PROJECT 3 ALEXIS D'ANJOU ID320

Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, also known as the Lamb of God. Jesus Christ was the only perfect man to walk the Earth, and while on Earth, He healed others, ended famines, casted out demons, and preached the word of God the Father. God sent Christ on Earth through a virgin woman named Mary. Christ was sent by God to save and forgive His people from their sins. Those who follow in Christianity are called Christians. Christians follow the Gospel written in the Holy Bible, which is a book that teaches Christians how to live a Holy life, how to fight against sinful temptations, and even helps them prepare for what is to come in the future.

Claiming over 2.5 billion people, Christianity remains as the largest religion in the world, and when it comes to religious practices, fasting and praying is important in Christianity. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that is taught in the Holy Bible, and it consists of voluntarily reducing or eliminating one’s intake of food for a specific time. The purpose of fasting is to allow the person to be able to get closer to God, and to demonstrate the depth of their desire when praying for something. In Christianity, food itself can be a distraction from God when seen as gluttony. Therefore, fasting from food helps open the heart and mind to receive and efficiently pray to the Lord Jesus Christ. Other practices such as getting baptized, partaking in Sabbath Day, traditional male to female marriages, and attending church are also important in the Christian religion.

The Sabbath Day is a day full worship to the Lord, and rest from work. When God created the Earth, He did so in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. In the Holy Bible in the book of Genesis 1:31, and Genesis 2:1-3 it reads, 1:31

"And God saw every thing that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were in the sixth day."

2:1-3

1 "THUS the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them."

2 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made."

3 "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

In today's era, participating in Sabbath Day is a Christian tradition that is still alive. On the seventh day of every week, which is Saturday, Christians are off from work, and devote their time to God.

With there only being one God in this religion, it is vital that the Christian God be spelled with a capital G, because as seen in the Bible, a lowercase g indicates a false god of another religion. Although there is only one type of Christian taught in The Holy Bible, over the years, imperfect man have branched out and created different types. The three major branches of Christianity are: Catholicism, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. Although all three branches believe in the same God, it is mainly how they worship that may differentiates them.

Catholicism

Catholicism is the largest branch of Christianity with approximately 1.345 billion accounted believers. Catholics worship the one and only God, who is the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.) He is ONE God, in three divine Persons. Catholics usually pray by saying the Rosary. The Rosary is a prayer that symbolizes one’s faith in God by Mary’s example, which is Christ’s mother. The Rosary Hail Mary prayer is the prayer that Catholics pray to Mary usually while holding The Rosary beads in their praying hands: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

The Hail Mary Rosary is not mentioned in the Holy Bible, but according to Catholic tradition, The Rosary was instituted by the blessed virgin Mary herself, who became pregnant with Christ while she was still a virgin. This situation explains why Christ is God’s only begotten Son. In the 13th century, she is said to have appeared to St. Dominic (founder of the Dominicans), gave him a rosary, and asked that Christians pray the Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory Be prayers instead of the Psalms.

Rosary beads

Worship Service

Even though Christ is the one who sits at the right hand of God, Catholics also worship Christ's mother Mary, at the same level. The reason why Mary is placed on such a high pedestal in the Catholic church is because, Catholics believe that no one would be here without their mother that birthed life to them. And that is why Mary, the mother of the Savior of the world, is who Catholics place in their worship routine.

Within the Catholic church is The Pope. The Pope is a famous public figure that serves as the bishop of Rome, head of the worldwide Catholic Church, and has also served as the head of state or sovereign of the Papal States and later the Vatican City State. The Pope is responsible for unifying Catholicism's voice and centralizing its doctrine. Under The Pope, the rank of positions in the Catholic church are as follows:

- Cardinals: The Pope's right-hand people, who also lead the bishops and other members.

- Archbishops: They oversee large areas of the churches called archdiocese.

- Bishops: They supervise the ministerial and administrative life of a diocese.

- Priests: Baptized men that lead the local church and its Holy mass

- Deacons: Men who serve as the right-hand of the Priests.

- Laity: The congregation; members of the church.

In today's era, Catholicism is most popular in Italy, Brazil, The United States of America, Mexico, and The Philippines.

The current Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis)

On Sunday's, Catholics attend their weekly mass service. Mass is the central act of worship in the life of a Catholic. Going to Mass is about spending time with God, but also receiving His graces. Mass consists of four basic parts:

- Introductory Rite: At the beginning, the priest walks in, accompanied by altar servers, (usually boys and girls who help the priest by carrying things, giving him things). The congregation then sings a hymn. Once the priest reaches the sanctuary (the part of the Church where the altar table is) he begins Mass by saying the sign of the cross; ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.’

- Liturgy of the Word: Readings from the Holy Bible

- Liturgy of the Eucharist: ‘Eucharist’ means to give thanks, so it begins by the ‘offertory’ when we offer ourselves to God. This is symbolized by taking up the bread and wine which will become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and followed by a prayer.

- Concluding Rite: Everyone stands, and the priest says a final short prayer, asking God for help to use the graces we have received in Mass to help us in our daily lives. He then blesses everyone in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

During mass, the congregation may dress as they please, but the heads of the church are to wear stoles on top of robes called "cassocks." This is to differentiate them from the common people.

Leaders of a local Catholic church

Catholic church

Another position belonging to the Catholic faith is a nun. A nun is a woman who dedicates her life God and religious services. Before officially becoming a nun, these women take permanent solemn vows and give up their worldly possessions. However, nuns do have strict rules they must follow once vowing to becoming one:

- Vow of chastity: they cannot get married

- Vow of poverty: they must live a simple life; no ownership of any expensive purchases, and any money earned must be given back to their order (unless otherwise permitted)

- Vow of obedience: they must follow the faith and their religious leaders

- Vow of celibacy: nuns are not allowed to have sexual intercourse, or children

- Their attire is always modesty, when not wearing their habit uniform.

- Catholic nuns, as decreed by Pope Francis, are not allowed to use smartphones or social media.

Nuns cannot have been previously married; Their marital status must be annulled.

Although nuns cannot have children, they are allowed to become a foster parent, adoptive parent, or care for children in a convent school or orphanage. Becoming a nun is a lifetime commitment and requires full dedication in order fight against worldly desires and performing daily devotion to God. A day in the life of a nun starts around 5:30am and ends around 10:00pm. The day consists of multiple prayer times, recreational activities, meals, Mass, and work obligations.

A nun in a habit uniform

Food Restrictions

In Catholicism, most dietary restrictions happen during Lent. The first day of Lent is “Ash Wednesday” (40 days before Easter), and the last day of Lent is called “Good Friday.” Lent is a 40-day fasting period of no lamb, chicken, beef, pork, ham, deer and other meats. Lent is not mentioned in the Holy Bible however, the 40-day period represents the 40-day, and 40-night fast Christ participated in, in the book of Matthew 4:1-11. During this time, He was tempted by the devil himself, but through it all He remained strong with God and never fell for the devil’s sneaky antics.

Before eating any food, Catholics pray an act of thanks to the Lord, called the Grace

“Lord God, Heavenly Father, bless us and these Thy gifts which we receive from Thy bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."

The grace is another way of showing God, one’s thankfulness for the food provided.

Eastern Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox church is the second largest Christian denomination, claiming 220 million baptized members. The Eastern Orthodox church shares with the other Christian churches the belief that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the incarnation of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Unlike Catholicism, those who represent Eastern Orthodox do not pray The Rosary. Instead, they pray the Jesus Prayer: "O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

The Eastern Orthodox denomination started around 1054 A.D. when Pope Leo IX excommunicated Michael Cerularius who was the patriarch of Constantinople the leader of the Eastern Roman Church. This split the Church into the Western Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox, because they both had different beliefs on how to worship and serve Christ. Today, the Eastern Orthodox faith reigns mostly in Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Romania, and Georgia.

Eastern Orthodox church

Worship Service

The Eastern Orthodox church worships God the father and believes in Him being apart of the Holy Trinity which consists of The Father (God), The Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Church service is held on Sunday and The Orthodox church's description of hierarchy positions go in the order of:

- Patriarch: Holds supreme power in the Orthodox church

- Archbishop: The head of the capital city or orthodox country

- Metropolitan: A diocese (a district under the pastoral care of a bishop in the Christian Church.)

- Bishop: Highest degree of clergy in the Orthodox church

Titular Bishop: Supervisor of the Orthodox community

- Priest: One who preaches God’s word to His people

- Archdeacon: A senior deacon within a diocese

Deacon: Assistant of the priest during the church service

- Subdeacons: Highest of the minor orders of clergy

The Eastern Orthodox recognize seven sacraments: the Eucharist, baptism, chrismation (confirmation with consecrated oil), ordination, penance, marriage, and holy oil for the sick. They believe that the elements of the sacraments become grace-filled through the power of the Holy Spirit; Icons are used as religious objects instead of statues

Food Restrictions

In the Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Lent is also an important religious practice. Members will participate in this fasting period to embody the Holy Spirit in the same way Christ did when He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. In this denomination, it is called Great Lent, and it starts on Clean Monday and ends on Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus Saturday is the day before Palm Sunday, which is a Christian feast and celebration. It involves the distribution of palm branches representing the palm branches which the crowd scattered in front of Christ as he rode into Jerusalem.

During Great Lent, Eastern Orthodox are restricted from consuming meat, animal products, dairy, fish with backbones, olive oil and all alcoholic beverages. Before eating a meal, the Grace is said to show thanks to God for providing food to the consumers:

"O Christ our God, bless the food and drink of thy servants, for thou art Holy always; now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen"

Whoever is saying the Grace will follow it up with the Sign of the Cross hand gesture. The Sign of the Cross is when one makes a cross over his or her chest with their fingers pointing to different sections of the body. This is symbolizing Christ on the cross. It is very important of where one points to on his or her body, because pointing in the wrong areas can result in that person making an upside-down cross, and that symbolizes The antichrist (evil). The antichrist can be summed up as the devil in human form, and is someone whose identity will be exposed near the end times.

Protestant

Protestant, or sometimes called “Baptist,” is another denomination of Christianity, with over 43 million members accounted for. Baptists, just as other Christian faiths, believe in the one true God, and that a person can attain salvation through faith in God and Jesus Christ. Protestants follow the ways of the Holy Bible closer than any other Christian denomination. They even follow the prayer Jesus Christ tells his people to pray in Luke 11:1

“Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. and forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us And lead us not into temptation. Amen”

In the Holy Bible in the book of Exodus 20:1-17 there is a list of 10 Commandments that God wants his children to follow. Christians do not view this list as “rules. ” The 10 Commandments are guides on how to live a life of holiness which results in happiness, because they know they are living for God through their faith in Christ.

Today, the Protestant faith is mostly claimed in The United States of America, Nigeria, China, Brazil, and South Africa.

Worship Service

In a Protestant church there is also a rank of positions that head the church: Pastor: The sole leader of the church, and he or she preaches the Gospel to congregation.

- Associate Pastors: 1 or 2 men who are secondary to the pastor, and lead the church service until the pastor comes out to preach.

- Deacons: Assistant to the pastor. Deacons usually help the associate pastor(s) run the church service.

- The Mother Board: Elder women who have been longtime members of the congregation. They mentor and assist younger members in the church, and host activities for everyone to enjoy. The mother board sits in a reserved area in the sanctuary.

- Ushers: Usually women who provide assistance to the deacons and congregation during the church service. Some Baptist churches require their ushers to wear uniforms in all black or all white.

Congregation: The audience; regular members of the church

Baptist church

Protestants attend church on Sunday's and Wednesday's. Most Baptist churches hold a service called "Bible study" every Wednesday. Bible study is a spiritual practice of fellowship, where all or majority members of the church get together and read the Holy Bible, have prayer sessions, and help each other understand the Gospel through lessons taught in God's word. A typical Sunday church service consists of:

- Sunday School: A 30, or 40-minute Bible study class that takes place before the actual church service.

- Devotion: A prayer, Bible verse reading, and hymn of dedication presented by the deacons.

Choir: The choir sings 2 to three gospel songs.

- Hymn: A song or poem of praise lead by the deacons, and joined by the congregation and choir

- Opening prayer

Announcements: Any announcements and important dates are presented

- Offering: Everyone in gives their tithes (money) to the church.

- Gospel preaching: The pastor comes out to preach his or her sermon.

- Communion: Everyone in the church participates in drinking "wine" and eating "bread" to represent Christ and his 12 apostles at the last supper

- Closing Prayer

"The Last Supper" Leonardo da Vinci

Food Restrictions

Those who follow the Protestant faith do have any food restrictions, but they do try to avoid overeating, and consuming an overwhelming amount of alcoholic beverages to prevent drunkenness and greediness.

Ephesians 5:18

"Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him."

Luke 7:34

"The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a man who is glutton and a [heavy] wine-drinker, a friend of a tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews].'"

These two Bible verses show that although Christ drank wine, and enjoyed His meals, He was not a drunk, nor did he commit gluttony.

Before eating a meal, Protestants will give their thanks to the Lord by saying the Grace: "God is Great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. By His hands, we are fed, thank you Lord for our daily bread. In Jesus name, Amen."

Common Grounds

Common Grounds

All 3 Christian denominations pray different prayers, worship in different ways, and have their own views on how they see Christ. However, they all believe in one thing, and that is the Holy Trinity. Their differences is what caused the split between them in the first place.

One religious practice that all of them take part in is baptism. Baptism is a form of ritual purification and involves someone being dipped in water, and openly confessing their faith to Christianity. Baptisms can be administered by a pastor, priest, or bishop. In any Christian denomination, everyone who is baptized, is baptized in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Most baptisms take place in a church, or in a river.

The Holy Bible tells about Christ getting baptized in the Jordan river by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-23. Christ's baptism represents his act of humility. Christ was the only perfect man on Earth, yet He still walked in humbleness.

Baptism in a river

Baptism in a church

A baby's baptism in a church water is poured over the baby's head and/or body

Although Christ died and was resurrected, Christians believe that one day He will return to Earth descending from Heaven to collect all of God's children, and they will be with Him in Heaven, experiencing never-ending happiness and love. The day that Christ returns will be a joyful day for Christians, because it is a day that they continuously long for.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:"

A Christian quote by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) – an English Baptist preacher

Religious Exhibit

Religious Exhibit

Located on the Hattiesburg campus of The University of Southern Mississippi, in Danforth Chapel, is an exhibit of the Christian religion presenting its top 3 denominations: Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. As people walk through this exhibit, they will feel elevated by the soft colors, and modern accents that flow throughout the space. Each area in the sanctuary serves an informational and persuasive purpose to its viewers as they read through and view important elements of Christianity.

Mood/Concept Board

Furniture and Finishes

Burke

Sherwin

Westclox

LL

Sherwin

StyleWell

Perigold

References

References

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