Running Head: JESUS OF

NAZARETH

Jesus of Nazareth 1

Introduction to Christianity
Andrew McCarty
University of Kentucky

Jesus of Nazareth 2
JESUS OF NAZARETH

Abstract

Being the worlds most practiced faith means that Christianity's influence can be felt in all corners
of the world. This religion can be traced back a thousand years and has always been a major and
evolving faith. Christians are a diverse group of people, all of whom practice their faith in a
unique way. As a faith, it is flexible and adaptive to the needs of it's adherents.What is true of
one Christian's beliefs are not typically representative of the whole. There are, however, a few
unifying themes throughout the faith, creating a wonderful melting pot of ideologies and
practices. This adaptability has made Christianity an enduring and popular faith. It is a modern
religion that has kept pace with the needs of its followers.

Jesus of Nazareth 3
JESUS OF NAZARETH

Jesus of Nazareth
Christianity is one of the largest faiths in the world. With over 2.2 billion practitioners, its
followers make up 31.5% of the global religious population ("The Global Religious," 2012).
Christianity is classified as an monotheistic (one god) Abrahamic religion ("Three Religions,"
2002). An Abrahamic religion is one in which the religion considers Abraham to be the first
prophet (religious teacher) of their God.
All three of the Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, share a mother faith
originating in the middle east ("Three Religions," 2002). The origin of Christianity itself can be
traced back to first century Jerusalem. Christianity has a long history, and has spread throughout
the world. At its core, Christianity is a faith that follows ideologies presented by a Jewish
religious prophet reported to be the son of the Abrahamic God, Jesus Christ.
The prophet Jesus was reportedly born in Bethlehem, and lived out his life preaching the
virtues of his father, God. Christians believe the most import aspect of Jesus's life was when he
"was crucified and executed by the Romans, [and when] he rose from the dead and ascended into
heaven"("Three Relgions,"2002). He grew up as the child of a carpenter, and is described as
average looking with kind demeanor. Many artists have given their own personal touch to his
appearance, but now he is mainly depicted the same way in all paintings. He is commonly shown
as seen below in this public domain scan of a steel engraving:

Jesus of Nazareth 4
JESUS OF NAZARETH

(Jesus, Wikimedia Commons)

They believe that through this suffering and death, Jesus has allowed for those who accept him
as their savior to follow him into heaven. This has placed Jesus in a central place in the faith,
often serving as the face of Christianity. Christians actively try to model their lives into a life
similar to Jesus's through kindness and simple living. One of the most defining characteristics of
this faith is the desire to feel a personal connection with their God. This desire, along with the
wide array of followers has led to many subdivisions in the faith.
These subdivisions are referred to as denominations ("Why are there," 2015). It is explained
that denominations are a result of not everyone agreeing on how the faith should be practiced.
These disputes often end in yet another new off-branching and formation of a denomination.
These divisions and differences in how the faith is practiced are elegantly phrased in the article, "
Why Are There So Many Christian Denominations?" by Northpoint Ministries as: "people from
different cultures will express their faith and worship God in their own distinctive ways. It
shouldnt surprise us if churches in a middle-class Midwest American city are extremely
different from those in a war-torn, poverty-stricken village in Africa" ("Why Are There," 2015).
The modern Christian faith that is practiced in America today can trace its roots to colonial era
political upheaval in Britain. In the late 1400's Catholicism was the main Christian force. This

Jesus of Nazareth 5
JESUS OF NAZARETH

branch of Christianity was highly organized and ornate, wielding significant religious and
political power. The head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, acted as the voice of the religion.
This power lead to the king of England at the time, Henry VIII, asking for a marriage annulment
from his then wife, Catharine of Aragon (Foner, 2012, pg.47). The pope refused the king's
request, so in response he formed the Anglican Church of England, creating the first major
Christian denomination (Foner, 2012, pg.47). At the time this was a new and surprising event
because the catholic churches power was rarely questioned.
It was not much farther down the Christian timeline that there was yet another new offshoot
formed because a group of like minded individuals felt that the Church of England was too
corrupt, leading to the creation of the Puritans (Foner, 2012, pg.64). It was this idea of taking
how your faith should be practiced into your own hands that has become a major theme in
Christianity. From Anglicanism, which branched into Protestantism, and into the countless new
branches of Christianity, it has been show that this is a flexible and adaptive faith. Christianity
becomes what those practicing it need it to be. It is a modern faith with a wide array applications
and benefits to Christians.
Even with such diversity, modern Christians do share a few common beliefs. According to the
article, "Essential Doctrines of Christianity" by Matt Slick, these basic tenants are that Jesus is to
be worshipped, salvation by grace, Jesus was resurrected, the gospel, and monotheism (Slick,
2015). These principals can be simplified down into believing that their prophet Jesus died for
their sins, living by their Bible, and finally only believing in their one true God. One follower of
this faith feels that to her it "all boils down to believing that Jesus was born, died for our sins,
and was raised for our sins." (Lawson, B, Personal Communication, February 2nd, 2015 ).

Jesus of Nazareth 6
JESUS OF NAZARETH

Modern Christianity can also serve as a coping method and a support for those under pressure.
One modern Christian can be quoted as saying that his faith helps him to survive the day to day
struggles he faces in his life (Westling, M, Personal Communication, February 2nd, 2015 ). Faith
has always been used as a coping tool, and it is very adaptive at that role. One expression that
can be commonly heard is, "it's in God's hands". Modern Christians will do their best to live by
the principals set in their Bible and leave their fate in the hands of their Lord. Its not uncommon
for a practitioner of this faith to be at peace with their life, less concerned about worldly affairs,
and more focused on their spiritual state of being.
Christianity, despite its positive aspects, is not a faith without criticisms and stereotypes. There
is a trend in media that those with faith are uneducated and unable to make rational decisions.
Some decry Christians as a group of people with outdated morals, completely incompatible with
modern life. Some evidence used to support this comes from what is viewed as backwards
policies brought forth in politics from those professing to be motivated by their Christian
convictions. Many also reference upheaval and debate surrounding social issues as an example of
outdated and unethical teachings in the Christian faith.
The main stereotype faced by the religious population is that many people think they are antiscience and that religious faith holds all scientific fields of inquiry back. The media reinforces
this serotype and many people believe it. However, there is nothing inherently anti-science about
religious faith. In fact, a third of scientists are Christian. Christianity is a reformed progressive
religion that deeply benefits those who practice it. Many Christians see no conflict between their
faith and scientific principals. One Christian can be quoted as saying that science just explains
how her God built and runs the universe (Lawson, B, Personal Communication, February 2nd,

Jesus of Nazareth 7
JESUS OF NAZARETH

2015 ). This idea that people of faith are archaic and anti-science is the sort of baseless
overgeneralizations all stereotypes stem from.
Many people also feel that Christians look down on those who are not part of their faith and
feel superior to them. Many have insisted there is a noticeable elitism when dealing with those of
faith in America. Aggressive conversion tactics and use of political influence are both examples
of how many Americans think that those of faith are unjustly promoting their faith and
discriminating against those who are different.
In some denominations these stereotypes are true . There is an array of aggressive
denominations that seek to assert their own interpretation of their faith on to all others. The
media has provided ample material to reinforce this idea. The pinnacle of these militant churches
is Westboro Baptist Church. Westboro Baptist is based in Topeka Kansas. It is a church that
condemns all of America for its perceived sins, and feels that America is doomed. They often
protest at funerals for American soldiers because they feel like its divine will that those people
are killed in combat. This church has received nearly universal scorn from those who are aware
of it pratices.These radical ideologies are not always so obvious, and many people can hold their
own radical beliefs but these people are not representative of the faith as a whole.
The diversity and wide array of beliefs of those who practice this faith is the very reason such
broad assumptions cannot be made about Christianity as a whole. Each person practices the faith
in the way they feel is right. Saying one person represents the faith as a whole is inaccurate, and
those claiming to speak for the faith as a whole should be discounted. There is no one authority
that speaks for all practitioners of this religion. While there are prominent and important figures,
such as priests or pastors, they do not have much control over how their congregation feels or

Jesus of Nazareth 8
JESUS OF NAZARETH

behaves.The closet thing to an authority in the faith is the Catholic pope, and he only holds sway
with at most half the Christian population.

Cross symbolizing diversity in the faith.

Christianity is a diverse faith that has served as a foundation for a lo of American culture. It is
the most widely practiced faith in the world, and many people and countries sing its praises. It
has become a trend in the media and in pop culture to treat those with religious convictions as
backwards both morally and scientifically. It is true some branches of the faith practice harsh,
uncommon interpretations of the faith, on the whole its a modern religion that is completely
shaped by the needs and beliefs of those who practice it. Trying to stereotype or lump together
all who practice the faith is inaccurate and nearly impossible due to this practice of tailoring the
faith to the individuals needs.

Jesus of Nazareth 9
JESUS OF NAZARETH

References

Larsen, C. Racial Diversity Cross. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty- free-stock- image-racial-diversity-cross- image9009826

Public Domain (1800's). Retrieved March 9, 2015, from

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jesus_Christ_(German_steel_engraving)_detail.jpg

Slick, M.. Essential Doctrines of Christianity. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from

https://carm.org/essential-doctrines-of-christianity

Foner, E. (2012). Give me liberty!: An American history (Seagull third ed.). New York: W.W.
Norton.
Pew Research Center. (2012, December 17). The Global Religious Landscape.. Retrieved
March 1, 2015, from http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious- landscape-exec/4

Three Religions, One God. (2002, January 1). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/themes/religion/index.html?pagewanted=al
l

Why Are There So Many Christian Denominations? (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 2,
2015, from http://startingpoint.com/member/why-are-there-so-many-christian-denominations/