Christianity

Introduction

·         Christianity (“Christ”), literally means “anointed one” and is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New testament.

·         Christians believe Jesus is the son of God having become man and the saviour of humanity. Christians, therefore, commonly refer to Jesus as Christ or Messiah.

Christian Beliefs

·         There is one God

·         The belief in the Trinity

·         God created the world and it is good

·         Man is created in the image of God

·         Jesus, the son of God, was sent to save mankind

·         Belief in God brings salvation

·         The Holy spirit directs the Church

·         Man has free will

Denominations/variants

Christianity contains three main branches which are;

·         Roman Catholicism

·         Orthodox Church

·         Protestantism

Catholic Church

The Catholic Church compromises those particular churches, headed by Bishops, in communion with the Pope, the bishop of Rome, as its highest authority in matters of faith.

Orthodox Church

Comprises those churches in Communion with the patriarchal Sees in the East, such as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

In the 11^th Century, the Catholic Church in Rome splits with the Eastern Church of Constantinople (known as Turkey today.)

This split is called the Great Schism, as a result the Orthodox Church was formed

Protestantism

In the 16^th Century, Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, and John Calvin inaugurated what has come to be called Protestantism. There are many different forms of Protestant religions

Protestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrine, hat principally originated in the sixteenth- century Protestant Reformation.

Task:

Choose and name two Christian variants and answer the following questions:

·         Orthodox Church

·       Protestantism

1)      How many worldwide followers does the variant have?

Orthodox: 225-300 million

Protestantism:  370 million

2)      What are the key central beliefs?

Orthodox:

·         Holy Tradition is an important and distinct source of faith. It describes how the Holy Spirit infuses the life of the church, providing continuity and unity among the faithful.

• Holy icons (consecrated pictures) are important elements in both public and private devotion.
• Orthodox Christians believe that saints, created through the process of canonisation, can intercede with God on behalf of people who are alive and petition for their memory.
• Orthodox Christians do not believe in the Catholic teaching of the eucharist or of the immaculate conception of Mary.
• The Virgin Mary is honoured as theotokos (Mother of God).

Protestantism:

• Doctrine should not be based upon church tradition. Protestants base religious authority solely on the 66 books of the Old and New Testament.

• “Justification by faith alone” which asserts that salvation is achieved individually through the merit of faith, and not faith plus the efforts of oneself and others. This means that Protestant Churches do not create saints and saints are not considered capable of interceding with God on behalf of believers.
• Baptism and Eucharist are the central sacraments.

3)      What is the logo of the church? Draw this

The crucifix

4)      Who is the head of the church?

The Pope

5)      What are two features of this church?

The redemption and atonement of Jesus Christ the Son of God, and, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.