Christianity Beliefs and Rituals

Ten Basic Facts and Beliefs of Christianity

1.       Followers of the Christian religion base their beliefs on the life, teachings, and death of Jesus Christ.

2.       Christians believe in one God that created heaven, earth, and the universe.

3.       The belief in one God originated with the Jewish religion.

4.       Christians believe Jesus Christ is the "Messiah" or savior of the world. They also believe that Christ is the son of God.

5.       Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem to Mary, a virgin at the time of conception, and Joseph, her husband. Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and told she would conceive a son, though she was not yet married and a virgin and he would be the Messiah.

6.       Jesus was crucified on a cross. His death made salvation and forgiveness of sins possible for all.

7.       On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus Christ arose from the dead. The resurrection of Christ is celebrated on Easter, which is considered Christianity's most important holiday.

8.       After Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, God's presence remained on earth in the form of the Holy Spirit to be a comforter to all.

9.       Salvation can only be obtained by believing that Jesus was sent by God to forgive the sins of every human, and to confess those sins to him.

1-   Interpretations of the Bible and the practices of each church vary by denomination, but the belief in one God and Jesus as the Messiah is central to all Christians.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/world/christianity-fast-facts/

Christians participate in several rituals, the most important of these being the Seven Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist/Communion, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. One ritual that is not a Sacrament is attending mass/service every Sunday, on the “Day of Rest” that originated from the story of Creation in the Book Genesis in the Bible, as well on certain Christian Holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, or Holy Saint Days, depending on the denomination of Christianity. The weeks and months leading up to Christmas, known as Advent, and the 40 days leading up to Easter, known as Lent, are very important in Christianity. During Lent, it is a common practice to sacrifice something unnecessary from their lives to mirror the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made in his fasting in the desert. It is also a common practice to not eat meat on Fridays and to fast from the evening on Good Friday to Easter morning.  On the day of Easter, Christians celebrate the forgiveness of all Sins and wrongdoings because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Christians recite either prewritten or personal prayers to God, their form of communication to, but not with God. They can discuss wrongdoings in their life, ask for guidance or strength, or simply express their belief and thankfulness for God in these prayers.

Some forms of Christianity, especially Catholics, believe in Saints, or people in history who demonstrated that they were holy, and the church recognizes that these people lived such a good and strong life in faith and good deeds that they must be in heaven. More on the process of the recognition of saints can be found here.

 At every mass, the celebration of the Eucharist is performed as a Sacrament, where the events and sayings of Jesus at the Last Supper, the last meal he had before his crucifixion, are remembered and bread and wine are distributed to the congregation. Again, depending on the denomination these are sometimes believed to actually have transformed into the blood and flesh of Christ during the ceremony, or simply be a symbolic representation of them. The first time a person receives the Eucharist is known as “First Communion” and it is common to celebrate this.

Depending on the denomination, most Christians will be entered into their faith as a small child through Baptism. In this ceremony, the child’s parents likely confirm their beliefs for them, while later in life the child can choose to go through a process called Confirmation to confirm their faith as an adult in the church.

The forgiveness of one’s sins is dependent on one’s personal relationship and expression of sorrow to God, however one can go through a Sacrament to help in this process known as Reconciliation, where one confesses their sins to an ordained member of the church and recites prayers to God.

One can become confirmed as a clergy of the Church through a process called Holy Orders, where one is ordained as a bishop, priest, or deacon.

In some Christian Churches, marriage is believed to only be allowed once and divorce results in one no longer being welcome in the church. Marriage in Christianity is only defined as between one man and one woman. In death, if the death is expected, one can undergo the “Anointing of the Sick”, essentially a confirmation of one’s faith in death and a comfort in the reminder that one has heaven waiting for them after death. Of the seven sacraments, (Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist/Communion, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick) the only ones a Christian can receive more than once are Reconciliation, Eucharist, and the Anointing of the Sick. This again depends on the denomination, but it is a common belief. 

Source: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=63