Religious, Spirituality, Slides of Religious Studies

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

• (^) While the main tenets of Christianity originated

with Jesus Christ , it was His 12 disciples , and

eventually apostles, who institutionalized and

established the bureaucratic structures of the

religion. We see in the Book of Acts, the book

after the Gospels, the accounts of His disciples

after His ascension to heaven. Fifty days after

his resurrection, the Holy Spirit, the Third

Person of God, came down upon the followers

of Jesus, in the form of fire and wind, to inspire

them to spread their leader’s teachings (Molloy

2005, 350-351). This is celebrated as the feast

of the Pentecost, and it is considered to be the

birth of the Christian Church (Brown 1991, 34).

TIME EVENT

c.4BCE – c.29 CE Life of Jesus c.4-64 CE Life of Paul 313 CE Issuance of the Edict of Toleration by Constantine making Christianity legal 354-430 CE Life of Augustine 476 C.E Collapse of the Roman Empire of the west c.480-c.547 CE Life Of Benedict 638 CE Muslim conquest of Jerusalem 1054 CE Split between Eastern and Western Christianity 1099 Conquest of Jerusalem during the First Crusade 1347-1351 Black Death 1453 Conquest of Constantinople by Muslim forces 1483-1546 Life of Martin Luther 1492 Expulsions of Jews and Muslims in Spain 1509-1564 Life of John Calvin 1517 Beginning of the Protestant Reformation 1534 Founding of the Church of England by King Henry VIII 1565 Christianity enters the Philippines 1805-1844 Life of Joseph Smith 1914 Founding of Iglesia ni Cristo 1948 Founding of the World Council of Churches 1962-1965 Modernization of Catholicism by the Second Vatican Council

JESUS OF NAZARETH

• (^) Much of what we know about Jesus Christ could

be found in the Gospels. Even though he knew

the Hebrew Scripture well, he was not a scholar,

nor a writer (Molloy 2005, 349),

• (^) According to the accounts in the Gospels, he

was born of a virgin named Mary who was

supposed to wed Joseph of Nazareth, a

carpenter Joseph was a descendant of King

David, and due to the Roman emperor’s decree

of census, he and Mary had to go to Bethlehem,

David's homeland. In that land, Jesus was born

in a manger, because there was no lodging

available to them. Jesus' birth is celebrated

annually on December 25 as Christmas.

• (^) Jesus was condemned to death due to His unorthodox teachings, through the initiative of the chief priests and Pharisees He was criticizing. His passion and death is commemorated during the Holy Week, which culminates at Easter Sunday, where He supposedly rose from the dead.

TRADITIONS Liturgical Year

• (^) Throughout the year, Christians have several feasts. The biggest feasts are Christmas, to celebrate Jesus birth, and Easter, to celebrate His Resurrection from the dead. Christmas was once celebrated on January 6, but later Rome celebrated Christmas during the Roman midwinter solstice festival of Saturnalia, which is December 25. Traditionally, Christmas is celebrated for 12 days, until the Epiphany, or the visitation of the wise men to Jesus (Molloy2005, 406407).
• (^) Easter , as a Christian festival, developed earlier, influenced by the Jewish Passover. Christians have added another layer of meaning by using the festival to recall Jesus' return to life which they believe to have occurred on the Sunday after the Jewish Passover." Unlike Christmas, the Easter Sunday does not have a permanent date, even though there had been many attempts to do so (Molloy 2005, 406).

Devotions and Venerations of Mary and the Saints

• (^) Apart from centering their lives on Jesus, Christians, especially Catholics are also devoted to Mary, the Mother of God. Catholics, Orthodox, and some Protestants feel close to Mary, and consider her their mother. Mary has also been viewed as the helper of those who suffer. Even Martin Luther retained veneration for Mary in the salvation story of his reformed Protestantism (O' Collins and Farrugia 2003,370-371). Likewise also with saints, they venerate saints but they do not worship them because that is idolatry.

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES

CREED

The Nicene Creed (Traditional Wording)

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible

and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all

worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one

substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our

salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,

and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was

buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven,

and seated on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both

the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father

[and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who

spoke by the Prophets.

And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the

remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

AMEN.

Source: http://urww.spurgeon.org/-philcreeds/nicene.htm, Retrieved on May 10, 2015

SPIRITUALI

TY

SACRAMENTS

• (^) Although there have been different forms of Christianity. Much of their rituals are shared. The most important among them are believed to be signs of God's grace, called sacraments. People who will want to be converted to Christianity will have to undergo baptism. The person is cleansed with water, to signify repentance and cleansing. Catholics and Orthodox baptize babies, while some Protestants baptize only those who are willing (Molloy 2005, 403-4).

• (^) During the Last Supper, Jesus broke the bread and shared the wine

to represent His Body and Blood, and the Apostles were sharing His

suffering. This is commemorated through the sacrament of the

Eucharist , where Christians gather in the church, and share the

Body and Blood of Christ. Some churches use literal bread and

wine, while others interpret it symbolically. (Molloy 2005, 404-

• (^) These two are the most important sacraments in Christian practice.

Others include confirmation , which is a blessing of initiation after

baptism; reconciliation , where someone confesses his /her sins

and gets absolution; matrimony , where two people commit

themselves with each other for life with God as the center;

ordination , where someone commits himself to priesthood; and

anointing of the sick , which is usually taken by a sick person

(Molloy 2005, 405-406).

Varieties/ NewMovements/ Innovations

• (^) In the PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life, the total number of Christians worldwide is at 2.18 billion; this is more than a third of the estimated global population of 6.9 billion. Apart from being number one in Asia, the Philippines is fifth in the world, hosting 4% of those 2.18-billion Christians. The largest number resides in the United States with 246. million of the total Christian population of the world. It is followed by Brazil (175.8 million), Mexico (107.8 million) and Russia (105.2 million). Following the Philippines are Nigeria (80.5 million), China (67 million), Democratic Republic of Congo (63.2 million), Germany (58.2 million) and Ethiopia (52.6million). In Asia, following the Philippines are China (67.1 million), India (31.9 million), and Indonesia (21. million).