Ryan David Leack - Christianity

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A. Simple Definition:

Christianity involves a complete belief in what is commonly called the Bible, which is a canonical collection of writings which are believed to be sacred and either revelations from God to man as many Protestants and Catholics believe, or a witness to revelation as more liberal Protestants believe. These beliefs stem from a main belief in the God of all creation, who in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, gives an account of the creation of all things from the universe, matter, water, and land, to animals and humans. Unlike some religions, Christians hold their beliefs as true in reality, where members of other religions, such as American Indian religions, teach their creation stories to pass down morals and not objective truths to their children. Christianity involves the belief in life after death, and a crucial belief in the crucifixion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a man who is believed to be fully human and fully God that gave his life on the cross for the salvation of all humans. As Christians believe the world is corrupted by evil, only one sacrifice could possibly be holy enough to cover the sins of all humans, and that is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the one who was promised by God to come and save humankind.

B. Common Definitions:

Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, where upon being physically dead for three days he rose to defeat death, allows all who believe in him and accept the gift of salvation through God's grace alone (sola gratia) to enter eternal life upon death. This eternal life and existence in the is considered the reward for having the faith to call upon Jesus Christ, one who can no longer be seen in the flesh, to wipe the sins away from this material and temporal existence. Christianity is often seen as a dedication to Christ and the Father, the creator of the universe, and a dedication to the will of the Father, who knows and sees all and therefore knows the path for every person. Christians understand that God, traditionally translated from Hebrew as יהוה to English as Yahweh, which is also spoken literally sometimes as Jehovah, has a plan for each individual and for that individual to lead the best life possible, that plan must be followed through prayer and the asking of guidance from God. Christianity is thought to be exclusive in that one can only achieve salvation through Jesus Christ, where other religions like Hinduism and Buddhism believe there are many ways to achieve salvation. There is some question regarding this exclusivity which stems from Jesus' words, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," (John 14:6). While some Christians, protestants especially, feel that the New Testament was altered by Catholics who sought to build the Catholic Church by altering Christ's words to exclude anyone from salvation who didn't believe in him, most Christians agree that one must seek Christ in order to attain salvation and enter the Kingdom of God.

C. Types of Christianity:

Roman Christianity

Roman Christianity, encompassing Catholicism and Catholic-based churches, was one of the earliest forms of Christianity which rapidly grew after Christ's resurrection. What separates Catholics today from other Christian groups are mainly their traditions involving the seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. The Roman Catholic Church considers itself "the Church" and not merely a church among many. Unlike Protestantism, which focuses on Scripture alone (sola Scriptura), Catholicism focuses on Scripture and tradition.

Protestantism

Protestantism was propelled into existence by Martin Luther and his 95 theses, or 95 problems he found with Pope Leo X's sale of indulgences. At that point, Luther split from the Catholic Church and a new form of Christianity began emerging. This form of Christianity focuses mostly on five points: Scripture alone (sola Scriptura), faith alone (sola fide), grace alone (sola gratia), in Christ alone (solus Christus). There are numerous sects of Protestantism, ranging from Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians, to Lutherans, Anabaptists, Calvinists, and many more. What separates Protestants from Catholics is their struggle to minimize tradition and rely solely on Scripture, yet some tradition must always be practiced, for even attending church is a tradition in itself. Protestantism has had many divisions, many of which have been caused by the difference in opinion regarding how to worship God, when Christians should be baptized, and if God is three persons as the doctrine of the Trinity states, or whether these three entities are separate in some way.

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Church views itself in this way: "The historical, unbroken continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles, having maintained unbroken the link between its clergy and the Apostles by means of Apostolic Succession and Sacred Tradition. The Church which has never fallen into error nor deviated from the beliefs and traditions of the original Christian body, but rather has gone to great lengths to preserve them for future generations. All theological concepts, all explanations and expansions are compared to and validated by the original core beliefs; no deviation is allowed. The church which most closely adheres to the canons of the first seven ecumenical councils held between the 4th and the 8th centuries," (1). Apart from their views of themselves, they follow the doctrine of the trinity, as both Catholic groups and most Protestant groups do, but are more associated with the Catholic Church in that they practice both Scripture and tradition.

D. Purpose:

The purpose of Christianity is for the individual and society to have a personal relationship with God to attain eternal life in His kingdom. It is also the Christian's mission to help those who are not familiar with Jesus Christ's sacrifice and message of love to enlighten them and bring them to God through salvation. Christians are to uphold the Ten Commandments as much as possible yet, as Martin Luther clarified, these Ten Commandments displayed what humanity ought to do and not what it could do; for this reason, humanity must rely on God's grace and forgiveness and not its own perfectibility.

The main message in Christianity is simple. When a man asked Jesus Christ what the greatest commandment of all was, as recorded in the New Testament, Christ replied, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and Prophets hang on these two commandments," (Matthew 22:37-40).

Christ is the example, the one who guides Christians in developing a close and personal relationship with God, and who directs Christians in following God's will. His example and sacrifice sets forth the image of God on Earth and encourages Christians to spread the good news to all those who are lost in the material ways of a mortal existence, where possessions die with the body and memories are lost with the cessation of thoughts.

Cathedrals and Historical Settings
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E. Defense:

In examining the case for Christianity, it's important to note that not all Christians feel it is necessary to back up the Bible's validity, as it is the supposed Word of God; however, appreciating the fact that not everyone can trust the Bible without some corroborating evidence, I will shortly display the basic Christian case for Christianity, the Bible's validity, and the credibility of Jesus' Christ's existence as the Son of God and savior of humankind. Please select some of my recommended books for a full investigation on this highly-debated topic.

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CHRISTIAN STANCE

Claim:

Due to the validity of the Bible's testimony, Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, the existence of good, evil, and human morality, and Christ's call for faith, God exists and has a will and a plan for each person on Earth, all of whom he wishes will take the gift of salvation to enter the Kingdom of God upon death.

The Claim's Conditions:

1. Biblical testimony must be reliable and trustworthy.
2. Christ's resurrection must have evidence to support it.
3. Humans must be the image of God, of morality and consciousness.
4. Christ must be God's son.
5. Christ's sacrifice must offer humanity forgiveness of sins.

Evidence for Conditions:

1. Looking at Exodus 3:14, where God took upon himself the divine name, "I AM," Christ also says this in John 8:58 nearly one thousand years later in response to the Jews who said, "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" (John 8:57). "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" This evidence contributes to the fact that Christ is God's son and in one way or another one with the father: "I and the Father are one," (John 10:30). Jesus' claims here, and in many other places in the Bible, demonstrate that he was in fact the Son of God, the savior of humankind and forgiver of sins.

2. The Bible's testimony can be trusted as a recording of actual history based on many proofs. The two earliest biographies of Alexander the Great were written by Arrian and Plutarch more than four hundred years after Alexander's death in 323 B.C., yet historians consider them to be generally trustworthy," (1). However, the history of Christ was recorded within thirty to sixty years after his death by those who witnessed the events that had taken place and were recorded in the New Testament. In addition, the most important elements of the New Testament, the detailed list of those who witnessed the resurrection and the acknowledgment that Christ died for our sins, were recorded within two to five years of when they happened (1). The 1st Corinthians 15 Creed was recorded within two to five years after the resurrection as well, and it states that more than five hundred people witnessed Christ after his resurrection, including the twelve apostles, one being James the just who beforehand had not believed that Christ was God's son until he saw him after the resurrection (1). These facts demonstrate that the Bible's authors can be credited as true historians and that the testimonies in the Bible are valid.

3. There is a wealth of early New Testament manuscripts that verify modern translations of the Bible. There are 24,000 of these manuscripts in total which concerns much of the doctrine of Christianity. These manuscripts are also in multiple languages including 5,664 Greek manuscripts, 8,000-10,000 Latin manuscripts, plus 8,000 Ethiopic, Slavic, Armenian, and many other manuscripts dating back to the time when the apostles lived. This wealth of evidence portrays that the Bible can be credited as a historical account of actual events, in that it was recorded like the most credible history today by authors who were historians themselves (1).

4. The finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 850 documents that currently have a carbon date that is most likely 61 A.D., thirty years after Christ's resurrection, is also a nonbiblical account containing many of the miracles Jesus performed. Therefore it serves as corroborating evidence which validates the Bible's claim that Jesus is the savior and the full image of God in the flesh (1).

5. Upon the cross of Christ is written, "This is the King of the Jews." The King of the Jews directly signifies the savior, the Messiah. Jesus gives many accounts of his deity which also signify that he was and is more than a man, but actually the fullness of God: "If I, by the finger of God, cast out demons, then you will know that the kingdom of God has come upon you." "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," (John 1:1). Whether one believes in the Trinity or not, this passage signifies that Jesus is one with the Father and not a mere man; he, therefore, is trustworthy and praiseworthy as the Son of God, and the Son of Man.

6. When one Roman guard put a spear into Jesus' side as it was recorded in the Gospels, it was written that a water-like fluid, followed by a large volume of blood, came out of his side. Though it did not make sense that a water-like fluid would appear, this was recorded as it was seen and not altered. Only recently have scientists discovered that when the body is dehydrated and put through an enormous amount of stress a water-like fluid, the pericardial effusion and the pleural effusion, will come out through wounds. Therefore, John is consistent and accurate when recording events, even though he was ignorant of this apparent phenomenon, thus allowing humanity to trust the accounts of the Bible by combining this proof with many others (1).

7. To this day the body of Jesus or another tomb containing his body has not been found. While there have been supposed tombs of Christ, all have been proven to be fakes containing bodies much younger than Christ or no bodies at all. It was the Roman guards' duty to guard the tomb to ensure that no one would steal the body of Christ for various reasons. Being that the lives of these guards depended on their success at guarding the tomb, and being that Christ's tomb was empty on the third day when he rose, it is evident that his resurrection was indeed a miracle, especially since his body has been sought after yet never found in the past 2000 years. Therefore, the resurrection is true and Christ is the Messiah that the prophecies outlined (1).

8. The most convincing evidence, being that biblical testimony is credible, is how Christ managed to fulfill all of the 365 biblical prophecies of the Old Testament, 109 of which could only be fulfilled by the perfect Messiah, which was written more than one thousand years before his time. Some of these prophecies include the virgin birth, the resurrection, the ascension into heaven, having no bones broken, having pierced hands and feet on the cross, being accused by false witnesses, being betrayed by a familiar friend, the teaching in parables, having the wisdom of God, ascending to the right hand of the Father, being the seed of David, being declared as the Son of God, growing up in a poor family from a humble and nearly forgotten place, which still exists (Nazareth), despised and rejected by men, being without any sin, and many more. This fulfillment of every prophecy of the Old Testament demonstrates that Christ truly is the Son of God and that all should strive to know him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, for what the Bible, the best-selling book each and every year, says is true.

Claim's Conclusion:

Because of the eyewitness, historical, empirical, medical, and prophetic evidence that has accumulated over the span of time, one can find certainty in the claims and teachings in the Bible and in Christianity. Due to the Bible's call for morality and faith in transcending, it is clear that the Bible is not merely a product of humankind, for how could such detailed prophecies have been fulfilled by anyone who was not the Messiah? Therefore, humanity should find faith in Christ and follow his example of love for God and neighbor.

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F. Conclusion:

Christianity is the largest religion of the world with the most exclusive yet inviting aspects of many. Christianity claims that to know Christ is to know God, and to truly know God is the best knowledge anyone can retain. The message is a love for God and a love for each other. While there have been many misuses of Christianity, like the crusades and the inquisitions, the Bible and Christ have never condoned actions like these. Violence was only necessary in the Old Testament when Christ's lineage was being established for the salvation of all humanity. At a certain point anyone can agree that nonviolence is counterproductive with people who only resort to violence, like the many cities who raged against Israel in the Old Testament. Though many nonbelievers find it hard to believe in the God of the Old Testament, one of judgment and sometimes wrath, God reveals the fullness of his image in the New Testament, one of complete love, for "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love," (1 John 4:8).

Christianity can seem intrusive and bothersome to those who wish to lead their lives without religion; however, Christians can seem very persistent, for many know the facts and have studied even the empirical evidence that they believe proves the Bible's validity; therefore, Christians wish to bring as many people to God as possible, for knowing Christ is the only way to salvation because one must accept his sacrifice and forgiveness to be forgiven and righteous before God. Even through the rise of evolution, many Christians have come to understand new theories of creation. As studies show, religion was temporarily on the decline when evolution first appeared, yet it now seems to be growing more than ever, especially in Asia and South America. The future looks to be filled with just as much or more religion as we find today, and the best shot at harmony is to coexist peacefully.

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SCIENCE AND RELIGION REUNITE

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