Category: Christian Worldview

Christianity is considered an influential religion, emanated the life of Jesus Christ here on earth. Christianity has evolved over a long period. In the past, there was a belief in polytheistic where they believe in more than one God. The Jews had firmly believed that one day, God would send someone, a Messiah, to relieve them of the pain, persecution, and suffering. It was around 30AD when people started being keen on one Jewish man’s teachings, Jesus Christ. Well, not much is known about the childhood life of Jesus Christ. As a young adult, he worked as a carpenter until he began his ministry, preaching, teaching, healing the sick, among others. Being the Jews promised Messiah and the son of God, who was accepted by others and rejected by others. Therefore, this study will discuss the origin of Christianity, from the population of Jewish Christians who lived during Jesus’ time and explore the birth of Christianity by examining the traits of the Jewish Jesus movement to see how it developed into a distinctly gentile religion.

First of all, in the New Testament, Jesus only preaches the good news to a Jewish listener. He started his ministry by choosing the 12 disciples whom he later commissioned them to preach to ‘all the nations’ (Matthew 28:19) as a ”post-Resurrection’ idea.’ After the crucifixion, the apostles began to champion a new faith in Jesus, and the ranks of Jesus’ actions (known as ‘the Way’ at the time) swelled to 3,000 Jewish converts. At first, these followers were distinctly Jewish, following Mosaic law, Temple traditions, and dietary customs.

Later came the gentile members of the united Jewish-Greek church in Antioch (Acts 11:19–24; Galatians 2:11–14), as well as the many pagan converts of Paul in Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece. It is with them the Jewish monopoly in the new movement came to an end. Jewish and gentile Christianity was born.”

Furthermore, as gentiles joined the Jesus movement, they focus on Jewish law decreased, and that is where the start of the origin of Christianity as a distinct religion came. Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and the gentile Christian population participated in separate services. The two groups agreed on Jesus’ message and importance, but the different rites and communities led to an increasing division between the groups. Geza Vermes writes that ‘after Hadrian’s suppression of the Second Jewish Revolt, the Jewish Christians quickly became a minority group in the newly established church. At this point, the origin of Christianity as a distinctly non-Jewish religion; late in the second century. In conclusion, the Jewish Christians either rejoined their Jewish peers or become part of the newly gentile Christian church.

Christianity grew exponentially, however, in the 20th century. The events arguably changed or at least compelled a more significant contemplation of these historical relations. The first was the Shoah or the Holocaust. In its aftermath, Christian anti-Semitism has been firmly demonstrated historically. It cannot be ignored or dismissed. As difficult as it is for most sincere Christians to acknowledge, elements of Christianity have generated and spread hatred of Jews. Significant Christian anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism helped cultivate an environment that ultimately led to the deaths of millions of Jews. Many Christians, however, have sought to confront and remedy this truth.

Furthermore, any understanding of Christianity begins with knowledge of Judaism because Jesus was born a Jew. He grew up in a Jewish tradition. Christ was one of the many teachers spreading his many ideas in the Roman province of Judea. He was part of the Messianic culture that helps us understand why he was thought not only as a teacher but something much more.

Many Christians have seen this as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Others have seen it as minimal recompense for past Jewish suffering and injustices. During his ministry, Jesus taught that people needed to believe in God and to apologize for their wrongdoings. He emphasized the need to love humanity. From its very beginning, the Christian message was grafted onto human history. The Good News Christians have proclaimed through the ages is that in Jesus Christ, and for our salvation, God has uniquely entered human history. History is crucial for understanding not only the life of Jesus but also the entire biblical message. A good deal of the Old Testament is historical narrative. The Bible tells the story of God’s revelation in the life and history of the people of God. Without that story, it is impossible to know that revelation.

Secondly, having said this should start by affirming a basic premise. The first followers of Jesus were Jews, and the early stages of what is now referred to as the Christian movement in the first century reflected varieties within the world of the Second Temple. Everyone but the most ardent anti-Semites were willing to accede to the Jewish identity of the earliest Jesus supporters. There are admittedly many connotations that surround this term. Christians have become prisoners of their language, for better or for worse.

The diversity of the early Jesus movement is partly attested to by Acts 15, which notes the existence of Pharisees among the followers of Jesus. He should be somewhat surprising since the Pharisees often appear as the opponents of Jesus in the Gospels. The makeup of the early followers of Jesus is much more complicated than most people assume.

Despite these Jewish origins, later Christianity was increasingly dominated by non-Jews, although the time frame for this may not be as early as is often assumed. The massive communities of Gentile supporters of Jesus, once envisioned, may have, in actuality, been quite small. Paul’s many epistles to these communities have possibly inflated their numbers and their significance from our vantage point. Whatever the case, the number of Jews who followed Jesus steadily declined over subsequent centuries, though some continued in their observance of Judaism in various forms. The reason for this is manifold. The destruction of the Temple during the Jewish rebellion against Rome was probably a contributory factor for the decline. There were likely other reasons. The delayed deliverance and declining fortunes of the Jewish people proved a challenge most Jews could not wrestle with. The idea of a Messiah in waiting was problematic for many.

Looking ahead, by the third and fourth centuries of the Common Era, there were growing pressures toward doctrinal uniformity within greater Christianity that eventually served to exclude various non-conformist groups, including Jews who supported Jesus’ messianic claims. While Jews had started the movement, they indeed were outnumbered by Gentiles by the third and fourth centuries. Jerusalem had been the center of this messianic movement, but with the Temple destroyed and Jewish life there limited, it was a losing proposition.

The majority of the people often thought of Emperor Constantine as the primary source of the increasing Christian differentiation from Judaism. On another front, the gradual rise of rabbinic leadership also served to exclude many Jews who supported Jesus’ messianic claims from the fold of emerging Post-Temple Judaism. Now the rabbinic movement was much slower in its ascendancy than is often assumed. The rabbis had limited power and the notion that they could banish and eliminate interaction by Jesus, believing Jews were probably minimal in most quarters.

The path to this exclusion was a long one, the boundaries between Jews and Christians are no longer assumed to have been as defined as previously thought, however. Any notion that the lines were drawn between those on either side of the religious dividing line is not accurate. However, the additional restrictions they faced further weakened the long-term viability of Jews embracing Jesus’ claims.

Until recently, many theologians and historians have presumed that the parting of ways between formative Judaism and the nascent Christian movement occurred very early. They point to the conflict preserved in the Gospels and Acts as proof that Jewishness and Jesus were perceived as incompatible. Consequently, both entities, i.e., the supporters of Jesus and the opponents or non-supporters of Jesus on the other, are often portrayed as sharply distinct groups with clear boundaries as soon as the late first or early second centuries. It has led to the predominant view that characterizes the Jewish movement that focused on Jesus’ messianic claims as nothing more than an anomaly. These Jewish supporters of Jesus were merely hanging on to the remnants of a dead religious tradition.

The disagreement between the Jewish followers of Jesus and the rest of the Jewish community was also portrayed as a conflict between a Christian community and a Jewish one. The scholar G.N. Stanton sums up the normative view by stating that the Jewish community of Matthew that recognized Jesus’ messianic claims had parted company with Judaism. That assumption is problematic since it assumes there was one Judaism. According to Stanton, almost every aspect of the Gospel of Matthew reflects the rivalry between church and synagogue. For Stanton, Matthew’s community can be seen as a defense of Christianity against Judaism. Stanton’s perceptions deal principally with the Matthean community, but this model has been used to argue the circumstances of Jewish groups that accepted Jesus as their Messiah.

The number of Jews who supported Jesus’ messianic claims grew significantly. Luke introduces Ananias and Sapphira as an example of the social makeup of the new community. The couple sold a piece of property and purported to lay the full amount before the apostles. Why they withheld part of the proceeds is unclear, but it appears that they might have sought to achieve some status among Jews who supported Jesus’ messianic claims without divesting themselves of the entire amount.

The Jewish followers of Jesus found their message accepted by many Diaspora-born Jews. The Hellenistic Jews encountered in the seventh chapter of the book of Acts were the by-product of not only linguistic, but cultural and philosophical influences that stemmed from both Roman and Greek society. The appointment of seven deacons to serve in what appears to have been a purely logistical role may shed light on a more significant revelation of the new messianic community. Stephen, one of the seven chosen to serve on behalf of the Greek Jewish community, became actively involved in the open debate in synagogues with non-followers of Jesus. It is the first time a dispute in a synagogue environment s recorded.

Furthermore, the very heart of the conflict between the Hellenistic Jews and the Hebraic Jews was over the issue of commercial distribution. Many poor joined the Jews who believed in Jesus. Indeed, in the second century, different Jesus oriented Judaism were often labeled under one term of Ebionism. The word Ebion reflects the Hebrew word meaning poor. The proclamation of Jesus as the real king of Israel only furthered the political aspirations of freedom and independence held by countless others.

Where the message of Christianity, as related by his followers, and perhaps even in the texts themselves also fail to convey at times his message of redemption, must consider the possibility that his real perspectives were effectively shattered. They were perhaps hidden by the shards of misperception, human weakness, and the simple reality that people can, on the one hand, believe in God’s grace and mercy and still do terrible things. Humanity is, unfortunately, not either-or. The human experience is wrought with failure even as it has achieved great things. Can the message of Jesus have been too powerful to withstand its transmission within earthly vessels? Was its message or at least parts of it altered by the shards of human failures and the frailty of humans as representatives of God’s word?

If Jews cannot agree with Christians, that Jesus was or is the Messiah or Christians cannot accept that Christian faith has failed by its anti-Semitism, then what can be agreed upon. Perhaps, the one thing both groups can agree to is the idea that Jesus called Israel to repent. Whether or not Israel is represented by Jews alone or by a composite body of Jews or non-Jews, repentance applies to all. The presence of God among those who call upon the name of the LORD should be something all agree upon.

Christianity has become the biggest of the world’s religions and, geographically, with more than two billion followers. Christianity centers in Christ Jesus. Christianity is not a religion nor a denomination. It is a personal, intimate relationship with the person Christ Jesus. By becoming a member of a faith, go through the motions, participate in all activities doesn’t prove the stature of a person to be a follower of Christ. Our commitment to Christ should be paramount over all things.

The largest groups are the Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Protestant churches. The Oriental Orthodox churches constitute one of the oldest branches of the tradition but had been out of contact with Western Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy from the middle of the 5th century until the late 20th century because of a dispute over Christology. Significant movements within the broader Christian world and sometimes transcending denominational boundaries are Pentecostalism, Charismatic Christianity, Evangelicalism, and fundamentalism. Also, there are numerous independent churches throughout the world. For example, Anglicanism; Baptist; Calvinism; Congregationalism; Evangelical church; Lutheranism; Oriental Orthodoxy; Presbyterian; Reformed and Presbyterian churches are termed as an independent.

This study first considers the nature and evolution of the Christian religion, its ideas, the growth, and its institutions. This is to examine the theoretical manifestations of Christianity. Today Christianity has evolved into the biggest religion ever with a massive following of over two billion audiences. It is good to appreciate that Christianity originated from the times of Jesus Christ. Jesus started his ministry by choosing the 12 disciples that he worked together with, whom he later commissioned them. The Jewish monopoly in the new movement came to an end, and the Jewish and gentile Christianity was born. On the other hand, the primary source of the increasing Christian differentiation from Judaism. When the gentiles joined the Jesus movement, and their main concentration was to see Jewish law decreased, and that gave birth to the origin of Christianity as a distinct religion. Finally, the role of Christianity in the world, the relationships with its divisions and denominations, its missionary outreach to other peoples, and its relations with other world religions are discussed. In conclusion, Christianity is not a religion nor a faith. It is a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. By believing in him and his teaching that is sufficient to make one a Christian.

This essay will address the issues of when the religion began, a brief history of the person who founded it and what this founder taught, and a comparison between this religion’s teaching and those of Christianity including the similarities and the differences. This essay will argue that the two religions, Baha’i and Christianity, are more different than they are alike because of key theological differences.

To begin, it is important to first understand the Baha’i faith and what its followers believe. The religion grew out of the Babi sect of Shiite Islam in Iran in the middle of the 19th century (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019; Smith, 2008). A mission was given by God to two messengers called the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh; the Báb, whose name means “the Gate”, predicted the future coming of the Bahá’u’lláh, whose name means “the Glory of God” (Bahai.org, 2019, n.p.). These men were teachers, prophets, and ambassadors of the faith who popular wrote down messages from God in what became the faith’s holy texts. After the Bahá’u’lláh, leadership was passed down to two more men in his family before it transferred in 1963 to the Universal House of Justice, which is currently located in Israel on Mount Carmel (Bahai.org, 2019, n.p.). This House of Justice is for promoting world peace, prosperity, welfare, and equality.

Baha’i is not one of the most popular or well-known world religions, but it is a medium-sized religion with approximately five to eight million followers (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010). It is technically an Abrahamic religion because it derives from Islam, which is one of the main Abrahamic religions. According to “A Brief Introduction to the Baha’i Faith”, Bahai’s central belief is that the “crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the future of society and of the nature and purpose of life” by which humans will be able to achieve the supreme goal of universal peace (2015, n.p; Bahai.org, 2019). The back of Smith’s (2008) book, An Introduction to the Baha’i Faith explains that faith is largely concerned with social ethics and “it has no priesthood and few formal rituals” (Smith, 2008, n.p.). They believe in:

the oneness of God and humanity, the oneness of humanity and freedom from prejudice, the inherent nobility of the human being, the progressive revelation of religious truth, the development of spiritual qualities, the integration of worship and service, the fundamental equality of the sexes, the harmony between religion and science, the centrality of justice to all human endeavors, and the importance of [universal] education. (Bahai.org, 2019, n.p.) Interestingly enough, their religious beliefs include a stance on how society should treat education, something that most religions do not include in their theology.

Baha’i is similar to Christianity in several ways. For instance, it promotes the equality of all people (Baha’i Blog, 2015). As followers of God, we are called to love and treat everyone equally. As well, the Baha’i faith has a very similar perspective to traditional Christian denominations on sexual morality. Both religions do not look favorable on homosexuality and are strictly against extra or premarital sexual intercourse (Bahai.org, 2019). Baha’i is also a monotheistic faith like Christianity, which means that both faiths believe in that there is one supremely powerful being, who is God. Both faiths also believe in the power and importance of the covenant, which is a pact or promise between the follower and the leader they are following. Like Christians, they live in a “community of both learning and action” in which they “live according to teachings” (Baha’i Blog, 2015). Both Baha’is and Christians are expecting to live out their commitment to God through devotion and prayer, although Baha’is have mandatory requirements that they must fulfill each day. Service is seen as a form of worship, just as it is in Christianity. They also do not believe that followers of the faith are simply born into the religion, but must figure out for themselves what they believe in. Protestantism, like Baha’i, does not have a priesthood, although Protestant churches have clergy. The Baha’is House of Justice could be regarded as having similar ideals to the Roman Catholic Vatican, although the Vatican certainly includes a priesthood. The Bahai’s “embrace the arts and sciences” (Baha’i Blog, 2015, n.p.), just as many Christians, including famous ones like Isaac Newton and Galileo, have been able to reconcile science and religion. Christians also believe that God expects them to take care of the earth and all that He made (Genesis 1:28. Baha’is also see themselves as stewards of the earth (Bahai.org, 2019). In fact, they take it a step further by saying that there should be equality of wealth among people, just as the early Christian church lived communally and shared everything they had, although this is no longer done much today. In both Christianity and Baha’i, followers are expected to gather voluntarily, although the Baha’i church expects a much higher percentage (19%) than most Christian churches (10%). While Christians might not necessarily believe in the “inherent nobility of the human being” (Bahai.org, 2019) like the Baha’is, Protestants believe that anyone who follows Christ is a saint. To become a Baha’i, you are expected to recognize and accept Baha’u’llah as a messenger from God and try to live according to his teaching, just as Christians must confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and live according to the Bible (Netland, 2015). Both faiths have also experienced significant persecute throughout their history (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019).

There are also many differences between Baha’i and Christianity. Like other religions including Judaism, Baha’is believe that Jesus was a great teacher, but they do not recognize Him as the Son of God that He was. They put him on the same level as the mortals, including Abraham and Moses, who were simply regular people that God put into positions of leadership because they followed Him; likewise, Krisha, Mohammed, and Zoroaster are also categorized as divine educators (Bahai.org, 2019). Christians believe that the only prophets sent by God are the ones mentioned in the Bible. The entirety of the Christian faith is founded on the basis of the Gospel, which is the good news about the New Covenant that Jesus died to create for us because He knew that we would never be able to do it ourselves. Many Christians, including Roman Catholics, also believe in the holy sacrament of communion during fellowship as a body of the believer, along with some form of baptism represented our new birth when we die to our old selves and are resurrect along with Christ. No other religion on earth follows a man who claims to have risen from the dead.

Bahais’ also believe the teaching that the “religions of the world come from the same source” (Baha’i Blog, 2015, n.p.). While Christians are also monotheistic, they do not believe that all religions come from and reveal God. Rather, they believe that these other religions are man-made. Jesus is “God himself” (Netland, 2015) who is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him]” (John 14:6, NIV). The Baha’i faith rejects the idea of physical heaven and hell. While they claim that the supreme goal of humanity is unity and peace, Christians realize that the ultimate goal of the Christian faith is that we will be able to be reconciled with God in heaven one day because of Jesus Christ. Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture explains that the “main movement of the [Christian] church is also characterized by a certain harmony of conviction about the universality and radical nature of sin” (Niebuhr, 1975, p.118) from that Jesus saves. Christians believe that because of original sin, humans are inherently evil, but Baha’is believe that humans are inherently good. Baha’is believe firmly in the concept of justice, but Christians believe that it is God alone who is the ultimate judge. Christians also believe that we can receive direct revelation from God and that we are able to commune personally to God through prayer, whereas Bahai’s believe that revelation from God has progressed through all the different world religions. This is why they incorporate scripture from all world religions into their church services (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019).

In conclusion, Baha’i is more different to Christianity than it is similar. While it has many similar aspects, including very clear, respectable ethics and morals, it misses out on some of the fundamental truths that Christians believe. They seem to be more concerned with how humans live their lives and what humans can do for themselves than with accept the free gift of salvation that Christians know is given to them by God. Baha’i claims that it is possible to be both Baha’i and Christian, but to do so, a Christian would have to state that Baha’u’llah is a messenger from God and live accord to his teachings, which were written by a man and are not inspired by God like the Christian Bible is. For this reason, Christians should not deviate from what they believe.

References

1. Bahai.org. (2019). What Bahá’ís Believe. Retrieved from https://www.bahai.org/beliefs.
2. Baha’i Blog. (2015). A Brief Introduction to the Baha’i Faith. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHpOy7vgqtI.
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2010). Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-2010. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
4. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2019). Baha’i Faith. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bahai-Faith.
5. Netland, H. A. (2015). Christianity and religious diversity: clarifying Christian commitments in a globalizing age. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic (a division of Baker Publishing Group).
6. Niebuhr, H. R. (1975). Christ and culture. New York: Harper & Row.
7. Hatcher, W. S., & Martin, J. D. (2002). The Baha’i faith: The emerging global religion. Baha’i Publishing Trust.
8. Smith, P. (2008). An introduction to the Baha’i faith. Cambridge University Press.

Many people are afraid to try new things, whether it be religious or something in everyday life. The Romans were not willing to accept new things different from their own ways. They were deeply against anything that went against their current system of government and the gods which they praised. Christianity was one of the religions that were created and completely changed the Romans’ systems. The Romans were against from the start, they did everything in their power to try and abolish it, but the Romans did not succeed. But little did they know how much Christianity would benefit their society. Christianity, in many ways benefited the people within ancient Rome, by increasing survival rates, treatment of women, abolishing abortion and infanticide, and rewarding those who follow the Christian faith.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion. They believe that Jesus is the one and only God, who created the heavens, the earth, and mankind. They believe Jesus, the Messiah, died on the cross to save them from their sins. Christians live their life according to the bible, which is the holy book of Christianity. Tells the story of God’s relationship with mankind, their salvation from evil and instructions on how to live a life serving God. The Bible was divided into two parts, The Old Testament and The New Testament. The Old Testament consists of predictions of the coming Messiah and his kingdom, while The New Testament consists of the life and death of the Messiah. Christians believe God is going to come back to earth and establish his kingdom on earth.

In Ancient Rome, Christianity was seen as a threat to the Republic, Romans saw them as a threat to their religious system. The Romans believed the gods were watching over them and the empire. But, Christians refused to worship and make sacrifices to the Roman gods and the emperor, which raised suspicion throughout the empire. The Romans thought that because Christians refused to make sacrifices to the gods, this could anger the gods and make them turn on the empire. The persecution of Christians was a common thing within Ancient Rome. At first, Christians would be beheaded, but as time went on it transitioned to crucifixions and being fed to the lions (Malik and Davenport).

Later in 306 AD, Constantine rose to power and became the first Christian emperor of Rome. It is known that Constantine’s first godly interaction was when he was stationed in Gaul. Constantine with his army saw a cross appear in the sky with the words, ‘In this sign, conquer’ written under it (Wells). He did not know what the sign was supposed to mean, so he prayed in hope for an answer. Constantine’s second interaction was through a vision. In a dream, he sees the Greek symbol chi and roh. After this vision, Constantine goes to his army and told them about what had happened. He then decided to put the symbols on his army’s shields, which is translated to, ‘Highest God’ (Wells). After he experienced these signs, he became a believer in the Christian faith. Once Constantine became emperor, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, which made Christianity legal throughout Rome.In 380 CE, the emperor Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessaloncia, which made Christianity, specifically Nicene Christianity, the official religion of the Roman Empire” (“Christianity in the Roman Empire”).

When Christianity was made legal, there were many effects on the Roman empire. One thing Christianity supported in Ancient Rome was survival rates, especially during the Plague of Cyprian which occurred around 260 AD. The Plague of Cyprian was the second great epidemic to occur in Rome and took many lives. “The pathology included fatigue, bloody stool, fever, esophageal lesions, vomiting, conjunctival hemorrhaging, and severe infection in the extremities; debilitation, loss of hearing, and blindness followed in the aftermath” (Cyprian). The characteristics of Christians was to help people whenever they are in need. Christians please God by loving one another no matter what, even those who have different beliefs from them. By doing this the Christians also fulfilled their ideal ministry, which is the help others. During a plague or an outbreak of disease, the Romans did not tend to try to help those they saw in need. The time of the Plague, in the Pagans eyes, was more of every man for themselves type of situation. Pagans were more worried about what happened to themselves and did not worry about those around them. The Christians took it upon themselves to become the nurses during the Plague of Cyprian. Christians would go around looking for the sick and dying and try to nurse them back to health as best they could. They would take the time to create a proper burial to those who were not able to survive the plague. Christians main focus was to find the other Christians who were dying from the plague, but they also helped the Pagans that they could because it was part of their nature to help others.

Christianity had a different perspective on the treatment of women, unlike the Romans. In Ancient Rome, men held a higher position than women and had authority over them. Women in ancient Rome would be referred to as the wife of their husband instead of their actual name. When it came to marriage and divorce, the Romans were not supportive of the women going through those hard times. The widowed women were pressured to find a new husband. “Augustus even had widows fined if they failed to remarry within two years”(The Rise of Christianity 104). The pressure of finding a new husband was put onto the widowed women of Rome, and there would be consequences if the women took to long to do so. Eventually, when a woman got remarried, everything she owned became the property of her new husband. While the Christians supported the widowed women who were having hard times. Remarriage was discouraged, a widowed woman who did not get married got to keep all her belongings. The Christian church was always ready to give support to a woman in need. Most marriages in Rome were arranged by the guardians of the women, giving them little say with whom they were to get married to, a great number were married to men far older than them. The women were also married at a younger age, most of the time before puberty. While, the Christian women got married at an older age, and were given the freedom to choose who and when they were to get married.

In Christianity, everyone was seen as equals, so the women were valued as much as the men. Women were given as many opportunities as everyone else and not looked down upon. In the church, many women were given the opportunity and held office in a congregation. One of the main roles that were held by women was deaconing for the church, meaning they would, “take care of the physical and logistical needs of the church so that the elders can concentrate on their primary calling” (Benjamin 2010). This role was very important to the foundation of the church. Deacons would take care of finances and the well-being of the church. The first women deacon was Phoebe, she was appointed by Paul to send his letter to the Romans. “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me” (Romans 16:1-2). Paul chose her to deliver his letter because she was always willing to help others. Many women followed in Pheobe’s footsteps. The Romans on the other hand, men held a higher position than women and had authority over them. Therefore, since leadership roles were male-dominated, women were not given the opportunity to take leadership roles. Some Romans feared women who would rise to power because of past experiences with women in power. For example, Queen Boudicca who lead a revolt in Britain.

Christianity was also greatly against infanticide, which is, “The killing of an infant” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Infanticide is when the child is killed at a very young age and is already born. Christians were also against abortion, which is, “ the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Abortion is when the child is killed during pregnancy and has not been born yet. All people are seen as important in the eyes of God. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them,” (Genesis 1:27). They believe everyone was created in the image of God and that life is sacred and should be protected at all costs, so it should not go to waste. They are also against the murder of all kinds. It is thought that the life of a child begins at conception, so abortion is the murder of a child. Christians even began to make attacks on pagans and religions how would commit these horrible acts. The Romans were not so much against the idea of abortion. In Rome, families were able to have many male children as they pleased but were only able to keep their first female child. The acts of infanticide and abortion were sometimes taken to limit the number of people within a family. In the Christian perspective, this was an unreasonable reason for infanticide. Christians want an abundance of children so they can all serve the Lord and fulfill their ministry to god.

Finally, the Christian faith also followed with a reward system. Christians were not only rewarded spiritually with all the kind things they do but also physically. They were motivated by the fact they were to be rewarded with salvation but were also rewarded while they were on the earth. Again, one of the main Christian morals is to help those in need. By doing this, they will also receive help in their time of need. Another example comes from different social class. God created everyone as equals, even though there were the rich and poor, all the people still all remained equal in Gods’ eyes. It is said those who were more fortunate in wealth were put there by God to help those less fortunate than them, and that they would be rewarded for those services. God will always reward those how to help those in need and do good throughout their life. Everyone who deserves to be rewarded will be at one point in their life.

Even though the Romans were against Christianity at the start, many of them later saw the benefits of joining these beliefs and the moral system that came along with them. Christianity benefitted the Romans when it came to the treatment of women and children, helping those in need, and being rewarded for their good deeds on earth. Christianity has many more benefits that come along with it. People should know that there are so many things that they do not know about that can bring them so much joy in life. Being open about other religions and cultures can only benefit people in the long run. They can learn about how others live their lives and what they believe.

When the word envy comes to mind, we generally think it is a harmless feeling. But when left unaddressed, it can lead to very dangerous consequences. Envy has been experienced by humans since the beginning of time and throughout history there have been many instances when envy led to very disastrous outcomes. The Bible warns us sternly about envy by stating that envy “rots the bone” (Proverbs 14:30, KJV).

Envy is an emotion that we have all experienced at some point in our lives. It targets internal qualities that give a person worth, honor, and standing (DeYoung, 2009, pg. 43). It targets things such as talent or God-given qualities. Unlike covetousness, envy is less concerned with material items but more concerned with the symbolism of that item. In contemporary society we often seek some items because they symbolize our high status, superiority, and our success. We often use material things as a display of how successful we are. For example, a luxury car signifies that we are doing well. Envy covets the admiration that items command. Sometimes we envy things that money cannot buy, such as love and respect. Unlike envy, jealousy is concerned with the fear that the things we love may be taken away from us. Envy is a game of comparison. As DeYoung (2009) states, “the bottom line for the envious is how they stack up against others because they measure their self-worth comparatively” (pg. 44). It is therefore important to make the distinction that jealousy is far more excusable than envy because the jealous person wants to protect what he or she already possesses. Whilst envy is activated by that which we don’t have, by that which belongs to someone else, and that makes it contemptible (Stern, 2000, pg. 2).

The first introduction to envy in the Bible is the case of Cain and Abel. Most people in society are familiar with the story of the two brothers and how Cain’s envy led to wrath and hatred for his brother. Abel lost his life as a result of his brother’s envy. When we indulge in the vice of envy, it can become obsessional. The desire for the object of one’s envy can drive them to go to all lengths to acquire what they envy someone else. There are different degrees of envy (Epstein, 2003, pg. 21). Envy operates by attacking our ability to value and appreciate life at its source (Caper, 2008, pg. 36). Writer Leonard Stern (2000) points out that of all the seven deadly sins, envy carries the greatest social stigma because there is no acceptable measure of envy (pg. 2). Whilst some measure of sloth, or lust may be considered acceptable within society, envy of any amount is shameful.

In the contemporary world, we often use tools such as social media to incite the envy of other people. We become concerned about being envied for our material possessions rather than our spiritual attributes. We fully indulge in comparison and this constant comparison fuels our insecurities. Nowadays, it is so easy to assume that other people’s lives are better than ours and that they are happier than we are. This pushes us to display our lives in a better light than it actually is. Sometimes we become more concerned with the idea of “posting” pictures strategically so that others may become envious of our experiences, and we fail to enjoy the experiences ourselves. Envy does not just occur when we envy others. When we feel others envy us, we feel a sense of superiority. So, the vice of envy operates in the envier as well as in the envied person.

The desire to be envied often leads to vainglory, the excessive desire for recognition and approval of others (DeYoung, 2009, pg. 60). An example of this that we see in every day contemporary culture is the organization of extravagant weddings. People spend thousands of dollars every day to impress their guests, and they are sometimes more concerned about the image that a luxurious wedding portrays, than they are about who they are marrying. This deep longing to be approved and validated comes from a desire to be envied. As in the case of envy, the vainglorious person has a fragile self-worth which rests conditionally on others’ approval (DeYoung, 2009, pg. 55). Therefore, envy is also highly concerned with image.

Envy is dangerous because it can lead to wrath and the vice of anger. Nowadays, we often see on the news people who kill others because of envy. A business partner might kill an associate over a deal, or a friend over their spouse. This vice is perhaps the most dangerous of all vices. To conquer and overcome our vices, we must replace them with virtues. Gratitude is a virtue that counteracts the vice of envy. To prevent envy, we must also practice love towards one another. DeYoung (2009) refers to envy as the enemy of love because to love is to seek the good of others and rejoice of their successes (pg. 51). This is the opposite of envy. Enviers constantly seek happiness but such happiness can only come from God through the practice of gratitude and kindness. By filling our hearts with kindness, we can prevent envy from operating within our hearts. We know that kindness is of importance to God because in passages such as Micah 6:8, he instructs his people to “love mercy” (KJV). Kindness is a quality that belong to God (O’Connor, 2016, pg.35). We often encounter envious people, and when we do, we must extend kindness to them as well. O’Connor (2016) further explains that “To love kindness is to make it a priority, to live committed to it, to act from it fully. This is the kindness that God wants, the kindness that characterizes the believing community” (pg. 35). When we have a grateful heart, we appreciate the things we have and we do not envy other people.

The vice of envy, and any other vices can be conquered with the Word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit. When we are full with the gifts of the Spirit, we have no room for envy. When we remember that we are blessed every day, we do not allow envy to have any real estate in our hearts. In 1 Peter 2:1, the Bible teaches us to lay aside malice and envy (KJV).

Love, faith, hope. The three are universally termed as the three pillars of the Christian faith. Hope is a Christian tenet seen throughout the Bible. This quality, which means looking to the future praying for a positive outcome or depending on powers outside yourself for a positive outcome builds a foundational basis on very important aspects of life. Hope stands out as what Christians and Jews in the Old Testament hold/held on to as an assurance that God is/was working in their favour and for their good. Hope is the one pillar of the Christian faith that tests the faith of believers and their belief in the faithfulness of Yahweh.

Adam and Eve are the first people in the Bible to have hope built up in them. In spite of their treason, God shows His exceeding mercy in making coverings for them and even making a promise! Amidst the pronouncements of curses that was due their disobedience God does not outrightly kill them, instead He gives an announcement that a descendant of Eve will put to a stop the tyranny of the devil.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’ (Gen 3:15 ESV)

This pronouncement clearly shows that an offspring will greatly injure Satan. He will bruise Satan’s head while Satan will bruise his heel. This positive announcement found in the middle of the pronouncement of harsh judgements it is sure to create a longing and hopefulness in a people that had directly disobeyed God’s instructions. Although exiled from the Garden, Adam and Eve could look to the future with a glimmer of hope. They knew that their troubles and the troubles that were sure to meet their descendants now ,that they were out of a perfect garden into a broken world were only for a matter of time before a saviour came onto the scene. Here is an offer of hope to an undeserving couple. This hope of a future Messiah echoes throughout the Old Testament with people looking forward to a day when the schemes and oppression of the devil would stop courtesy of a saviour sent by Yahweh.

Captivity of the Israelites by their enemies consistently appears in Egypt and later by the likes of Babylon. Oppressed, mistreated and even killed the Israelites are a desperate lot in desperate need of divine intervention during these periods of intense suffering. In Egypt, the Israelites suffer intense work and oppression at the hands of a tyrant king, they make straw and do menial work under increasing pressure and ruthlessness at the hands of their captors. They are a desperate lot. They have their hope almost put out with the heavy hand of a cruel Egypt. Promises made to their father Abraham seem far off until Moses comes along and speaks on behalf of Yahweh. When Moses continually confronts the Pharaoh, Israelites see that God has not forgotten them and they look forward to being free in hope. When taken into captivity in the book of Jeremiah, God continually reminds them that they can hope in Him for deliverance. One of the most famous verses in the Bible actually in context is a pronouncement for the Israelites in captivity that they should look forward to the future with the assurance that God will get them free.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me, come, and pray to me, and I will hear you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV)

God does not relent in His assurance of this beaten down people. “There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country.” (Jeremiah 31:17 ESV)

In all these instances, the Israelites have something to grasp onto that keeps them going in dire circumstances. God’s promises to rescue them builds up their hope. They have a positive affirmation that their future circumstances will be better thus, they trust in God and have the impetus to put up with suffering.

Heaven is the ultimate hope in Christian belief. This eventuality is the most anticipated event in Christian belief proven by the many stories about going to heaven and the prophecies of rapture and the second coming that appear regularly in the media. Heaven is the hallmark of Christian faith with the final two chapters of the Bible underlining this reality. This culmination of God’s story promises a perfect existence.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ (Revelation 21:4 ESV)

Living in a world full of temptation and suffering prompts every Christian to hope for a better existence and better circumstances the promise of heaven fulfils the longing to have a relief from the brokenness and suffering of a fallen world. Heaven offers much needed hope in a condition where loss of friends and family, cancer and divorce will all be in the past. If there were a source of unmatchable hope found anywhere, heaven will be that.

Hope is crucial to Christian existence and understanding of the scriptures. In the various stories found throughout the Bible, the characters look out of themselves to an omnipotent God who allows challenges to embolden their faith in Him and offers them hope that He is good and that He will work things in their favour. Hope serves as the anchor that upholds the vitality of the faith of God’s people.

Suffering in the catholic church is meant to give us an opportunity to love God, to give God glory, to merit glory, and to participate in his work of redemption. The catholic church is helping people ask for God’s guidance when we are suffering. “When things go well with good people here, and ill with bad people, a great uncertainty arises whether good people receive good so that they might be stimulated to grow into something even better or whether by a just and secret judgment, they see the rewards of their deeds here so that they may be void of the rewards of the life to come.”

Most of the world would look at suffering as an aspect of life that is bad but as Christians, we have a different opinion. We are able to see the bright side and purpose that suffering gives us which is to become closer to God through his love and forgiveness.

“The Sacraments of Healing offer hope in our world and call us to be witnesses to God’s love, healing and forgiveness”

The Sacrament of Anointing is a sacrament for those who are sick or dying. This sacrament will help you build strength when you are weak. It is a rite that is performed by the power of the Holy Spirit and is a sign of suffering towards God. It helps offer hope because if we are suffering, we are being called to God’s love, healing and forgiveness. It will bring us closer to God as we will have to go to him to get healed. Jesus suffered deeply in his time on earth just as every human will as well.

Through the Anointing of the Sick, people in need are reminded that Christ is in communion with their suffering. God has faith in us that we can learn from our sufferings and grow from it which will offer a sense of hope to everyone. Jesus suffered greatly in his life on earth. His message was not understood, and he ultimately died the death of a criminal under the Roman government. Like every human being, he dreaded suffering. (Luke 22:39–45).

Mental Suffering can be a very difficult thing to go through. It can make you suffer in ways that other things can’t. It has the ability to make you emotionally damaged, mentally drained and physically broken. People who suffer are unhappy and many people could be in this situation. One person that caught my eye was Kristen Bell. You may know her from movies or hear of her from others. Even though she seems to be alright she has suffered from depression and anxiety. Kristen said, “I felt plagued with a negative attitude and a sense that I was permanently in the shade. I’m normally such a bubbly, positive person, and all of a sudden I stopped feeling like myself.” She felt as though she had been lost and didn’t know what made her feel this way. This is only one form of suffering but it is one that can hit hard. Kristen had to take medication for many years to help her with her situation. She felt as though she had to hide her issue for the first 15 years of her career yet now she is open about it.

Depression is a form of suffering but it can have many different solutions. The Catholic Church is teaching us that Christ believes that suffering has an importance in our lives. If you don’t believe that there is good in suffering just remember Jesus dying on the cross for us. Even in our own lives, the struggles that we go through can always have a positive impact.

Most people don’t need to experience suffering but if they do, it makes them so much stronger and they can prepare for anything that will happen next. Everyone lives with suffering one time or another and it may be hard to put it behind us but we’re all human and that’s an inevitability.

Suffering is an experience of physical or mental pain. It puts you in a difficult situation and makes you feel like the world is over when it’s really not. Challenging situations and emotions will present themselves in our lives, cause us suffering and pain, however with the bad comes good. It provides us with opportunities to confide in God’s love, which will ultimately allow us to feel his forgiveness and healing.

Marriage refers to the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship (historically and in some jurisdictions specifically a union between a man and a woman) and matrimony refers to the state of being married; marriage. Marriage is a fundamental institution for society due to its importance in uniting spouses as potential parents and in providing for the upbringing of their children.

A rise in divorce numbers are evident in today’s society. There has been a lot of discussion as to who earns the money and who manages the household meaning that there is less correlation which can weaken the need to be together as both women and men can work, providing for themselves without the income of another person as it used to be. People wander whether marriage is worth the effort while others say it is an old-fashion that doesn’t fit the expectations they have for their lives. People tend to spend more time thinking about themselves and their personal needs and worry less about the relationship/partner which can lead to disagreements among others which in turn affects the overall purpose of the relationship.

The Sacrament of Matrimony is the matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.

We were created in God’s image meaning that men and women reflect different aspects of God as well as having two different but complementary bodies. Justice and Mercy, Strength and Beauty, Initiation and Response. The different, but reciprocal aspects of men and women mean that marriage is best represented when it is between a man and a woman. The different bodies show they are physically corresponding and also fit together in body, soul and spirit.

Men and women are brought together by marriage becoming one. Marriage is established by God to be life-long, faithful relationship which is intended to be fruitful. Marriage was designed by God to join a husband and wife to each other and to be mother and father to the offspring they have. They knew that “children are a heritage from the Lord” (psalm 127:3) and that the mother and father are the best people to provide for and educate their own offspring.

How the Catechism informs and/or influences Catholics:

• Marriage is a sacrament which must be followed just like laws in politics etc. as it is something that must be complied with.
• If you don’t agree with matrimony and its ‘norms’, influences a person to not get married in the Church
• You need to be disposed to have children as stated by the Catechism making Catholics to re-think about marriage.

Marriage in Islam is similar to the doctrine of marriage in Catholicism and is held in high regard. However, Islam permits marriage of up to four women where Catholicism requires one man and one woman. Furthermore, in Islam, a man is permitted to beat his wife for disloyalty and ill-conduct (“34. Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband’s) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).” Surah 4:34). Muslims are not supposed to marry non-Muslims, and they are not to force women into marriage. However, lying is permitted in Islamic marriage in order to harmonize the relationship between spouses.

Tensions between the Catechism and Catholics:

• Marriage, procreation and education of offspring are a must, but many don’t want to marry/have children.
• By nature, many people are materialistic and maybe money would need to go towards the offspring/matrimony as a priority.
• The church requires marriage through the Church as a sacrament, but some people might only want to marry through civil marriage because different religious beliefs (which is not permitted in Catholicism).

Divorce is a major issue in today’s marriages which will continue to rise in the future presenting issues to the Church. This is because the Catholic Church does not allow or recognise divorce as marriage/matrimony is for all of life until separated by death. It is unclear as to how the Church might respond to this challenge but if it continues to happen, it might even cause many people to change faith/religion to accommodate for their needs resulting in a decrease of Catholics.

“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” This brilliant quote by Friedrich Nietzsche reflects how Christians view suffering as something that can be beneficial. This essay provides an in-depth explanation of how suffering follows the example of Jesus, how fortitude helps with the acceptance of suffering, how suffering can save people, and how suffering can help people go to Heaven. Followers of Christ make voluntary sacrifices and confront inexorable suffering because in order to become one with Jesus, they have to suffer alongside him.

It is important to understand why Christians attempt to imitate Christ before they find out how. Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, explained the importance of reasoning behind actions when he said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Nietzsche articulates the crucial nature of understanding the motivations for an action before the action itself. This idea is projected in Saint Paul’s writings. “So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2). This verse concisely and brilliantly explains why Catholics should imitate Christ. The simple answer is because Jesus is love, and to love is to be like him. Any act of selflessness is an imitation of Christ, and striving to be like Christ is a common goal within Christianity. Of course, this raises another question. How would a person attempt to emulate Christ? They would love everyone to the best of their ability because Christ shows infinite love to all people. They would accept their suffering and bear it since Christ experienced an unfathomable amount of suffering. By suffering alongside Christ, Christians feel a sense of solidarity with God. This feeling of unity is only fully understood when someone has endured the same pain as Christ.

Suffering itself is a frightening and dreadful experience, something that takes bravery to withstand. The Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude is the ability for someone to have courage when facing adversity. Fortitude not only helps individuals confront inevitable suffering forthrightly, but it helps them accept the axiomatic nature of suffering itself. Life is suffering, contaminated by malevolence. The acceptance of this statement is the first step to the confrontation of life’s miseries. A problem cannot be resolved if it is not first identified, and the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude helps with this identification. A lot of people believe that suffering can be avoided in this world, or at least they act as if that is the case, regardless of if they articulate it or not. The first step to transcending this suffering is accepting the inevitable nature of it. For example, if there is a person experiencing the loss of a loved one, fortitude would give this person the ability to have strength when they most need it. This strength would help with the recognition of the loss, and the gradual overcoming of the grief. This is certainly better than running from these tragedies that are bound to happen. The Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude would help this person accept the pain’s existence, confront it, and ultimately overcome it.

Jesus does not take away suffering, but rather he transforms it into our salvation. This is an idea that is difficult for most people to grasp. Saint Paul explains how humans do not fully understand suffering in 1 Corinthians. “But we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:23-25). This passage explains how one could perceive Jesus’s crucifixion as his weakness, and the event occurring as the world’s foolishness. This is not the case at all. Jesus’s crucifixion is not foolishness or weakness, but it is the infinite power and wisdom of God. This event that can easily be seen as weak and foolish is actually the event that saves humanity. Jesus’s crucifixion is an example of God’s power and wisdom seen as mere chaos. Suffering is the same way. Christians believe that suffering can be transformed into a saving quality for people. They believe that bearing suffering can be a form of reparation for their sins. This is when it is crucial for a Christian to take a leap of faith, for the concept of redemptive suffering cannot be logically proven.

Christians believe that Christ’s suffering and death give them the ability to go to Heaven. Jesus’s death mended the relationship between God and man, allowing humans the ability to go to Heaven. They also believe that the suffering they endure on earth helps with the cleansing of the effects of sin. This suffering and pain ultimately helps Christians grow closer to God.

Followers of Christ make voluntary sacrifices and confront inexorable suffering because in order to become one with Jesus, they have to suffer alongside him. Christians believe suffering follows the example of Jesus, fortitude helps with the acceptance of suffering, suffering can save lives, and suffering can help people go to Heaven. Christians believe suffering can be beneficial. The quote, “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering,” reflects this idea.

Work Cited

1. Scripture, http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/5
2. Scripture, http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1
3. “The Sacrifice of Suffering.” Desiring God, 2 Dec. 2019, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-sacrifice-of-suffering

Forgiveness is a biblical mandate from the New Testament that many Christians engage in as a part of their faith. Various scriptures reflect forgiveness as a part of Christian teachings and theology, as is it enshrined in the Lord’s prayer – forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. These scriptures point to the power of forgiveness not only as a way to find peace between individuals and/or groups, but to ensure that the person extending forgiveness will be forgiven of their own wrongdoings. Reconciliation is the act or state of re-establishing friendship between God and a human being, when one sins, after a baptism, this sacrament is needed to restore one’s relationship with God. Christianity practices numerous public rituals of reconciliation, such as baptisms, communal meals and public confession, as well as private forms, like privately confessing to a minister/priest, and/or individual prayer. Although it is enshrined in the Christian tradition that one must provide and receive forgiveness openly and in abundance, true reconciliation and healing is difficult to reach.

First off, it is important to note that Christianity practices forgiveness in various forms of ritual. Any ritual can be described as a specific, observable mode of behaviour, that can be used to analyze the fundamental aspects of human conduct. Humans are ritualistic beings by nature, and regularly incorporate ritual in every day tasks habitually, such as brushing teeth. Christianity is expressed through rituals that provide traditions and values to future generations. Christianity focuses heavily on the relationships to one another and to God, as well as the constant need for healing and reconciliation. Rituals of reconciliation suggest that there is sin in the world and sin inside every human, part of the ritual is the acceptance of the evil committed and recognizing it as evil. Part of the ritual, too, has traditionally included an effort to show remorse for wrongdoings, and teach not only love but also humility. A sin is suggested to be a deliberate thought, word, deed or omission contrary to the eternal law of God, and Christians who commit sins are believed to be sent to an eternal damnation in hell. Violation of the law of God is understood to destroy the divine life in the soul of the sinner, constituting a turn away from God. This exemplifies the fundamental importance of following the word of God, as well as to pose a deterrent for acting immorally in society. The forbearing nature of forgiveness within Christianity is centered around many of Jesus’ disciples’ experiences of Jesus’ public ministry, and their accounts of him. The gospel narratives of Jesus’ activity during his ministry outlines the importance of reconciliation, and the proposition that it will ultimately lead people to a better way of life. Emphasis is placed on Jesus’ authority to forgive sin, and for his followers to do as he does, which is shown through Jesus’ nature to be forgiving of transgressors, even extending it to the Romans while being hung from the cross. “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34, NLT). Despite the mockery and scepticism of Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, he remained calm and up kept his forgiving nature. In response to a fellow criminal being crucified beside him, “Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:43, NLT). This represents the fundamental trust and belief in God’s kingdom, and that to believe and forgive, you are reflecting Gods power, which will provide rewards in the afterlife. The lesson of reconciliation is also evident throughout Paul’s letters, which focus on reconciliation as the core of Jesus’ saving work. Since Jesus’ sacrifice was believed to provide reconciliation for all humans, humans are expected to routinely practice reconciliation as it is the extension of Gods own spirt. The ultimate power of reconciliation is perceived to belong to God; human reconciliation is a symbol of the divine reconciliation. Christians believe that Jesus intended that we should always forgive others as God always forgives us, through constant forgiveness: forgiveness by God, forgiveness by and of the community, and forgiveness of and by ourselves.

Moreover, Christianity practices various types of public and private forms of ritualized forgiveness that seek to provide reconciliation for the transgressor, as well as any individual/group involved. Performing rituals to receive reconciliation are commonly assumed to absolve sin, or at the least, lessen the wrongdoing. Perhaps the most common form of ritualized forgiveness is best represented through communal meals. Communal meals are rituals that express and attempt to help provide reconciliation where it is needed and takes place. In sharing a meal, ‘I’ becomes ‘us’, and through faith commitment and expression, it becomes a meal shared in faith. The ritual strides to build ties among people and cease any existing negative feelings, whether it be interpersonal forgiveness or outward forgiveness for someone within the communion. In addition to communion meals, baptisms in the Christian church is another form of ritualized forgiveness. The importance and expectation of being baptized as an outward act symbolizes an inward phenomenon of coming to and accepting Jesus Christ as real, as God incarnate, as the sacrificial means by which those who believe in him can be forever reconciled to God. The purpose of baptism is to give visual testimony of a commitment to Christ as the Messiah (Acts 8:26-39, NLT). A baptism is a graceful act that seeks to forgive a Christian of a sin, but does not take away the capacity for sinning to occur again. Similar to the other forms of public ritualized forgiveness, public confessions are outward acts that request forgiveness from God directly. Public confessions are not as common as privatized ones, but are still performed in select churches. Some reformed churches have a ritual “altar call” after a powerful sermon. This allows members of the church to come forward publicly to proclaim their faith in the risen Lord (if they are unbaptized) or to reaffirm that faith (if they are already baptized). This ritual entails a a confession of past sins that the person wishes to publicly reject. A more common practice of public confession is public prayer ceremonies, where the community prays for forgiveness for sin. The confessions are not publically professed to the entire church, it is expressed through a communal ritual that often takes place in Sunday liturgy and more predominantly during Lent. The practice of public ceremonies of reconciliation seek to provide penance for the person confessing his or her sins, as well as pursues the community’s acceptance and forgiveness, which is perceived as a symbol of God’s forgiveness. If the community accepts the wrongdoing, it is believed to make self-forgiveness possible, allowing the person to forgive themselves and take full responsibility for their sins. Christians believes that Jesus came to save all sinners and it is precisely why it is deemed necessary in Christianity to participate in rituals of reconciliation, and through those rituals experience the presence and power of a forgiving and loving God. A public confession attempts to help a person let their sins go and better live out their Christian commitment.

In addition to public rituals of reconciliation, biblical scripture highlights the importance of private confession countless times in the New Testament, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy father which is in secret, and thy father which seeth secret shall reward thee openly.”( Matthew 6:6, NLT). This verse reveals the importance of private, individual prayer and confession. Perhaps suggesting that regular and honest communication with God personally is intrinsic to being pardoned for your sins. Similarly, the practice of private confession and reconciliation in front of a church representive was introduced after moving away from public confession in the twelfth century. In this ritual, the person to privately confesses their sins to to priest or minister. Once they have confessed their sins, they are then pardoned by the representative, and receives a penance. Both Luther and Calvin objected to any idea that the priest or minister could forgive sin. Only God could forgive sin and justify human beings before God. Therefore, they were both careful to point out that private confession did not absolve sin and that penance did not gain people any merit in the sight of God. Today the ritual of private confession is limited mostly to the Roman Catholic Christians.

The various forms of ritualized forgiveness in Christianity does not always provide reconciliation for offenders, as giving and receiving forgiveness is much more complex. The recipients of transgressions may outwardly forgive, as they are expected to, but considerable evidence has shown that reconciliation is highly interpersonal. The ability to extend forgiveness is based on individual perception, and interpersonal forgiveness can be applicable for experiencing a disconnect between objective forgiveness and feelings of pardon. Interpersonal transgressions are a class of interpersonal stressors in which people perceive that another person has harmed them in a way that they consider both painful and morally wrong. Acceptance of those who did something immoral is difficult to give because admission of guilt and confession can be done numerous times. Public and private forms of ritualized forgiveness is perceived to provide reconciliation but to simply perform the ritual, does not require any genuine admission of feelings of remorse. Individuals with that suffer with dealing with interpersonal transgressions may suffer from negative effects on their mental health, and leave them feeling unforgiving. Transgressions frequently elicit a desire to avoid the transgressor, a desire to seek revenge against the transgressor, and a decline in goodwill for the transgressor. Such motivational reactions themselves can have negative interpersonal, psychological, and health effects. Just as feelings of guilt may not correspond with the objective reality of the guilt, so too is it possible for feelings of forgiveness not to correspond with the supposed extension of forgiveness.

Although Christianity aims to provide complete reconciliation for transgressors through rituals of sin confession and pardoning, reconsolidation exists between the poles of fault and forgiveness, and it often hard to give and receive openly, contrary to Christian beliefs. Public and private forms of ritualized forgiveness such as the ones previously explained, use specific modes of speech and action to grant people a perceived feeling of forgiveness. This concept is known as performativity, which enacts “speech” through performative contradictions in spaces and times, that allow one to question who they are, and their position in the world. Performativity has three uses: 1) it “seeks to counter a certain kind of positivism,” which might be with regard to gender or the state, 2) it may “counter a certain metaphysical presumption about culturally constructed categories and to draw our attention to the diverse mechanisms of that construction” and 3) it is also useful in beginning to articulate the processes that produce ontological effects, or the naturalized assumptions of what constitutes reality. In the performative act of speaking, it incorporates a reality by enacting it with our bodies, but that ‘reality’ nonetheless remains a social construction. In the act of performing the conventions of reality, by embodying those fictions in our actions, we make those artificial conventions appear to be natural and necessary. By enacting conventions, we do make them ‘real’ to some extent but that does not make them any less artificial. This notion explains how Christianity’s ritualized forms of forgiveness may have more to do with a conceptualized expectation of how the ritual is to be carried out, based on years of inherited theological beliefs and church jurisdiction. Therefore, signifying that the rituals to which require admission and confession of fault, might not be as effective in receiving reconciliation as they are perceived to be. This theory can be exemplified through the common practice of Baptisms in Christian churches because it shows that through action, speech and performance the reality of the individual is decided for them through faith in God. Baptisms are performances that give visual testimony of a commitment to Christ, as well as the community’s through a perceived reality of its special effects. Although the transgressor might perform outward acts and utter the words that are supposed to uphold significant meaning, genuine reconciliation from the receipt might not occur.

Forgiveness adheres to an exchange of reciprocity, those who commit the wrongdoing and those who must choose to forgive or not. This exchange is centered around the perception of fault, whereby its consequences have caused harm to an individual and/or group. It is a source of asymmetry between the author of the action and its recipient, the recipient must deem the wrongdoing as one of a harmful nature or as one that can be justified, and therefore opens up the possibility for forgiveness. Fault is understood through methods of analysis, whereby the recipient must evaluate the effects of the action, normalized criminal justice practices, past faults, and the inherent moral judgments existing within their own values and belief systems. Forgiveness can be explained by three major components, gaining a more balanced view of the offender and the event, decreasing negative feelings towards the offender and potentially increasing compassion, and giving up the right to punish the offender further or to demand restitution. Recipients of wrongdoings may repress unresolved feelings of resentfulness and crave vengeance on the offender, which is extremely detrimental to physical and emotional well-being. Psychologically, when people reported higher levels of forgiveness, they also tended to report better health habits and decreased depression, anxiety, and anger levels.

In conclusion, Christianity’s reconciliation rituals were responses to theological assumptions about the free will of humans, human nature and sin, the love of God, and the authority of the church as the body of Christ. The Christian church uses various forms of ritualized forgiveness both private and public, whereby a transgressor may confess through performative speech and/or prayer that promises reconciliation among those affected, as well as reconciliation with God. Although this is a common and well-known practice for giving and receiving forgiveness, genuine interpersonal forgiveness is not always provided.

Suffering is strictly the response to something – physical or mental – that occurs to a person. Yet, faiths worldwide have sought answers to this phenomenon, in hopes to decipher; why humans suffer and its necessity to life. Eastern faiths such as Buddhism cite that it is due to human’s attachment to material objects (Littlefair, 2017); whereas, Western religions, such as Christianity state suffering is inevitable due to sin, free will and humans needing to be tested for their second life (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2019). Thus, in Buddhism and Christianity, suffering is not only proven to be a necessary part of life, but inevitable. This will be shown through; examining Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path and their relation to suffering, exploring Christianity’s teachings towards suffering and then finally analysing suffering in the Australian context by looking into Indigenous peoples’ suffering.

Firstly, Buddhism’s views on suffering (dukkha) are Buddha’s most simple, but fundamental teachings that provide followers a path out of suffering. Buddhism teaches that suffering is everywhere and prevalent all aspects of an unenlightened individual’s life and directly links suffering to attachment, as it is through it’s the link of craving that humans inevitably experience suffering (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2019; New World Encyclopedia, 2015). Identifying and understanding the universality of suffering and becoming consciously aware of its inevitability is therefore the first of Buddha’s Four Noble Truths – ‘life is suffering’ (Brumet, 2016; Mellor, 1991). Buddhism simply dictates, that every aspect of life contains a component of suffering in the teaching, an inescapable reality as a human (Mellor, 1991), as;

‘[a]s long as the individual self thinks it is separate from the Lord, it revolves around the wheel in bondage to the laws of birth, death and rebirth…’ (Svetasvatara Upanishad 1.6-8) (New World Encyclopedia, 2015).

It is only in following Buddha’s subsequent truths that an individual may remove suffering from one’s life. The second Noble Truth states the cause of suffering is craving (tanha) and the third states that by removing resistance, suffering can be eradicated and become just an experience. Interestingly, here the truths link human’s tendency to attach oneself to materialistic objects and crave them is the cause for all human suffering, as through identifying this and removing attachment from all things in life, humans would then not experience any suffering (Brumet, 2016). Considering life nowadays is extremely materialistic, removing this attachment from personal belongings, finance and relationships is increasingly harder. Though, the final Noble Truth aids modern followers the tools for achieving enlightenment by outlining the guide to the cessation of suffering through following the Noble Eightfold Path. By following the eight prescriptions outlined, followers can then eradicate the cause of suffering, achieving escape from suffering and the world (samsara) through reaching enlightenment and thus freeing themselves from the cycle of rebirth (Brumet, 2016). Therefore, suffering is portrayed to be this inescapable destiny all humans are born into which permeates all aspects of an unenlightened individual’s life. It is only through accepting the inevitability and necessity of suffering and following the Four Noble Truths, that Buddhists can become enlightened and escape the impermanence of life, ridding themselves of suffering.

Whereas, Christianity views suffering differently. Like Buddhism, Christianity does believe suffering is a necessity and believes it is inevitable for humans, but instead of believing there is a path to free oneself from it, Christians believe the path is through it (Mellor, 1991). Opposed to Buddhist beliefs, Christians welcome suffering using it to connect to God and his son. As Peter 4:1 states; ‘…[s]ince Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.’ (Bible Study Tools, 2019).

Therefore, it is taught, as Jesus suffered by suffering yourself you can develop a deeper understanding of self and become closer to God (Mellor, 1991). Though, in Christianity, the reason for suffering is a direct consequence of three things. The first is that sin, or more precisely original sin is the cause for humans suffering. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were free of suffering, having everything they needed. It was only following Eve’s temptation and the pairs’ subsequent sin that they were cast out and forced themselves and following mankind, to endure suffering (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2019). The second aspect Christians point to for the cause of sin is humans’ free will. Due to God being presented as omnipotent and all powerful, many people question why He does not cease human suffering; a widely accepted fact to why He doesn’t is due to Him giving humans free will. For God to stop human suffering He would be contradicting the gift He gave to humans to have free will over their actions (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2019). The final reason for suffering in Christian scriptures is to give humans a chance to improve their souls, as a preparation for heaven. Suffering is viewed as the measure God uses to test humans while on Earth, with the amount of suffering one endures and how they manage and overcome it becoming the basis for their admittance to heaven where they are compensated for their troubles in life (New World Encyclopedia, 2015). Therefore, through these avenues, Christians also validate suffering’s necessity in life, with factors such as original sin and human’s free will making it unavoidable in life.

However, in analysing suffering in the Australian context is soon becomes apparent of the inevitability of suffering, but not the necessity. On January 26th, 1788, the First Fleet sailed into Sydney Cove and proclaimed it British territory. Australia, void of any discernible infrastructure or governments was viewed as inhabited, despite the over 600 Indigenous tribes co-existing throughout the country, each with complex social code, equipped with traditions, values and beliefs (Korff, 2019; Tripcony, 2007). In the 200 years following, Indigenous Australians were treated as nothing more than the Australian landscape, allowed little human rights and were controlled by the white oppressors. In this time the Indigenous people were dealt an immeasurable amount of undeserved suffering, the most blatant example being that of the Stolen Generations, where half-caste – half white, half Indigenous – children were taken from their mothers and sent to live in adoptive houses and institution and deprived of their culture and their traditions (Australian Institue of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2018). Today the prolonging effects of this time are still felt by the Indigenous community with Indigenous people being over represented in the criminal justice system and experiencing lower standards of health, education, employment and housing compared to non-indigenous Australians (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2019). Through analysing Indigenous suffering with a Buddhist perspective, their suffering can be attributed to inevitability, as life is suffering their suffering is necessary as being unenlightened individuals. To cease their suffering the Indigenous people of Australia would need to follow the teachings of Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and thus remove any attachment they have to materialistic things, family and land (Brumet, 2016). Whereas, analysing the suffering sustained by Indigenous Australians with a Christian perspective presents an alternative view. Christianity would dictate that Indigenous peoples’ suffering is a measure God uses to test them for heaven, in as much suffering as they sustain and how they manage and overcome it being the basis for their admittance to heaven (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2019). Although, both of these perspectives are certainly not in line with Indigenous Spirituality which dictates a strong connection to land and the Indigenous peoples duty to protect and care for it as it gives everything life (Tripcony, 2007); through analysing suffering in the Australian context Buddhist and Christian views of suffering can be understood in how they believe in the necessity and inevitability of suffering.

Therefore, suffering in Buddhism is due to being unenlightened and only through following the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path may followers escape and cease suffering. Whereas, in Christianity, it is attributed to numerous things including sin, free will and as a measure to gain admittance into heaven. Through Australia’s Indigenous peoples’ suffering the general working of these teachings can be measured and understood, but in either faith both teach that suffering is indeed a necessary part of life, being inevitable to human’s existence.