So what’s more with the now largest religion in the world? A faction that is so large with almost 2 billion followers, this most prominent and dominant religion in the western side of the world having different varieties of belief forms and practices has centered its faith to Jesus Christ. Thus, it is called Christianity.

Christianity is based on several key aspects as described below:

1. Living the Christian Life – It is how the way people should live according to Jesus Christ and with accordance to the teachings of the bible. The most common manifestations are the following:
   • Prayer – It is not just a simple prayer but something from the heart. Prayers in secret are advised. With prayers, a Christian is said to communicate with God in order to create a personal relationship with Him.
   • Discipline – A good Christian knows how to handle precautions; by this, it means self-discipline. A disciplined person is unlikely to create chaos and sins.
   • Repentance – As the saying goes, “To err is human, to forgive is Godly.” It is innate in a man to be prone in committing sins but it is only through repentance that God will forgive the sinners. Sometimes making a U-turn is not really that bad for a person who travels along the wrong path. Turn around and repent.
   • Service – To promote and improve one’s spiritual life, a Christian needs to provide service to others by which he can make use of his God-given talents and abilities to help them, especially the neediest.
   • Evangelism – When Jesus Christ said to spread his teachings to the world, He meant to evangelize the world with Christianity. Thus, a Christian, at one point in his life, should evangelize others to the word of God. This is the way Christianity is spread over the globe.
2. Fellowship with God – Jesus Christ has only one great commandment and that is to build a better personal relationship with God. The only way to do this is to love God and thy neighbors above all else.
3. Living away from Sins – The challenge of sins has always been the problem of humans. By being a Christian, it is a challenge to stay away from them and become a person worthy of emulation by doing good deeds and abiding the commandments of God and the teachings of the Bible.

There are also beliefs that distinguished Christian among other religions in the world. Some of them are:

• The Christian God – this is a belief that there is one great Creator.
• Jesus Christ – the belief of God the Son.
• The Virgin Mary – Jesus Christ’s Mother.
• The Trinity – that God is in three forms: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit – God the Holy Spirit.
• Human Nature – the creation of human in the bible version of Adam and Eve.
• Angels – the cherubim in heaven.
• Devils and Demons – the forces of evil.
• The After Life – the life after death: purgatory, hell, heaven.
• Heaven – the kingdom of God.
• Hell – the kingdom of Satan.

There are also practices that sort Christians from others. Common practices are:

• Baptism
• Honoring the Saint
• Praying the Rosary
• Marriage
• Sainthood

With all these beliefs and practices, a normal Christian should be able to do this by heart and by soul for it is already manifested in them by the time they are conceived in their mother’s womb until the time they will return back to the ashes and face the life after death. Living the Christian way is not simple but there is no other way to live the life in this world where everything is just a means to an end. Following Christ’s life is the only way to heaven — It is just a one-way ticket, a sure ride, so to speak.

People have their own beliefs and values and it is brought about by the different teachings they have learned from their spiritual leaders. There are many religions that have emerged and all of them have one single denominator which is faith. It has been said that the largest religion present in the world today is Christianity. This religion is based on the scriptures written in a sacred book which they call Bible. It contains the life and the different teachings of Jesus Christ as stated in the New Testament. Those who are part of this religion are called Christians. Christians deeply believe that Jesus is the son of God and he was sent by God to become the savior of humanity. He played a major role in the lives of the Christians. He sacrificed his life to save the people from their sins which led to his crucifixion and death. Jesus was then resurrected from the dead on the third day and opened the gates of heaven for those who live by him. His body was never found in his tomb and was believed to have ascended to heaven. It is also believed, that Jesus will return on what others call judgment day. Christians also believe that the ancestors of man had committed a great sin which was passed to their next generations and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a form of reconciliation to God. These are the foundations of the Christian religion and these accounts are accepted by the believers as true. They consider the cross as a holy symbol which somehow has different interpretations by the Christian community but whatever their interpretations are; they still have one common denominator, love for Jesus.  The Christians are guided by the messages of Jesus Christ which is reflected in the Bible known to them as Gospels. They believe that these Gospels should be applied to their lives so that they will be able to live up to what God wants for them and have eternal life when the so called judgment day arrives.

For Christians, their day of thanksgiving and worship is the seventh day of the week which is Sunday. For them, this is the day that God rested after he had created the world and the universe. They set aside all the other things that they have been doing for the entire week and gather on churches, listening to Gospels. They also receive God through their Holy Communion which is somewhat a re-enactment of the Last Supper. They receive the bread and wine which becomes the body and blood of Christ after the consecration. Christians communicate with God through their prayers and hymns. The Christians also incorporates in their practice the Seven Sacraments. Each child should be baptized with holy water which serves as an initiation to the religion. They also submit themselves for confession which is repentance of the sins committed. Other sacraments include Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Communion, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Some Christians based their worship on the Liturgical Calendar which comprises Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter and Advent. Christians also believe in the Holy Trinity which comprises The Father who is God, The Son who is Jesus and The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is represented by a dove which symbolizes peace and reconciliation. It is an important symbol in Christianity because it serves as a guide to the members of the religion.

The Christians believe in the existence of heaven and hell. Those who do good things and live their lives through the Gospels are welcomed in the gates of heaven and those who commit evil are burned in hell. They also believe that God has great love for humanity. He has provided humans with their needs and is righteous in making judgments. This has greatly affected the culture of many individuals. This provided them with many positive outlooks in life and had gained a lot from their beliefs. They are able to teach their children with the right things and stay away from those bad ones to be accepted in heaven. The beliefs somehow provide hope to those who suffer and who are lost in the tracks of life.

Believing and striving to live life like Christ simply defines a true Christian. Therefore, you need not read the Bible on a daily basis just to be accounted for in the Christian denomination because Christianity is not a prearranged religion, but rather it is developing a personal relationship with God. And, it certainly is a way of life!

A lot of people, who claim to be Christians nowadays, live their life conflicting with their assertions. There are just too many stories of people involved in murder, child and elderly abuse, adultery, theft and many other cases only to find out that they are Christians. To worsen things, there is a case of a criminal who adamantly insists that God told him to execute the crime as his way of escaping his actions. This however, devastates the impression of what the world has of Christianity.

Many of us got acquainted with God out of what our parents told us, from what we’ve heard at church, from what we’ve learned in school, from the programs we oftentimes see on television, from what we’ve read in books, several write-ups or in editorials of countless newspapers not to mention the different gatherings (spiritual or not) that we attend to. However, these are just mere “get-to-know God” and not establishing a personal relationship or a special connection with him. To clearly illustrate the difference between just knowing and having a relationship with God, let us take a look at this example. You know a Hollywood Actress because you see her in movies, featured in magazines and interviewed on television shows. However, if you invite her to talk with you over dinner, most likely she will decline your offer since she doesn’t have any clue of who you are. You simply know about her and not personally know her.

You can distinguish a genuine Christian by the way they live. Although treating people with kindness and trying to become a good person or an example for others and their children are acts that are expected of a true Christian, these deeds alone don’t make anyone a Christian. The same holds true that a complete church attendance doesn’t make one a good Christian either. Besides, when we stand before God on our judgment day, he wouldn’t ask us how many times we missed attending church. And not because somebody is a pastor or a church leader preaching or promoting the Christian faith, it makes him or her a true Christian. Who knows, they might just be twisting verses out of context to formulate their own version of Christianity and using it as a means of earning money and fame. This consequently indicates that a special bond never came about.

Christians aren’t perfect and nobody is. Anyone who claims to be perfect is not right because even the best Christian’s commit mistakes. There will always be times when we make wrong choices and do things unexpected of us. But what a true Christian does is realize the mistakes he or she has done and find ways to correct them wholeheartedly. If some religious groups condemn those who do not follow their doctrines and beliefs and consider them as their enemy, then this is a very unlikely attitude of a Christian. Because it is absolutely stupid to think that everyone is going to agree with you. Choosing what to believe is a choice you have to make. And if you firmly have faith with your personal relationship with God and believe that it has made a difference in your life, then certainly, it can bring you inner peace, joy and happiness that many are still seeking for.

Realizing the need to know God and our ability to change our lives by ourselves makes a person a Christian. They live to be different in such a way that people could discern that something is different about them. Just like making Jesus as an example when he washed the feet of the servants.

So, the next time you get bumped into somebody who claims to be living a life the Christian way, look after how they lived. If you see them drinking coffee and eating donuts at local donut houses reading unchristian like materials then most probably, they are just using Christianity as a “fire escape” from hell.

Christians are also expected to follow the Ten Commandments made by the Lord. This is a guide for Christians on how to live life following God’s path. Written in the Ten Commandments are the things that a Christian must do and must not do in order to live life in the way of the cross. Anyone who commits or has violated the Ten Commandments of God has thereby committed a mortal sin. A mortal sin is the worst form of sin that a human being can commit according to the beliefs of Christianity. Another form of sin is called venial sin. This form of sin is actually lesser than mortal sin in terms of wrongness or degree of sinfulness but nonetheless, a sin is a sin regardless of its form. Another form of sin is what we call original sin. Its roots can be traced a long, long time ago when the first human beings were made by God in the form of Adam and Eve. Adam was tempted by Eve to eat the forbidden apple in the beautiful Garden of Eden. When the Lord knew about Adam and Eve’s mistake and insubordination, He threw them out of the Garden of Eden into the world as a form of punishment and the rest was history. So according to the Christian beliefs, every newborn infant has already committed a sin and that is brought about by the disobedience of Adam and Eve, the original sin.

Christianity is by far one of the most widely spread religions in the whole wide world. The country that has the most number of Christians is Brazil and next to it’s the United Mexican States or Mexico. However, not like the other religions existing today, Christianity firmly believes that religion will not save a human being. If an individual has done things against the law, hurt other people in different forms or has committed a mortal sin, Christianity will not save him from the fires of hell and neither will Buddha in the case of Buddhism nor Allah in the case of Muslims. If you have done wrong and have not repented for your sins, then you are not allowed to enter the gates of heaven where eternal salvation and true happiness await.

Therefore, we can say that the religion of Roman Catholic is indeed very influential in the society. Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to save the human race. With that, Christians have great love and faith to their supernatural deity. The Lord has become their source of strength, courage, and hope during times of despair and difficulty. Above all, the Lord has become their father guiding them to the right path, the path of goodness.

We in these modern days where we are greatly influenced by our discoveries of science and technology are able to answer many things in this world. One example to this is the time when Lord Jesus turns the world into a dark place, when, in fact, it was just an eclipse. Fortunately for us, other stories like rain of fire, plagues and much more, we are able to answer many questions in this world we are living in, and it is all through the big leap of science discoveries. However, there is but one question that science alone can never answer—that is the reason behind of all the things’ existence.

With our modern technology, science can show that billions of the nuclear bombs are to be combined to partially equal the intensity of the sun’s tremendous heat. At least with this, we are able to come up of such fact. However, can science come up with an answer of why does the sun exist in the first place? Moreover, what about what lies beyond our solar system? What is the sole purpose of the existence of the entire galaxy?

Science in general can be defined as a study to know a particular thing that exists around us. It can explain things but only if we ask “how”. We should never disregard science because of religion for in such approach, both help us in their own sole purpose way. One example to this is to know the fact on how humans evolved. Through science research, DNA was the answer. However, if we want to know the reason of our existence, this is where religion helps us in finding the answer.

One example of religious belief is the Christianity faith. It is a religion based on Jesus Christ’s life and teachings. If one is to be a follower of such faith, they are called Christians. Although Christianity has been divided into many religious groups (Roman Catholic, Seventh day Adventist Church, Eastern Orthodox, etc…) they all consider Jesus as the centre of their devotion amidst the different beliefs and teachings. They all believe that Jesus is the Son of God, sent into this world of ours as our Saviour and by following His teachings and examples; we will achieve eternal salvation. However, is it true that by following His teachings, we will be saved from suffering or able to know all the questions in this world and beyond?

Many of us are not fortunate enough to see the true meaning of “The Holy Teachings”, that we are not able to value the gift of such guidance that has been shown to us. That to live life with all the material things needed is the sole purpose of living and nothing more.

A writer once said that “A world without God can only be a selfish world”; it is a world susceptible to hate, suffering and death. And even with good intentions, whenever men are left to themselves—war ensues. Let us consider that through Religious beliefs such as Christianity, we will be guided for a selfless act of giving and respecting people. Thus, through Christianity, we will be able to know the true meaning of our existence and that is to love and live in an unselfish way to all the things around us.

All in all, we use science to make a thing move. On the other hand, we use Christianity to make the thing do what it’s supposed to do. For science and Christianity are two different things, just as our reasoning knowledge from our conscience. However, even so, they all act for the good at all and nothing more.