Christianity

Christianity is one of the more prevalent religions in North America. Its history is rich with many stories that bring joy and teats to many of its followers. Its core belief is that Jesus Christ, Son of Mary and Joseph was the son of God, the messiah, or even the chosen one. He was condemned to death, crucified, died, and later resurrected to forgive all of mankind of its sins, as well as to open the gates of heaven to the people of the world.

                                                    (courtesy of  Wikigraphists)

My World view applies to the way I view this faith in the way that I agree to its message of peace and love to our fellow man and woman; that we must treat others the way we would like to be treated ourselves. I enjoy viewing people do good onto others as it shows that world isn’t such a bad place sometimes. Although overall I also find its spiritual aspect interesting as well.

To apply Ninians Smarts models of religion, religious teachings, and sacred symbols to Christianity you can learn a great deal of things.  The religious teachings and basic beliefs of Christianity are as follows. Christians believe in God, the all-knowing creator of the universe whom resides in heaven.  That Jesus Christ is the son of god and is as divine and sinless as he his father, but is also part man. That he died for our sins. Was resurrected and rose to be with his father in heaven. And that he will return and usher in a new era of peace on Earth.

The sacred symbols of Christianity are great in number and have great importance to its followers no matter where they reside.

 For starters the cross, which originally started out as a pagan symbol is now viewed as one of the most prominent symbols of Christianity It is viewed as a symbol of atonement and reminds use of God’s everlasting love for us.

 

The Ichtus, commonly referred to as the “Jesus fish” is a symbol used by early Christians for ease of recognition of fellow Christians. It comes from the Greek word for fish with is translated to IXOYE. This stands for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”

                                                        (Courtesy of fibonaci)

The lamb is also considered a symbol of Christ. It shows how he was our sacrificial lamb, given to us to show Gods love for us.

 

(Courtesy of Jan van Ecyk)

Fire, usually seen in the form of a candle is a symbol for both the Holy Spirit, and the light it brings us.

As can be seen Christianity is a very interesting religion indeed with many good lessens to be learned throughout. I personally like it for its message of love and respect, and am very willing to learn more about it. I look forward to learning more about other religions throughout the school year and comparing/contrasting it to Christianity. I think that by doing that I will look more analytically towards all religions as a whole as the scope of my vision will be increased.