Sacred Text and Doctrines and Beliefs

Sacred Text: Bible

What gives the text authority?

The bible is believed to be a gift from God to his people on earth as a tool to recount the times before his son Jesus came to earth, the time Jesus was on earth, and the time after Jesus was on earth. All of the stories of these times were given to us in the book known as a bible so that followers and believers in Christ could understand God's and Jesus' story and shape their faith around the messages God included in these stories.

Who can interpret sacred text and why?

Any follower of Christianity has the opportunity to interpret the Bible. It is whether they put effort into interpreting the Bible. Many followers of Christianity have Bible study where they gather with other followers of Christ, and they study and interpret the teachings of the Bible. However many Christians rely on the presider of their church to interpret the Bible even deeper and then share their interpretations with the members of the church on Sundays.

What are the links between sacred text and key figures?

The Bible is the combined stories of all the major figures from the past that God felt was necessary to include to teach his people on Earth the life of Jesus. Some main characters that are included in the Bible would be the first people on Earth Adam and Eve, Jesus the son of God, Mary and Joseph the parents of Jesus, as well as many more. Specifically the Gospels are included in the Bible to give insight into the entire life of Jesus Christ and what God's intention of sending Jesus to Earth was, which was to die for the sins of all people.

Has interpretation changed as the religion has developed?

Yes the interpretation has changed has Christianity has developed. This is due to a few factors. The first factor being that there is a vast number of different translations of the bible. The different words within these different translations can lead to very polar interpretations of the Bible. Also there are also very many different denominations within Christianity and all these denominations can interpret the Bible in various ways depending on their individual beliefs.

Doctrines and Beliefs: Jesus' Purpose on Earth

God gave the Earth his only son to come and die for the sins of the world, so that we the people of earth could live our lives without being persecuted. Jesus came and was crucified by Pontius Pilate but three days later he rose from the dead, and later ascended into heaven where he joined his eternal father. This is meant to show how after our death, our soul can rise from the dead and have eternal life with the eternal father as well.

Do Doctrines unite of divide the faith? How?

The belief that Jesus came and died for the sins of the people of earth is a common belief through out the varying denominations of Christianity. While some other beliefs within these varying denominations differ the belief that Jesus came to earth and died for our sins is a belief that unites all denominations of Christianity together. Some denominations of Christianity have overlapping beliefs but there are certain nuances that differ in their beliefs and that is why these denominations were created. In a way these varying denominations divide the faith because it is not just one body, but it also makes it stronger because for something to grow stronger it needs to adapt and change. The adaptation and change of Christianity is the varying denominations.

What is the link between specific doctrine and ritual?

One very common belief among Christianity is that all humans are born with original sin. We are born with original sin because Adam disobeyed God and was tempted by the devil in the Garden and are some of the fruit. To rid themselves of original sins followers are baptized to get rid of their original sin. This is a common practice throughout many denominations within Christianity.

To what extent are core doctrines affected by different social, political, or cultural contexts?

I think that the core doctrines are affected differently by social political and cultural context based on where you are living. For example in the United States the different denominations of Christianity are much more visible than other places around the world. I believe this is due to the freedom that citizens are given within the country. Due to their freedom new ideas spring up whether socially politically or cultural which lead to these varying denominations of the religion. Where as if you are in Rome, Roman Catholicism is majorly practiced and other denominations of Christianity are not very evident.