| Characteristics | Religion Christianity | Sources |
| Origin of All Things | The Creation Story in Christianity is associated with the Jews’ vision of origin of all things. According to the Biblical story, God created the world during six days, and then, God decided to rest during the seventh day of the week. During these days, the nature and beings were created to live in the world. | Textbook |
| Nature of God/Creator | God in Christianity has three faces or representations: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is the discussion in the Western church regarding the nature of the Holy Spirit that comes from the Father and the Son or only from the Father. Jesus is the incarnation of God that came to the world in order to help people find the salvation. | Textbook Lecture |
| View of Human Nature | A human being is created according to the image of God, but the nature of humans is not divine. In Christianity, humans are discussed as disposed to sin, and they cannot be sinless. The Biblical example of the sinful nature of humans is the story of Adam and Eve’s falling. Humans can hope for salvation only with references to God’s forgiveness and love. Still, those humans who focus on the spiritual life and follow the idea of righteous become saints. | Lecture Podcast |
| View of Good and Evil | There is a constant opposition between the good and the evil in the world. While God is associated with the good in the world, Satan embodies the evil. God and Satan fight for humans’ souls, and a human living the righteous life proclaims the good, while the person making wrong choices supports the evil in the world. Jesus came to people to help them choose the good way and fight the evil. | Textbook |
| View of “Salvation” | In Christianity, “the Resurrection became the basis for the Christian hope of salvation through belief in Jesus” (Fisher, 2014, p. 320). Salvation can be achieved through purification with the help of the belief in Jesus and through love. Salvation is a result of the “faith in the grace of Christ” (Fisher, 2014, p. 323). However, representatives of different branches of Christianity follow their unique visions of principles of salvation stated in the doctrines. | Textbook |
| View of After Life | The Christians believe that there is a life after death because of Jesus’ Resurrection. The Christians also follow the idea of their soul’s immortality. Believing in God, the Christians accept the idea that their soul will live after death and their relationship with God will continue after life (Fisher, 2014, p. 321). | Textbook |
| Practices and Rituals | The Christians gather in sacred buildings in order to pray, listen to teachings, and perform the main sacraments. Sacraments as sacred rites include Baptism as the purification of the Christians with the help of water; Confirmation states the person’s belonging to the Christian church; Eucharist is known as a ritual meal; and Penance is followed as the confession. The other sacraments are Extreme unction, Holy orders, and Marriage. | Textbook Lecture |
| Celebrations and Festivals | The main Christians’ festival is Christmas as the day of Jesus’ birth. The second important festival is Easter which is celebrated in order to acknowledge the Resurrection of Jesus. The next important festival is the Ascension of Jesus. Pentecost is also the important Christians’ festival to celebrate the descendance of the Holy Spirit. | Textbook Lecture |
Reference
Fisher, M. P. (2014). Living religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.