Questionnaire on "Christianity Originated Approximately Two-Thousand Years Ago"

Questionnaire 5 pages (1386 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

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 their religion around his teachings. The principal Christian religious text is the New Testament, written after Christ's death by a number of his disciples. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God and that he was born in an immaculate conception from his mother Mary. They believe that he rose from the dead three days after he was crucified by the Romans under Pontius Pilate. The major Christian beliefs are that acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior entitles the individual to eternal happiness in Heaven and that those who fail to accept Jesus in their lifetime are condemned to eternal suffering in Hell. Christianity is the most dominant religion in the Western world and played a major role in geopolitical evolution, particularly in connection with the major wars between Christians and Muslims throughout the Middle East during the Middle Ages.

2. Islam

Islam began with the followers of the Prophet Muhammad after his death in the early 7th century AD. Followers of Islam believe that Muhammad was the last of the Prophets to receive the word of God directly. His principles were compiled by others after his death into the Koran whose contents are based on the lectures delivered by Muhammad during his life. The most important Muslim principles are known as the Five Pillars of Islam: (1) exclusive belief in Allah, (2) ritual prayer five times daily, (3) giving to the poor, (4) fasting during the month of Ramadan, and (5) making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one's lifetime. Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle East.

3. Judaism

Judaism began approximately 4,000 years ago in the Sinai area of the Middle East. Abraham is considered to have been the first Hebrew and his story provides the beginning of the first (of five) books of the Old Testament. The first laws of Judaism were those known as the Ten Commandments that were handed down by God to Moses after the escape of the Jews from Egypt. More recently Jewish rabbinical scholars authored companion texts such as the Talmud that apply the Ten Commandments much more specifically to govern the complexities of human life. In general, Jews believe that the nature and quality of their conduct on Earth determines their fate in the afterlife. Unfortunately, the historical record features much antagonism and war attributable to the fact that some Christians blamed the Jews for the circumstances of Jesus' death and because Muslims, Christians, and Jews all believe that Jerusalem is their holy city.

4. Hinduism

Hinduism actually refers to number of different religions that all developed generally beginning in India approximately 4,000-year before the birth of Christ. There is no single God in Hinduism but Hindus believe in many different Gods. Generally, Hinduism teaches that life is and endless cycle in which the spiritual essence of all living creatures survives their physical death. All living spirits are eventually reborn into different forms and the nature, quality, and circumstances of those lives reflect the choices made during the previous life. In general, Hindus promote spiritual living and eschew material possessions and egoistic goals. The most important Hindu texts are the Four Vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva.

5. Buddhism

According to Buddhist beliefs, Buddhism began during the 6th century before the birth of Christ with the birth of a child named Siddhartha Gautama. The Buddha taught that enlightenment was based on the Four Noble Truths: (1) Life is hard, (2) That hardship comes from inappropriate desires, (3) The key to avoiding suffering is to resist inappropriate desires, and (4) The Eightfold Noble Path is the key to resisting inappropriate desires. Generally, the Buddha taught that egoistic desires and material goals, and especially sexual and other hedonistic pleasures were destructive. Like Hindus, Buddhists also believe in cyclical reincarnation into forms and circumstances determined by the quality of choices made during the previous life.

6. Daoism

The origin of Daoism dates back to approximately the 4th century before… READ MORE

How to Reference "Christianity Originated Approximately Two-Thousand Years Ago" Questionnaire in a Bibliography

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