Christianity (from the Greek Greek an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical ancient Greek literature and the New Testament of word Xριστός "Christ Christ is the English term for the Greek Χριστός meaning "the anointed". It is a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ). The term "Christ" was a title rather than a proper name. In the four gospels in the New Testament, the word "Christ" is nearly always preceded by the definite article ("", anointed one) is a monotheistic In theology, monotheism is the belief that only one god exists. The concept of "monotheism" tends to be dominated by the concept of God in the Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Platonic concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite religion A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, God or gods, or ultimate truth. It may be expressed through[1] centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Jesus of Nazareth —also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity, and within most Christian denominations he is venerated as the Son of God and as God incarnate. Christians also view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament; however, Judaism rejects these claims. Islam considers Jesus as presented in the New Testament The four canonical gospels of the New Testament are the primary sources of information for the doctrinal Christian narrative of Jesus' life. There is not a single New Testament "view" of Jesus' life, the four gospels tell different but dependent stories. There is wide consensus among contemporary critical scholars that Mark is the.[2] The Christian faith is essentially faith in Jesus as the Christ Christ is the English term for the Greek Χριστός meaning "the anointed". It is a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ). The term "Christ" was a title rather than a proper name. In the four gospels in the New Testament, the word "Christ" is nearly always preceded by the definite article (" (or Messiah Messiah literally means "anointed (one)"), the Son of God "Son of God" is a phrase found in the Hebrew Bible, various other Jewish texts and the Christian Bible. In the holy Hebrew scriptures, according to Jewish religious tradition, "Son of God" has many possible meanings, referring to angels, or humans or even all mankind. According to most Christian denominations, it also refers to, the Savior In religion, salvation is the concept that God or other Higher Power, as part of Divine Providence, "saves" humanity from spiritual death or eternal damnation by providing for them an eternal life . Salvation has been termed the major theme of the Bible, the manifestation of God to humankind (Immanuel Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el (Hebrew עִמָּנוּאֵל "God [is] with us" consists of two Hebrew words: אֵל and עִמָּנוּ (ʻImmānū, meaning 'with us'); Standard Hebrew ʻImmanuʼel, Tiberian Hebrew ʻImmānûʼēl). It is a theophoric name used in the Bible in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8. It appears once in the), and God In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. The Bible never speaks of God in an impersonal sense. Instead, it refers to him in personal terms — as one who is, who speaks, who sees, hears, acts, and loves. God is understood to have a will and personality. He is represented in Scripture as being primarily (Yahweh Yahweh is the English rendering of יַהְוֶה , a Hebrew vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה that was proposed by the Hebrew scholar Wilhelm Gesenius in the 19th century. Although this vocalized Hebrew spelling יַהְוֶה is found in no extant Hebrew Manuscript, several English Bibles use the spelling "Yahweh" in the Old or the "Lord Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'. The title may also be used in conjunction with others to") himself.[3]
Adherents of the Christian faith, known as Christians A Christian listen is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah (the Christ in Greek-derived terminology) prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God,[4] believe that Jesus is the Messiah Messiah literally means "anointed (one)" prophesied Bible prophecy, or "biblical prophecy" refers to prophecies in the Bible, to passages in the Bible which predict future events, which are believed to be divinely inspired relevation. Such passages are widely distributed throughout the Bible, but those most often cited are from Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation. Believers[who?] engage in in the Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible is a term referring to the books of the Jewish Bible as originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic. Simply explained, the Hebrew Bible generally refers to the bible of Judaism, as opposed to any biblical translations subsequently made and used by later religions or separate religious books such as the (the part of scripture Religious texts, also known as scripture, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition. Many religions and spiritual movements believe that their sacred texts are divinely or supernaturally inspired common to Christianity and Judaism Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts. Judaism presents itself as the covenantal relationship between the Children of Israel (later, the Jewish nation) and God). Christian theology, as expressed in the early Christian ecumenical creeds claims and predominantly accepted by followers of the Christian faith,[5] holds that Jesus suffered, died from crucifixion Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead. The term comes from the Latin crucifixio, fixed to a cross, from prefix cruci-, cross, + verb ficere, fix or do, buried, and was resurrected The resurrection of dead humans is a central doctrine of Judaism and Christianity, and Islam. It may refer either to the resurrection of particular individuals, or a general resurrection of humanity from the dead to open heaven to those who believe in him and trust him for the remission of their sins (salvation In religion, salvation is the concept that God or other Higher Power, as part of Divine Providence, "saves" humanity from spiritual death or eternal damnation by providing for them an eternal life . Salvation has been termed the major theme of the Bible).[6] They further maintain that Jesus bodily ascended The Christian doctrine of the Ascension holds that Jesus ascended to heaven in the presence of his Eleven Apostles following his resurrection, and that in heaven he sits at the right hand of God the Father into heaven Heaven may refer to the physical heavens, the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the universe beyond. This is the traditional literal meaning of the term in English, however since at least the 11th century, it is typically also used to refer to an afterlife plane of existence in various religions and spiritual philosophies, often described as where he rules and reigns with God the Father In many religions, the supreme deity is given the title and attributions of Father. In many forms of polytheism, the highest god has been conceived as a "father of gods and of men". In the Israelite religion and its closest modern relative, Talmudic Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, law-giver, and protector. In. Most denominations Worldwide, Christians are divided, often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and another are defined by doctrine and church authority. Issues such as the nature of Jesus, the authority of apostolic succession, and papal primacy separate one denomination from another teach that Jesus will return In most Christian theologies, the Second Coming of Christ is the anticipated return of Jesus from Heaven to earth, an event to fulfill aspects of Messianic prophecy, such as the general resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment of the dead and the living and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth , including the Messianic Age to judge The concept of a Last Judgment is found in all Abrahamic religions and elsewhere like Zoroastrianism and Duat all humans, living and dead, and grant eternal life Immortality is the concept of living in a physical or spiritual form for an infinite or inconceivably vast length of time to his followers. He is considered the model The term role model first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students. Merton hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires. The term has passed into general use to mean any "person who serves as an example, whose of a virtuous Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a character trait or quality valued as being good life, and both the revealer Within a set of mostly religious beliefs Revelation refers to the act of revealing or disclosing, or making something obvious and clearly understood through active or passive communication with supernatural entities . It is believed that revelation can originate directly from a deity, or through an agent, such as an angel. One who has experienced and physical incarnation The Incarnation is the belief in Christianity that the second person in the Christian Godhead, also known as the Son or the Logos , "became flesh" when he was miraculously conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The word Incarnate derives from Latin (in=in or into, caro, carnis=flesh) meaning "to make into flesh" or "to of God In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. The Bible never speaks of God in an impersonal sense. Instead, it refers to him in personal terms — as one who is, who speaks, who sees, hears, acts, and loves. God is understood to have a will and personality. He is represented in Scripture as being primarily.[7] Christians call the message of Jesus Christ the Gospel In Christianity, the good news or evangelium is the message of Jesus, the Christ (the Messiah), specifically his atoning death on the cross and resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as "helper" (paraclete), and the resulting promise and hope of salvation for the faithful ("good news") and hence refer to the earliest written accounts of his ministry as gospels A gospel is a writing that describes the life of Jesus. The word is primarily used to refer to the four canonical texts: the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John, probably written between AD 65 and 100. They appear to have been originally untitled; they were quoted anonymously in the first half of the second century.
Christianity began as a Jewish sect The historical term refers to Early Christians of or attracted to Jewish culture. This concept deals with the relation between the traditional beliefs and practices of Judaism and the then-emergent universal religious concepts of Hellenistic Judaism and then Christianity[8][9] and is classified as an Abrahamic religion Abrahamic religions, "Abrahamic faiths" or "religions of Abraham" has become a popular and oft-used designation for the monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, emphasizing their common origin and values. For some 1,300 years their histories and thought have been intertwined. The three are all considered (see also Judeo-Christian Judeo–Christian is a term used broadly to describe a body of concepts and values thought to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity. This tradition is considered, along with classical Greco-Roman civilization, a fundamental basis for Western legal codes and morality).[10][11][12] Originating in the eastern Mediterranean The history of the Mediterranean region is the history of the interaction of the cultures and people of the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea —the central superhighway of transport, trade and cultural exchange between diverse peoples. Its history is important to understanding the origin and development of the Mesopotamian, Egyptian,, it quickly grew in size and influence over a few decades, and by the 4th century had become the dominant religion within the Roman Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor, Augustus. The nearly 500-year-old Roman Republic,. During the Middle Ages The Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christianity in the Reformation, the rise of humanism in the Italian, most of the remainder of Europe was Christianized The historical phenomenon of Christianization, the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once, also includes the practice of converting native pagan practices and culture, pagan religious imagery, pagan sites and the pagan calendar to Christian uses, due to the Christian efforts at proselytism (evangelism), with Christians also being a (sometimes large) religious minority in the Middle East The Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The corresponding adjective to the Middle East is Middle-Eastern and the derived noun is Middle-Easterner, North Africa North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara, and parts of India The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people, also known as Saint Thomas Christians are an ethnoreligious group from Kerala, India, adhering to the various churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition. They are also known as Syrian-Malabar Christians, Suriyani Christiaanikal, Mar Thoma Nasrani, or more popularly as Syrian Christians in view of the Syriac.[13] Following the Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration, was a period in history starting in the 15th Century and continuing into the 19th Century, during which Europeans and European descendants explored the world by ocean searching for trading partners and particular trade goods. The most desired trading goods were gold, silver and spices, through missionary work A missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith; someone who proselytizes. The word "mission" is derived from the Latin missioninimus , meaning "act of sending" or mitto, mittere, literally meaning "to send" or "to dispatch",[citation needed] the and colonization, Christianity spread to the Americas The Americas, or America, are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America. The Americas cover 8.3% of the Earth's total surface area, Australasia, and the rest of the world, therefore Christianity is a major influence in the shaping of Western civilization.
As of the early 21st century, Christianity has between 1.5 billion[14][15] and 2.1 billion adherents,[16] representing about a quarter to a third of the world's population and is the world's largest religion.[17] In addition, Christianity, is the state religion of several countries.[18] The world's oldest national church is the Armenian Orthodox Church, established in 301 A.D. [19]
Contents |
|
News-Journal.com
"We've had every segment of Longview come and see the feats of strength, but also to be encouraged in their Christian faith. ...
126px x 95px | 5.80kB
[source page]
Christianity Today Magazine Subscriptions Christianity Today is a monthly magazine with two issues published in the months of April and October that provides news and editorials from a Christian perspective
adam mclane
ue, 15 Sep 2009 14:58:16 GM
animism-. christianity. . Are people generally looking to do bad things in the world? Is the world full of evil people set out to destroy you? If you take some doctrine too seriously you fall into this heretical view of life. ...
Q. Okay, so I am african american and I want to know why so many of us are out there practicing christianity as though it wasn't a forced religion back during times of slavery. I dunno, maybe I have the facts wrong, so hopefully someone can enlighten me. I'm not a Christian- but the reason that I'm not is for the simple fact that evolution makes too much sense to me- however, what I want to know is why so many african americans continue to practice Christianity, while all the other have been abolished (or at least are seeming to be) in this century.
Asked by Not Your Average Banana - Tue Sep 5 12:43:25 2006 - - 11 Answers - 3 Comments
A. The vast majority of the the Christian world is made up of peopel whose ancestors had Christanity imposed upon them, be it by direct or indirect coercion. Most Europeans did not take to Christianity voluntarily per se. They were for the most part pagans and then their emperor, or king would say, "We are all Christians." Old beliefs lost official sanction and were forgotten. Part of that is because the old pagan religions, as well as the African religions were community based religions. They depended on the village or state to have the festivals, participate in the customs and retell the old stories. In the case of slaves, families and towns were ripped apart and what was left bore no resmblance to what they used to practice. … [cont.]
Answered by nycplanner - Tue Sep 5 14:33:57 2006
