Term Paper on "Christianity it Is Hard to Imagine"

Term Paper 5 pages (1533 words) Sources: 2

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Christianity

It is hard to imagine how the human spirit would work without having the certainty that there are indomitable real things that exist in this world. Moreover, it is impossible to imagine how the human consciousness would manage to come into being without giving certain significance to human impulses and experiences.

The consciousness of a significant and real world is tightly connected to the discovery of the sacred world. By experiencing the sacred world, the human spirit has sensed the difference between what appears to be real, powerful and full of significances, and what appears to lack these qualities, that is the chaotic, senseless and dangerous course of things.

Taking in consideration the ideas presented above, it is easy to draw the conclusion that all the people have had the right to discover their own inner sacred beliefs since time immemorial. The sacred world discovered by ancient civilizations took shape when the first religious manifestations took place, which is thousands of years ago, when people were just beginning to realize the need for the sacred life.

The discovery and the further manifestation of religion have always been connected to the history of the peoples, to their tumultuous life, and to their being free or dominated. The course of time and the historical events have turned the sacred world and people's need for a divine power into different sets of religious rules which have, by no means, been respected, but adapted to people's needs and interests.

In general, these religious rules have the role to shape and warm the human spirit on its way to the longing eternity. The rules the Catholic Church has chosen to reveal their religious beliefs are born out of their needs for the divine powers and the sacred. "The sign of the sacred" is translated in the Religious vocabulary by sacramentum.

In the Catholic Religion, there are seven sacraments. These represent ceremonies which reveal what is important and sacred for the Christians. Each sacrament is an important step in gaining religious trust and is an important opportunity to feel God's grace and power. People consider the sacraments to be God's "instruments" for shaping people's souls. The seven sacraments celebrated by the Catholic Church are:

Baptism,

Eucharist,

Reconciliation,

Confirmation,

Marriage,

Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. Each sacrament is very important for the spiritual life of each Christian, and none of them is considered to be more important than other. Each may be considered a step towards gaining the final spiritual tranquility.

The general meaning of sacrament has been analyzed by many theologians. One of them is Bernard Cooke, who starts his book, "Sacrament and Sacramentality," with a chapter on the human dimensions of the sacraments. Here he talks about the "hermeneutic of experience" of Catholic Christians. He expresses the idea of people shaping their own lives and personalities, the process of "creating their own persons." In order to be able to re-new their souls, people need "a set of principles and insights and critical judgments that equip us to interpret our experience in a more accurate and profound way." This process of renewing the Self is related to each person's will and spiritual "courage." This represents the decision to start from the beginning a completely new existence away from the sins. In order to be able to keep this promise, one should sign an agreement with God, and this is achieved through Baptism.

For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a long path full of dangers and obstacles, but also of joy. This path is, in fact, life's path and people would take a straight walk if they received God's bless through Baptism. Whether people are baptized as infants or adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating God's promise of Eternal Life. For infants, this celebration represents the newly born child's commitment to God and Catholic Church. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:4-5. Ephesian.

Along history, besides the term "Baptism," other terms have also been used to name this ritual: "the washing of regeneration," "illumination," "the seal of God," "the water of eternal life," "the sacrament of the Trinity," etc. Instead of "baptize" the term "christen" is also used. However, it does not have strictly the same meaning. It signifies just the effect of baptism, that is, to make somebody a Christian.

Holy Baptism may be considered the most important among the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, because it may be considered as the beginning of the life into spirit, into eternity. Since all the people have been touched by the shades of Death even from their birth, Baptism stands as a purifying ritual, which can change the trajectory of death into one of eternal life into spirit.

The new life, into spirit, brings the newly baptized souls into a new dimension. Baptism makes the souls be born again of water and the Holy Ghost. One we can never enter the kingdom of Heaven, touched by the sins, therefore the holy water of the Baptism ritual clears the sins out. The sentence: "I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost"; or: "This person is baptized by my hands in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" or "Let this servant of Christ be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" uttered by the priest, unleashes the soul from the strings of sin.

The New Testament also reveals other meanings of baptism; that is the choice of beginning a new life into spirit. Therefore, in one of the fragments in the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ tells his disciples "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19).

Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed" (Jn 13:10).

The

Roman Catechism (Ad parochos, De bapt., 2, 2, 5) gives the definition of baptism as: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration by water in the word." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14663b.htm" St. Thomas Aquinas

III:66:1) defines Baptism as:" the external ablution of the body, performed with the prescribed form of words." The definitions written above show both the metaphorical and the real meanings of baptism.

The sacrament of Baptism has been thoroughly analyzed by other Catholic specialists along history. In most of their written works, they have made a distinction between the physical and the metaphysical meaning of Baptism. While the physical coordinate refers to the actual ritual of "washing" with pure water, the metaphysical coordinate goes much deeper, expressing the idea of rebirth, of regeneration, by which we are reborn to spiritual life. The term "regeneration" distinguishes baptism from every other sacrament. Its value stands in its capacity to bring life out of death. Penance does not make us

Christians; on the contrary, it presupposes that we have already been born out of water and the Holy Ghost to the spiritual life.

Baptism as a sacrament has its origin in the moment when Jesus Christ called His Apostles to baptize. We find this first ritual of Baptism in the fragment described in John, iii and iv. Anyway, the first baptism given by Christ was only of water, not of Holy Ghost, also. The latter was given only after Christ died and came to life again. Therefore, the symbol of Baptism of Holy Ghost came only after the Resurrection. Anyway, it is Jesus Christ Who taught humankind the symbol of Baptism,… READ MORE

How to Reference "Christianity it Is Hard to Imagine" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Christianity Originated Approximately Two-Thousand Years Ago Questionnaire

Christianity originated approximately two-thousand years ago in the portion of the Middle East known later as Palestine and today as Israel after the followers of Jesus Christ began to organize… read more

Questionnaire 5 pages (1386 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

C. S. Lewis Reading Mere Christianity Term Paper

Lewis Christianity

Creation, Evil and Science in Christian Faith

Christianity is based on certain principles of unbending faith. Within these principles are a wide variance of interpretations and approaches to… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2889 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Optical Revolutions How the Telescope Essay

Optical Revolutions

How the Telescope was a More Significant Invention to the Microscope

Advances in optical technology made it possible for early modern scientists to explore both the vastness of… read more

Essay 3 pages (967 words) Sources: 4 Topic: Astronomy / Planets / Solar System

---

Compare Similarities Between John Lennon's Song Imagine With Romantic Poetry Term Paper

John Lennon's song "Imagine" and Classic Romantic poetry

What do we think of when we hear the words 'classic, Romantic poetry'? We think of poems like "Ode to a Skylark"… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (636 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Music / Musicians / Instruments

---

Consumers Attitudes Towards the Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion Speed Term Paper

Consumers' Attitudes towards the Environmental impact of Fast Fashion

Attitudes towards the environmental impact of Fast Fashion

Fast Fashion and the environment

Customer awareness

The issue of fast or quick… read more

Term Paper 18 pages (5591 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Fashion / Designers / Beauty

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>