Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christianity began as a Judaic sect in the 1st century Roman province of Judea. Christians believe that Christ is the Son of God, equal to God in all regards, God in human form revealed to set an example for all mankind. Christ’s core message was love thy neighbor as thyself.
Following the death of Jesus in CE (Current Era) 33, his apostles and their followers spread around Europe, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the South Caucasus, Egypt, and Ethiopia. The group attracted gentile God-fearers wishing to depart from Jewish customs. After the Fall of Jerusalem (CE 70) which ended Temple-based Judaism, Christianity slowly separated from Judaism.
Four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, called the “New Testament” describe the life and teachings of Jesus, with the Old Testament as the gospel's revered background.
Like Jews, Christians believe in God, accept the Ten Commandments as God’s direction, and adhere to the concepts of peace, justice, hope, sanctity of life, and community. However, Christians deviate from Judaism in that they believe that One God is revealed in a Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - One God expressed in three actions. Christ as the Son of God served to exemplify moral human behavior. The Holy Spirit exemplified the power of God to impose order and goodness on humanity. The creeds of various Christian denominations generally hold in common that Jesus as the Son of God ministered, suffered, and died on a cross, but rose from the dead for the salvation of mankind.
The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ) was anointed by God as savior of humanity and hold that Jesus' coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian concept of messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept. The core Christian belief is that through acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God, and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.
Christ’s entry into the world introduced a new concept, the role of peacemaker to guide humans how best to deal with the dominance expressed by powerful people (Rome’s dominance over Israel around the time of Christ). Christ performed many good deeds to set an example for peacemakers to have faith in God and live a life based on good behavior in order to change the way humans were governed. Humans were no longer to be slaves of the powerful, peacemakers were destined to redefine a world order that was good for all. Christians profess a constant message: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In adversity, rather than strike back, be submissive. Christians were to live with humility, be self-giving, serve others rather than themselves, and lead a tranquil life.
A key concept of Christianity is that God, acting through Christ and the Holy Spirit, offers absolute love for every human. To be Christian means to accept God’s love and let it flow through themselves to others, not only to their friends, but also to their enemies. Humans were intended to be equal among themselves.
According to the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary. The accounts of Jesus' ministry, including his baptism, miracles, preaching, teaching, and deeds, and especially the week before his death, are well documented by the gospels because that part of his life is believed to be most important; these writings constitute the New Testament.
Christians consider the resurrection of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their faith and the most important event in history. Among Christian beliefs, the death and resurrection of Jesus are two core events on which much of Christian doctrine and theology is based. According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified, died a physical death, was buried within a tomb, and rose from the dead three days later.
While many theological disputes took place over the nature of Jesus during the earliest centuries of Christian history, generally, Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate and "true God and true man" (both fully divine and fully human). Jesus, having become fully human, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, but did not sin. Christians believe that He died, was buried, and as God he rose to life again. According to the New Testament, he rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will ultimately return to fulfill the rest of the Messianic prophecy, including the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and the final establishment of the Kingdom of God.
Christians believe that human beings experience divine judgment and are rewarded either with eternal life or eternal damnation. There is also belief there will be a general judgement at the resurrection of the dead, as well as the belief in a judgment particular to an individual soul upon physical death. There is considerable diversity in teachings about how individuals qualify for salvation or damnation. Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses, hold to mortalism, the belief that the human soul is not naturally immortal and is unconscious during the intermediate state between bodily death and resurrection; subsequent to final judgement, the wicked will cease to exist rather than suffer everlasting torment.
Christianity is culturally diverse in both the Western and Eastern branches; doctrines concerning justification, the nature of salvation, ecclesiology, ordination, and Christology differ. It is the world's largest religion, with about 2.8 billion followers, representing one-third of the global population. Its adherents, known as Christians, make up a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories.
The four largest branches of Christianity are the Catholic Church (1.3 billion/50.1%), Protestantism (920 million/36.7%), the Eastern Orthodox Church (230 million), and the Oriental Orthodox churches (62 million) (Orthodox churches combined at 11.9%), though thousands of smaller church communities exist despite efforts toward unity (ecumenism). Despite a decline in adherence in the West, Christianity remains the dominant religion in the region, with about 70% of that population identifying as Christian. Christianity is growing in Africa and Asia. Christians remain persecuted in some regions of the world, especially in the Middle East, North Africa, East Asia, and South Asia.
Full disclosure: The author is a Christian.
