Thursday, January 19, 17 World Religions: Chris+anity Objec+ve: Complete Warm-up, discuss Do Now, write outline notes on Chris+anity, view Crash Course History: Chris+anity Do Now: What is a covenant? Who is the prophet of Judaism? Where did this person speak to God? Apostasy- the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief. Parable- a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.
What is Christianity? Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with over 2 billion adherents. It is based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago.
Background to the life and death of Jesus Christ The traditional story of Jesus tells of his birth in a stable in Bethlehem in the Holy Land, to a young virgin called Mary who had become pregnant with the son of God through the action of the Holy Spirit. The story of Jesus' birth is told in the writings of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament of the Bible. His birth is believed by Christians to be the fulfillment of prophecies in the Jewish Old Testament, which claimed that a Messiah would deliver the Jewish people from captivity.
Jesus Ministry After the story of his birth, little is known about Jesus until he began his ministry at the age of about 30. (There are many theories as to where Jesus spent his early life.) He then spent three years teaching, healing and working miracles. He taught in parables - everyday stories which had divine messages for those who would hear it. He had twelve disciples whom he called to follow him and help him in his work.
Persecution and Death Jesus stated publicly that he spoke with the authority of God. This claim angered the religious authorities in Palestine since the Roman were polytheistic and expected EVERYONE to acknowledge their gods. The people handed Jesus over to the Roman authorities as a revolutionary. He was tried for heresy, condemned and put to death by means of crucifixion.
Resurrection According to Christian tradition, the Sunday following his execution, some of his followers discovered that the tomb into which his body had been placed was empty. Jesus then appeared to them, alive, as the Jesus they had known prior to his death. His followers realized that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus was seen by many of his disciples and followers over the next few days before, according to the Gospel accounts, he was taken up into heaven.
Difference between Christian and Catholics One important distinction is what Catholics and Christians believe that people must do to be saved. Catholics believe that people must lead a good life in order to get into heaven. However, some other Christian denominations believe that faith in Jesus is enough to lead to salvation and that God does not judge the faithful based on what they have done or not done in their lives. Another major distinction has to do with who has the power to speak God's word. Most Christian denominations believe that God speaks only through the Bible. However, Catholics believe that God speaks not only through the Bible but also through the Pope and the Catholic Church.