (Lincoln 2). This becomes truly visible in times such as the practice of Jihad, the Reformation, and 9/11. The purpose of this essay is to show that as long as religion is bound to a political and cultural aspect of a community, religious war and destruction will always occur throughout the world. A historical methodology will be deployed in order to gain
In his essay, Rodriguez believes that the diplomatic affairs we see on the evening news are merely being disguised as a religious war. The fight over oil or land when in reality it is the fight between whose side God is on, the attacks under the control of Al Qaeda when perhaps it’s the greed for power or world domination. According to Richard, these religious wars are allowing terrorism to become prevalent; often times within the same culture (147).
...e & cooperation ” ReligiousTolerance.org 7 Oct. 2007: Onatrio Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.
The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity written by Philip Jenkins looks over religion as a whole in the future. Philip Jenkins was a Distinguished Professor of History in 1973 and was the Co-Director for Baylor's Program on Historical Studies of Religion, he has studied the Bible and the Quran. The main religion being Christianity, as it flows South to other countries such as Central America and southern Asia and Africa. Jenkins also covers “The Rise of Christianity” where he predicts that it will increase in the coming years. The world would be moving from secularism to non-secular as the Northern states and countries are urbanized. The Southern countries are not urbanized, they believe in the practice of spirituality. In the Next Christendom, Jenkins also predicted that there will be a big population growth in the next coming years as Christianity spreads. Christianity as a whole can be adapted to many different cultures, as it is not as strict as many other religions such as Muslims. In other religions you would have to be
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions. 5th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. 320-322. Print.
―"Religion in “Brave New World“." Religion in Brave New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
In Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay, "Worldviews in Conflict," the authors evaluate the shifting culture context of today's society and how Christianity fits into this situation. The essay compares the differing views between Christianity and today's worldview, and informs the reader on how to engage today's culture. "Worldviews in Conflict" is a reliable source because its authors, audience, publication, and purpose make it
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
Christianity has the largest population worldwide and has been able to continue to develop over the centuries. “Christianity is the name given to a religion based on the first century CE life and ministry of Jesus”. His followers claimed Jesus to be “The Jewish Messiah”, a person sent to the people of Israel to bring salvation and hope. However, during the first century, Christianity spread throughout the regions controlled by the Roman Empire and as Jesus’ followers began to separate from Judaism they established this living religion. Thus, the core foundation of Christianity is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which can be found today in the Bible.
Religions play a crucial role in impacting how adherents live their lives and their understanding of humanities enduring questions of life. Religion is an active system of faith. Christianity is a religion centred on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the bible. A living tradition is one that is active amongst followers in present society. Whereas a dynamic tradition is capable of adapting and amending in order to meet the needs of society. Christianity is formed as a living and dynamic tradition, which is defined by its distinct characteristics. Characteristics include, sacred texts and writings, rituals and ceremonies, beliefs and believers and ethics. Ultimately, Christianity is shaped as a living and dynamic tradition through the characteristics of religion’s impacts on adherents.
Christianity is a diverse religion with a multitude of beliefs that comprise the core of the religion. There are an abundant number of sects within Christianity however there are a few core principles which are generally true for all of them, for example the belief of the Holy Trinity or better known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is what would be considered a primary belief. A primary belief is an idea that is a generally universal idea that is accepted by all the different sects of Christianity and must influence the secondary beliefs in the religion. For example the Holy Trinity is accepted by Roman Catholics, Protestants, Baptist, and etc. However what separates the different sects in the religion apart from one another are their secondary beliefs. A secondary belief is a belief that is accepted by many of the sects however the belief maybe slightly altered. Also another characteristic that must be true is that in order for it to be considered a secondary belief it must have a correlation to the primary belief. An example of this is the sacraments because the sacraments are believed in throughout Christianity but the number of sacraments in each denomination varies. The sacraments do play a specific role in the religion when dealing with the Trinity particularly concerning with the Eucharist. Because of these two credenda’s it is evident to see what an instrumental role these beliefs have in defining Christianity.
The rise of Christianity in western civilization is arguably among the most important memories in history. There is no denying what the spread of Christianity has done for the world, for better or worse. Its impact on western civilizations is unrivaled and unprecedented. Christianity slowly became something for many individuals to turn to; in times of hurt it provided comfort, in times of pleasure it gave thanks. The will and belief for salvation has driven individuals to be better, and to have a reference while in need.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
- Jeffrey Passel and D’Vera Cohn. “The Global Religious Landscape, 2012.” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (December 18, 2012). http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/, accessed on Monday 21, 2014.
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print