LESSON FIVE Christianity

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.

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LESSON FIVE

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

• Today Christianity is divided into three major sects—Roman

• These major Christian sects are further subdivided by Christian

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