LESSON FIVE

CHRISTIANITY
•Christianity is considered the
most popular religion in the
world with the most number of
adherents among all religions
• It centers on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, who is considered the Messiah or Savior of
humanity.

• The most common symbol for Christianity is the cross, for

Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save
humanity from their sins and to restore people’s relationship
with God the Father

• Christians also believe in the Holy Trinity, which means God

has three aspects—Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• Christianity is considered one of the first
monotheistic religions in the world and
shares many similarities with Judaism in
terms of belief in prophets, angels,
judgement day, among others. Together
with Judaism and Islam, Christianity is
considered one of the world religions
which traces its origins to the patriarch
Abraham.
 SYMBOLS
• The cross serves as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s victory over
sins when He died on the cross for humanity’s redemption
and salvation. Christ died on the cross and the cross serves
as a reminder of the sacrifices made by God in order for
humanity to live.
• In Roman Catholic churches, the crucifix is a regular
feature, with the image of Christ nailed on the cross. This
aims to emphasize Christ’s sufferings for humanity.
Meanwhile, Protestant churches often feature only the cross
without the image of the body of Christ, to emphasize
Christ’s resurrection and not His suffering.
• Meanwhile, the fish symbol is as old as Christianity itself, for it
was used by persecuted Christians as a secret sign when
meeting other Christians. Because Christians were
threatened by the Romans during the time, they had to
make a secret code to avoid persecution
• Thus, when meeting strangers on the way, a Christian would
draw one arc of the fish outline, and if the stranger drew the
other half it means they are both Christians and therefore
safe in each other’s company.
• The word “fish” also has a secret meaning, for Christians
made an acrostic from the Greek word for fish, which is
ichtys: Iseous Christos Theou Yios Soter, meaning Jesus
Christ, Son of God, Savior.
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• Christianity developed in Palestine around 100 C.E. It was
founded by Jesus, considered to be the Son of God and
Messiah or Savior

• Today Christianity is divided into three major sects—Roman

Catholicism, Greek Orthodox Church, and Protestantism.

• These major Christian sects are further subdivided by

Christian denominations that differ in certain beliefs and
practices but are united in worshipping Jesus Christ as the
Son of God.
 JESUS AS THE FOUNDER OF
CHRISTIANITY
• It was in this backdrop that Jesus, founder of Christianity,
lived and preached teachings that served as criticisms of
Judaism, although he himself was a Jew. His ministry began
when he was in his early thirties. Preaching and healing in
the villages, he started to preach teachings which were
considered revolutionary at that time.
• Jesus soon attracted a group of followers who became his
disciples and who called Him their teacher.
• Jesus was seen by his followers to be the Messiah they were
waiting for. Meanwhile, Jews did not accept this to be true;
instead, they are still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled.
 RELIGIOUS LEADERS
• The Catholic Church follows a certain hierarchy
based on the Canon Law of the Catholic Church.
• top of the hierarchy is the pope, considered as
Peter’s successor.
• The hierarchy also includes the cardinals,
archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons. Each
member of the hierarchy has his own function for the
efficiency of the church.
 DEITY/GOD
• Christians believe in one God, therefore
Christianity is a monotheistic religion. God is
seen as the creator and maintainer of the
universe, and is believed to be omnipotent
(all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing),
omnipresent (all-present), and
omnibenevolent (all-good). God is also
sacred, moral, unchangeable,
compassionate, graceful, and timeless.
 HOLY TRINITY
• Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, which
means that God is composed of three
persons: God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ),
and the Holy Spirit. This doctrine of the Holy
Trinity was affirmed at the Council of Nicea in
25 C.E. where it was agreed upon that the Son
has the same substance with the Father,
therefore they are both eternal.
 SACRED SCRIPTURES
• The Bible is considered the sacred scripture of
Christianity. It is a collection of songs, stories, poetry,
letters, history, as well as literature. It is composed of
two books, the Old Testament and the New
Testament. The Old Testament is considered the
original Hebrew Bible, written between 1200 and 165
B.C.E. The New Testament was written by Christians
around 100 C.E.
TEN COMMANDMENTS
 SEVEN SACRAMENTS
• The seven sacraments include
• Baptism,
• Confirmation,
• Holy Communion,
• Confession,
• Matrimony,
• Holy Orders,
• and the Anointing of the Sick
 STORY OF CREATION AND BIG
BANG THEORY
• The Story of Creation, which narrates how God created the
universe in six days, is found in Genesis 1 of the Old
Testament. It narrates how God created light and darkness
on the first day; the sky and the ocean on the second day;
the earth and plants on the third day; the sun, moon, and
the stars on the fourth day; sea creatures, land animals, and
birds on the fifth day; and finally the first man and woman on
the sixth day, after which He rested on the seventh day.
 WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
• Advent- refers to the season of waiting for the birth of the Messiah, hence its
celebration lasts for four weeks, beginning four Sundays before Christmas
and ending on Christmas eve
• Lent-refers to the season observed by Christians in preparation for Easter, a
celebration of the resurrection of Christ.
• Pentecost- is celebrated as a holiday to commemorate the coming of the
Holy Spirit to the early Christians.
• SUBDIVISIONS
• SELECTED ISSUES
• Ecumenism- refers to the effort of the Catholic Church to sponsor activities
and initiatives to promote mutual understanding and unity among all
Christians
• Sexuality-connected to sexuality such as artificial contraception,
abortion, and homosexuality. In general, sexuality refers to sexual
orientation, sexual activity, and sexual feelings.
• Family and Divorce-If couples wish to separate, they could seek an
annulment, also known as Decree of Nullity, in which it is declared that
the marriage was never valid in the first place.
• Capital Punishment and Euthanasia-Capital punishment or death
penalty wherein a person is punished by death for his or her capital
crime goes against the Christian belief that life is given by God and
should not be taken away by any person. It is illegal in most Christian
countries such as the Philippines, but some push for capital
punishment as a way of deterring crime.