 |
| Christianity consists of beliefs based on the Bible |
understand the meanings of these two terms. The dictionary defines religion as
"A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects." ,while Christianity is defined as
"The religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies."According to these definitions, religion can be a set of beliefs on just about anything, while Christianity consists of beliefs based on the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.
Dr. Ed Young made an interesting comparison in his article "Christianity vs Religion" as can be seen in this excerpt:
"Religion is a commitment to a system of beliefs, attitudes and practices. Second, religion responds to challenge with intimidation. Challenge religion, and it will attempt to intimidate you into submission.""What about Christianity? Well, Christianity loves the truth. Aristotle defined the truth as "saying of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not." In other words, truth has a standard, and is not relative. Also, Christianity responds to challenge with boldness. Why? Because knowing the truth and embracing it gives us courage."
Here, we will include Christianity in the realm of religion even though many Christians refuse to classify Christianity as a religion. Religions can include Atheism, Buddhism, Judaism and many more. We will take a closer look at each of these three:
Atheism
One definition of Atheism found in the dictionary states that it is; "a disbelief in the existence of deity".
It is hard to find a clear understanding of Atheism. The American Atheists' website does not even give a clear meaning in its article "What Is Atheism?" as quoted here: "Atheism is usually defined incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods."
In a "Position Statement" published by Atheist Alliance International, we could possibly arrive at the conclusion that an atheist actually has no real beliefs:
"Symbolic government support for any religion – including but not limited to the existence of state-established religions or religious positions in legislative bodies; the display of crucifixes, the star and crescent or menorahs on public property; government statements of religious doctrine, commandments or scriptures; endorsement of religion by government officials; religious references in government documents or on currency; government proclamations of days of prayer, worship or other religious activity; prayers or religious incantations at government events or within legislative bodies – is an act of state-sponsored proselytism as it implicitly endorses particular religions above all others and above no religion."So, whether Atheism is a "disbelief in God" or a "lack of belief in God", the beliefs and practices of Atheism are in total contradiction to those of the Christian faith.
Buddhism
There are some 300 million people around the world who practice Buddhism. A good description of Buddhism can be found on the BBC Religious website:
"There is no belief in a personal god. Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent and that change is always possible. The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and development of morality, meditation and wisdom."Buddhism originated some 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was awakened. Buddhism is more of a philosophy of life than a religion. Buddhists do not actually worship the Buddha idol, but bow to it as an expression of gratitude.
Judaism
Jewish beliefs are based on thirteen principles of faith. Jews believe that actions are more important than beliefs. People of the Jewish faith possess most of the same beliefs as those of a Christian faith, with one important difference. Jews do not believe that Jesus was the son of God and do not believe that He was the Messiah. They believe that Jesus was a false Messiah.
What do Christians believe? The core beliefs of Christianity include:
• The Bible is the inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV))
• Jesus died for our sins, was buried and was resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJV))
• Mankind was created to have a relationship with God, but are separated by sin (Romans 5: 5-12 (KJV))
Today, there are some 2 billion people who follow the Christian faith. There are different forms, beliefs and practices in Christianity, but all of them center around faith in Jesus Christ, while religion could be any set of beliefs and practices.
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.
Other Spiritual Living Articles |
