Abstract
There is no universally agreed definition of the term religion. This is due to the dynamic and dissimilar perception of various religionists worldwide. However, religion can simply mean bound to. According to Christianity perspectives, this word refers to a strong belief in Jesus Christ. It can be a monarchy of an extraordinary power that offers consolation wherever faced with problems. It provides strength that aided in meeting the physical and the spiritual challenges in life and at the same time endowed humans with lots of morality. This paper is designed to study the practices in Christianity religions especially in the Roman Catholic Church. A sample of 100 participants from the Catholic Church was selected. A set of 12 questions were also used in this study to achieve the objective stated
Introduction
Religion can be traced back to the earlier civilization when man began to worship the system of society. At that time humans stayed in a group where systems and regulations were defined to guide the societies. Each group had its own ideology which was harmonized by an icon. On most occasions, the societies performed rituals for their icon which were basically natural such as sun, or spirits icon and character icon (Mencken, H.L. 1946). In this paper, Christianity as a religion has been discussed giving details nature of their worship, scope, and various denominations in the world. The paper also compares Christianity to Buddhism and to some extent the Muslim religion.
Christianity is the religion while society is the Christians. Christians are guided by the holy book referred to as the bible which is inscription while the icon is Jesus. Christianity is believed to have emerged from Jews. From there Christianity split to form many branches such as Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal among others.
As stated above the split of religion is not only based on the different opinions but also on the geographical physical barrier. Religion can be categorized into regions or global. The national symbols of the larger religious movement are referred to as regional religious bodies. A good example is the Lutherans with several autonomous churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, Finland among other countries. On the other hand global religious bodies, comprised of a single church with all members spread all over the world. Such examples are the Catholic Church and the Seven Day Adventist Church (Swenson, Don. 1999). This research paper was further designed to study the Roman Catholic Church, mode of worship, doctrines, and its global distribution.
Name, location, and review of the site
Catholicism religion is a form of Christianity where all members are under one church or leadership and is controlled from one central place. The church is believed to have started several years ago. The church strongly believed in Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles. The church believed in saints and their power to foresee for example believed that St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers (Mencken, H.L. 1946). The Church also believed in the purgatory which is a place where the dead ones are purified prior to entering heaven. Some followers of the Catholics believed that purgatory is in between hell and heaven (Swenson, Don. 1999).
Roman Catholics, apart from believing in Christ and the existence of purgatory, also believed that sacramental (the bread use in the church) represents the body of Jesus. During the Holy Eucharist, the church participates in drinking wine and taking the bread. To them, wine symbolized the blood of Jesus while the bread symbolized the body of Jesus. They remember the persecution and death of Jesus by participating in this event. They believed that Jesus offered his body in order to set them free from their sins. There are 7 sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church of which the Eucharist is one of them.
Other forms of sacraments include baptism, confirmation, penance, anointing, and marriage. Previously the anointing was done to the patients who were nearing death; however, currently, it is now applied to the sick and the old people. The common holidays associated with the Roman Catholic Church are Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, and Good Friday. The Palm event is done to remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, Ash event is forty days period of Lent where the followers avoid taking meat on Friday. The third event which is Good Friday reminds them of the day when Jesus was crucified and buried. Roman Catholics apart from participating in the three events above also remember the birth of Jesus. This event normally is done on the 25th of December every year.
Interview summary
Significance of the research
The purpose of this paper was to identify and investigate the catholic religious practices of worship. The study also was designed to find out their rules and policies, there spread all over the globe, and some of the common practices or beliefs that they shared with other religions. Their differences with other religions were also given due attention. The results from this research will be used by different people in a region or worldwide in understanding the culture and behavior of different religions. The findings will also be used in different religions to enabled them to understand some of the beliefs and important doctrines that should be practiced within that religion.
Research Questions
There following 12 research questions were asked; what are the main beliefs of Christianity? What are some daily rituals? Do you worship Jesus? How does Christianity achieve the meaning of life? In your opinion what are the most important aspects of Christianity? When do you consider someone to be saved? What holidays do you celebrate? When do you do your baptism? What kind of traditions do you have? Do you have a week where you can’t eat certain foods? How has religion shaped your life? What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?
Methodology, research design, and procedure
To achieve these objectives research methodology and procedure were designed; interviews and questionnaires were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Catholic Church was chosen in this study and a sample of 100 followers was randomly selected. The participants chosen were then briefed and informed about the purpose of this study. Lists of questionnaires were delivered to the participants and were requested to fill them appropriately. Apart from the primary data, secondary data were collected from various written materials and the bible from the church library desk. Movies were watched and the general observation method was used.
Research results and the discussions
The outcomes of this study were analyzed and discussed appropriately based on the feedback from the sample selected and the data from the secondary materials. Out of 100 respondents, 64 % said that they believed in life after death, 20% believed in the death and resurrection of Jesus, while 15% believed that sins originated from Adam and Eve. 80% of those who were interviewed worship Jesus. About the question on the relationship between Christianity and the meaning of life, 30% of the respondent said that understanding of Christianity doctrines shaped a person’s behavior.
While 40% of the respondents said that salvation begins when one is baptized, 74% said that salvation is a continuous process. Some of the holidays identified during the interviews are Good Friday, Easter Monday, and the birth of Jesus. 40% of the respondents said that baptism is practiced at the church when one has reached a level where he or she is able to differentiate between good and bad. The study also found that although most of the traditions in the church as happens in the earlier church are still practiced some have lost values. However, Catholic Church is still controlled by one headquarters, unlike some other churches.
The study on the eating behavior found that followers of the Catholic Church refrained from eating meat on Fridays and most particularly during the Good Friday holiday. Lastly, the results revealed that several challenges are faced by the Christians in their attempt to follow the Catholic Church practices. For example, the church leaders are not supposed to marry, and they must stay at the church compound. This excludes them from their family members, others have even found themselves tempted to commit immorality.
Comparing and contrasting with another religion
The formation of the various denominations is much associated with the western world and Christianity. This pattern is however not followed by many eastern and non-Christian religionists. Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists for example are characterized by the categorization in various branches and formal association with a distinct mosque or temple. It should be noted that most of the religion does not have a formal organizational identity but rather relied on place culture, tribe or the country they were brought at. Buddhists and Hindus are more specifically characterized by a strong devotion to culture and lack formal association with the organization that represents their religion.
Christianity and Buddhism have different perceptions in terms of rituals or demographics systems. They view the world differently. Whereas Christians believed in the Garden of Eden, and a successive fall of humanity Buddhists do not. Other beliefs that are not accepted by Buddhists are; that all sins originated from Adam and Eve, a great flood during the time of Noah which led to great human genocide ever known, the prosecution and death of Jesus for the salvation of humankind, a savior who was born by Virgin Mary executed and resurrected after three and after forty days ascended to heaven. Buddhists do not also believe in salvation based on good work, specific beliefs, and or sacraments as in Catholic Church. While Christians believed at the end of the world Buddhists do not (Bruce, Lincoln, 2003).
Despite their differences in some doctrines and beliefs, it is worth noting that Christianity and Buddhism shared some ethical reciprocity. For example, both of these religions have some common behavioral traits that characterized how they relate to each other in society. They believed that one should not do anything which is not pleasant, that is, should not in inflict or hurt someone. This golden rule is shared by both religions and is important in the daily activities and relationships among human beings (Bruce, Lincoln, 2003).
About all religions believed that there is life after death. Some even think that life after death is one of the reasons that encouraged humans to form regions. Buddhism and Christianity are no exception. Despite this claim, they viewed life after death in a different manner. For example, Buddhism holds that humans passed through a repetitive circle of birth, life, death, and then rebirth. One reached Nirvana only when he managed to escape from these circles.
The mind eventually experienced complete freedom and liberation once these circles are completed. On the other hand, Christianity believed that there is only one life for every person on earth and that an eternal life waits after death. From earth one either goes to heaven or hell. They believed that there is no suffering in heaven however there is everlasting torture for those who head to hell. Although Buddhism does not believe in the existence of living of God they do believe in the pantheon of deities. Buddhism tradition believed in the power of prayers as do Christianity and other religions.
Lastly, while Christians believed that Jesus will come back again on the day of judgment, Buddhism believed in the rebirth of Miroku who is the future Buddha. To them, Buddha will be reborn to spread Buddhism further.
Conclusion
Christianity is an independent religion that is centered on the teachings of Jesus. It is the most dominant religion with billions of followers coming around the world. Roman Catholic Church is one of the Christian religions that were formed several years ago. The church has got many followers as compared to the rest of the other religions in the world. It is centrally controlled from a single headquarter under one leader known as the pope.
Reference
Mencken, H.L. (1946). Treatise on the Gods, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY.
Swenson, Don. (1999). The world and the Spiritual life: A Social Scientific Introduction: Broadview Press.
Bruce, Lincoln, (2003). Holy Terrors, thinking about religion after September 11. University of Chicago Press.