Christianity: The World’s Largest Religion

Written by: Kelly L. Hunter

The majority of the world believes that Christianity is the only true religion and that Jesus is the single incarnate of the almighty God. Christianity was founded in Israel around 30 CE and is said to have an estimated 2,039,000,000 followers, making it the world’s largest organized religion (Robinson, 2007). It has also been said that there are approximately 34,000 different versions of the Christian religion throughout the world today (Robinson, 2007). As stated by Fisher (2005), “Christianity is a faith based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus” (p. 258).
According to Christian studies, Jesus was born approximately 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary and her husband Joseph (Fisher, 2005). This birth is known to many as the “Immaculate Conception” greatly because Mary was said to be a virgin and according to believers, she was picked by God to give birth to his son who they named Jesus. At the time of Jesus’ birth, Palestine was under the leadership of the Roman Empire. As stated by Fisher (2005) “He taught for fewer than three years and was executed by the Roman government on charges of sedition” (p. 258).
Followers of Christianity believe that Jesus was nailed to a cross by the Romans where he later died for all of mankind’s sins. Jesus’ life has been said to have taken place between 4-30 CE. Christmas day, the day that Jesus was born, is known around the world and is a celebrated holiday even by many non-believers. Christianity also teaches that Jesus was resurrected from his grave after a period of three days; this day has also become a celebrated holiday for Christians and many non-believers and is commonly known as Easter Sunday.
Little is known about the life of Jesus and most of the information available to the Christian people can only be found in the various versions of the Bible, particularly the first four books of the New Testament (Fisher, 2005). These books are known as the “Gospels”, which means “good news”. According to some studies, the Gospels were not written until forty to sixty years after the death of Jesus. The original books were written in two different languages: Greek and Aramaic, the two languages said to have been spoken by Jesus himself (Fisher, 2005). Like most things, these books were rewritten many times over the past few centuries in order to rightly serve societal change and the evolution of this widely practiced religion.
The Christian religion relies particularly on that of faith and believing that there is only one God in which you should worship. Christians also believe that the Ten Commandments are God’s laws or rules for how one should live their life. Christianity teaches its followers that they should live their lives as Jesus would have lived his. As stated by Fisher (2005) “Jesus preached that God is forgiving to those who repent” (p. 295). Fisher (2005) also states that “Those who sincerely repent—even if they are the hated toll-collectors, prostitutes, or ignorant common people—are more likely to receive God’s forgiveness than are the learned and self-righteous” (p. 295).
As stated before, there are many various denominations of Christianity. Research has indicated that there are possibly over 1,200 different individual denominations in North America alone (Robinson, 2007). Some of the more commonly known denominations are the Jewish-Christians, the Gnostics, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Quakers, and the Amish just to name a few (Robinson, 2007).
Each denomination shares similar core beliefs but have adopted their own individual beliefs and teachings as well.
I recently decided to visit a local church, the Edgewater United Methodist Church (EUMC), for a Christmas Eve sermon, and found the service to be quite fascinating. As a non-believer in the Christian faith but a believer in God or a superior entity, I thought that I would feel slightly uncomfortable. Much to my surprise, everyone was very warm and welcoming. This particular church was nothing like the churches I had attended as a child. The service was very upbeat and contemporary while still focusing on the traditions of the Christian faith.
After attending the Christmas Eve service, I decided to contact church officials from the EUMC to see if any of their members would be interested in conducting an interview to discuss his or her particular beliefs and faith. Sarah Neiman, a lady who runs the food pantry for the church said that she would be willing to sit down to talk with me and answer any questions that I may have. I met with Mrs. Neiman on a chilly Monday morning in January (the food pantry that she heads was receiving about 4,000 lbs. of food this particular day). As we discussed how she interprets the Christian faith, we began unloading all of the food into the “pantry”. EUMC members put together bags of food for local families and homeless people twice a week year-round. Last year, they fed over 500 people in our community.
When I asked her to explain to me exactly what her faith or beliefs consisted of, Mrs. Neiman responded by saying that she believes “The only way to Heaven is by faith, you cannot simply work your way into Heaven, and you must have faith in God and truly believe that he is the only God”. I asked her if she believed that all homosexuals would be cast down to Hell where they would spend eternity, she responded by saying “I personally have nothing against anyone who is homosexual, however, I do believe that he or she can change their way of living and ask God for forgiveness and then they can go onto Heaven; if they do not ask for forgiveness then they will go to Hell.
I asked Mrs. Neiman how long Christianity had been in her family. She said that she could not recall a time when it wasn’t in her life. She went on to explain that her ancestors had come over from Ireland in the late 1800s. Her grandparents were Catholic, however, when her mother married her father, they became more Christian than Catholic. She recalled going to church every Sunday at a tiny white church in Southern Indiana with her mother, father, five brothers and younger sister. “We took turns reading the Bible around the table after we finished our dinner each night, that’s just how it was”.
I asked Mrs. Neiman how she could be certain that her religion was in fact the only “true” religion that should be worshiped when there are so many to choose from today. She responded by saying that “All you can do is have faith in God and believe in the words of the Bible; I am not sure if anyone is truly certain, but it is comforting to have faith that there is something more beautiful out there watching over us”. I also asked Mrs. Neiman to explain to me her viewpoints on Jesus’ resurrection. She states that “If you believe the words in your Bible then you know on the third day after Jesus was crucified, when the women went to prepare his body for burial they discovered that his tomb was empty”.
Mrs. Neiman asked what kind of religious beliefs I had since I do not consider myself to be of the Christian faith. I explained to her that I believe more in evolution than creation, but that we had to be created somehow (by something greater than ourselves). I explained to her that as a teenager I began searching for answers via local Christian churches. “I didn’t find what I was looking for in those churches because it seemed that each preacher or minister was saying the opposite of what the last one had said and that confused me”.
I later explained that after years of reading about the many religions that make up our world, I most enjoyed the teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism. “I find these religions to be calming and closer to my own beliefs”. I asked Mrs. Neiman if she would be open to learning about other religions. She responded by saying “Yes, only if the teachings are not geared toward the worshiping of an idol or false God”. I also asked her if she believes in reincarnation and the possibility that we are reborn throughout several lifetimes. She said “No, I believe that when I die and my soul goes to Heaven, I believe that is my final home and there will be no more of the life I once knew. I do believe however, that when I do reach Heaven’s gates, my family who has passed before me will be there waiting for me”.
My interview with Mrs. Neiman was very insightful and surprisingly open-minded on both ends. She explained to me how Christianity had shaped her life by telling me that it had made her a better person in several ways and helped her to be more understanding to those around her. She discussed with me some of the important holiday traditions that are celebrated within the Christian community such as Christmas and Easter. She also discussed with me the challenges of being a Christian by saying “One challenge is reaching the non-believers and helping them to see and understand the wonderful love that you can find in your fellow believers”.
I asked Mrs. Neiman if she would be open to the idea of going to a church of a different faith if someone that she knew asked her to attend. She responded by saying “Yes I would go if they are worshiping my God only in a different way; I think it would be interesting to see how their teachings would differ from my own beliefs”. I also asked Mrs. Neiman what her favorite part of the Bible is; in which she said “Any of the New Testament because it is much easier to read and understand for us average people”. I was very moved by how open Mrs. Neiman and the people at the EUMC were, that I have since begun volunteering a couple days a month at their food pantry. It is important for people to remember that even though we do not all share the same beliefs we can still come together for a greater cause that will be beneficial to us all.
Traditional Christianity is fairly simple to understand and actually has a lot in common with other religions. Research indicates that Christianity was derived from Judaism. Although these two religions share similar beliefs, they are quite diverse in their teachings and faiths as well. Some studies suggest that the date in which Judaism was founded is unknown. According to Robinson (2007) “Some claim that Adam and Eve were the first Jews, and lived circa 4,000 BCE; others suggest that they never existed” (¶ 3).
Personally, I believe that there is a God, Creator, Entity, or Being that has created the life cycle that we as humans evolved from. I do not believe that we will be cast down to the pits of Hell where we will spend an eternity paying for our worldly sins. I believe that the life we are living now is probably “Hell” and hope that there is something better and more peaceful after we pass on. I believe that our souls are energy that can be reborn over numerous lifetimes and that the way we live our current life (Karma) will determine the destiny of our next lifetime. I also believe that the 10 Commandments are wonderful guidelines that people should try to live by during their life cycle in order to attempt to achieve a state of goodness and purity.
All-in-all I would have to agree with Mrs. Neiman that no one can be completely certain as to what will really happen when we pass on from this life. I believe that all you can do is lead the best life that you possibly can while helping others to achieve goodness as well. Although this life has not been easy for anyone and some have experienced greater hardship than others; I truly believe that this lifetime and possibly others are granted to us in order to achieve knowledge and ultimate enlightenment. Once this process is complete then we will no longer have the need to be re-born or reincarnated because we will have achieved “oneness” with our soul and obtained spiritual wisdom beyond the human mind’s comprehension.


Reference(s)

Fisher, M. P. Living Religions Sixth Edition. (2005). Prentice-Hall. (p. 258-362).

Robinson, B.A. Religions of the World. (2007). Ontario Consultants on Religions Tolerance.
www.religioustolerance.org