Christianity
Christianity is the world’s most popular religion with over
a billion followers scattered throughout each continent.
Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ who is
believed to have been born to a virgin over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. Christians
believe that Jesus was in fact the Son of God sent to earth to save mankind
from sin.
Jesus is said to have taught Christians to live life loving God
and their neighbors.
Jesus is believed to have begun preaching the word of God
around age 30 but as he did this he aggravated religious leaders in Palestine.
Eventually Roman authorities arrested him and he was tried and convicted of
heresy. For this Jesus was sentenced to be put to death by crucifixion.
It is believed that after Jesus died he was resurrected on
the Sunday following his death.
Christian worship is said to have grown originally out of
Jewish worship, but instead of worshipping on Saturday, Christians worship on
Sunday instead. Christians worship on Sunday because this is the day on which
Jesus was resurrected.
Christians pray in order to communicate with God and some
refer to this almighty God as Father when praying. God in Christianity is
thought to embody what is called the Holy Trinity: The Father, The Son and The
Holy Spirit.
The Christian scripture, The Bible, is made up of the Old
Testament and the New Testament. Christians believe that the Old Testament
forecast Jesus’ arrival on earth.
There are two major milestones in becoming a devout
Christian: baptism and confirmation.
Baptism can be performed at any point in a person’s life,
but it is most commonly done when a person is still a baby. During baptism a
minister sprinkles holy water on the babies head (in adult baptism sometimes
the entire body is immersed in a pool to symbolize rebirth as a Christian).
Confirmation is the stage when a person is fully recognized
as an adult member of the Christian church. It involves studying the bible and attending
a confirmation ceremony presided over by a bishop.
There are many sects of Christianity including the Baptists,
Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans.
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