Christians are followers of Jesus of
Nazareth. Christianity has spread throughout the world and there are now more
than 2 billion adherents of Christianity (BBC Religion)
The Christian church is fundamental to
believers. It is recognised as God's body on earth.
The church is the place where the Christian
faith is nurtured and where the Holy Spirit is manifest on earth.
It is where Christians are received into the
faith and where they are brought together into one body through the Eucharist.
GOD, JESUS and THE SAINTS
God
Christians believe that there is only one
God, whom they call Father as Jesus Christ taught them. Jesus
Christians recognise Jesus as the Son of
God who was sent to save mankind from death and sin.
Jesus Christ taught that he was Son of God. His
teachings can be summarised, briefly as the love of God and love of one's neighbour.
Jesus said that he had come to fulfil God's law
rather than teach it.
The Trinity Christians believe in the Trinity - God
as
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christians believe
that God took human form as Jesus Christ and that God is present today through
the work of the Holy Spirit and evident in the actions of believers.
THE TRINITY
Christian beliefs concerning God: ›There
is only one God ›God
is a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit ›God
is perfect ›God
is omnipotent ›God
is everywhere ›God
knows everything ›God
created the universe ›God
keeps the universe going ›God
intervenes in the universe ›God
loves everyone unconditionally Human beings can get to know God through
prayer, worship, love, and mystical experiences ›Human
beings can get to know God through God's grace - that is through his love and
his power God the Son
›God
lived on earth as Jesus›Jesus
was both wholly God and wholly human›Jesus
was born to a human woman, Mary, but conceived of the Holy Spirit›Because
Jesus was wholly human he was subject to pain, suffering, and sorrow like other
human beings›Jesus
was executed by crucifixion but rose from the dead at the Resurrection›Jesus's
life provides a perfect example of how God wants people to live›Jesus
died on the Cross so that those who believe in him will be forgiven all their
sinsGod the Holy Spirit
›After
the Resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for only a few days before going up
into Heaven›Jesus
promised that he would stay with his followers, so after he went to Heaven he
sent his Spirit to guide them›The
Holy Spirit continues to guide, comfort, and encourage Christians.Life after death
Christians believe that there is a life
after earthly death.
The Saints
These days, the word saint is most
commonly used to refer to a Christian who has lived a particularly good and
holy life on earth, and with whom miracles are claimed to have been associated
after their death. The formal
title of Saint is conferred by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches through
a process called canonisation.
Members of these Churches also believe
that Saints created in this way can intercede with God on behalf of people who
are alive today. This is not accepted by most Protestants. THE CREED
The central beliefs of Christianity are
stated in the creed,
which comes from the Latin word credo,
or “I believe”.The creed used by
churches today was formulated around the second century, and includes brief
statements found in the Christian scriptures.
The creeds that exist within the
Christian churches and denominations are the result of many years of
theological development.
MARY
Most Christians honour Mary as the mother
of Jesus, but the Catholic church gives particular honour to Mary, who is seen
as able to intercede on behalf of people who pray through her.
The Catholic church developed the
doctrine of the ‘Immaculate Conception’ where Mary is considered to have been
born free from original sin. The Assumption of Mary is also a point on which
the Christian denominations differ.
Catholics believe in
the doctrine of the Assumption, which teaches
that at the end of her life, Mary, the mother of Christ, was taken body and
soul into heaven to live with her son (Christ) for ever. Human beings have to
wait until the end of time for their bodily resurrection, but Mary's body was
able to go straight to heaven because her soul hadn't been tainted by original
sin. An Ancient teaching,
first found in the 5th century, is controversial to Protestants because it
is not explicitly referred to in the Bible. Catholic Church
bases the doctrine on other valid authority. The
doctrine of the Assumption was proclaimed as infallible by the Pope Pius XII on
All Saints Day 1950 in the proclamation Munificentissimus Deus. The Assumption then became an
important article of faith for Catholics. This was
only the second time that a Pope had proclaimed a doctrine to be infallible.
The first was the Immaculate Conception, another doctrine that concerns Mary.
The Pope justified the Assumption not on
Biblical authority but largely on the "universal
consensus of the Church“ and the theological
"suitability" of the doctrine.