Christianity
The definition of religion has always been a cause of debate for some time. Though religion has similarities with cultures and cults, a unique does exist in the way religion is organized. The world boasts varieties of religious orientations that people are born in, forced to be in, or decide to alienate themselves with in life. Christianity is one of the religious traditions that exist in the world. Christianity is based on a central belief of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whose coming as a Messiah is said to be according to a prophecy in the Old Testament. The main belief of Christianity is, therefore, the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and forms the basis of the belief as a Christian. Christianity is believed to be the largest religion in the world with it’s following hitting a staggering 2 billion followers. The success in the spread of Christianity has been associated with the vigilance of the followers as well as the authenticity of the Christian teachings. Like other religions, Christianity has several features and beliefs that hold the faith of the followers strong and give a reason for keeping the belief in the faith.
The Christian belief is similar to other religions since it does not avoid the subject of life and death. The debate of the right definition of life and death still exists in Christianity (Clingerman, 66). However, all Christians believe that God gives life and that the first life was brought into the earth through creation. The belief in heaven and hell, however, brings debate among members of the Christian religion. The scriptures that are written in the Christian book, the bible explain all the beliefs that Christians are expected to have. However, some Christian groups believe in some additional books that are not available in the original bible, although they give similar accounts of the Christian life. The strength with which a Christian holds their faith is always the test, which determines the length of time that a Christian will stay in the religion. The authenticity of the Christian faith has been the main reason for the huge following, and Christianity keeps on earning more followers day-in-day-out.
Christians believe in heaven and hell that is mentioned in the bible. The basic definition of heaven is a place that is preserved for Christian who keep their ways straight and live according to the will of God. On the other side, hell is explained as a place of suffering for individuals who do not adhere to the teachings of the bible and instead choose to live in sin (Blair et al. 156). As the Bible records, heaven is a place within God’s presence where all sufferings, deaths, and pains have no power. Heaven is explained as a place of unspeakable joy and that all Christians should anticipate going to heaven. The definitions of heaven have, however, been made differently by people since the bible does not give a clear picture of heaven. The desire to go to heaven is made strong by the belief that heaven promises the full definition of Christian identity and that life on earth is only a journey that is aimed at filtering the deserving occupants of heaven. The Bible records that Jesus spoke about heaven in several instances and that the only way to heaven was through believing in Jesus. The requirement to believe in Jesus comes as a reconciliation measure that is made necessary by humankind’s original sin that is recorded to have occurred in the Garden of Eden. Some Christians have defined the Garden of Eden as the original image of heaven that man was unable to keep and that God will take those who complete their journey on earth as successful candidates. The common features that are drawn to represent heaven are a city with golden streets and beautiful mansions that are promised to those who manage to go to heaven after the life on earth.
Hell, on the other side, is represented as the destination for all those who will fail to make it to heaven. The definition of hell is made to present a place of suffering, although the interpretations have been different for different groups. The initial definitions from the Bible are that hell is a place with fire where sinners will burn and will be gnashing their teeth (Davis,1). However, other interpreters argue that hell was made to represent the agony that sinners will face for being in a place without God’s presence and hence likened to fire and to suffer. The paintings of hell are made to represent a place burning with huge fire where devils will throw sinners and watch them burn in an everlasting fire and that God’s love will not be available to save the sinners. Therefore, human beings are given a chance to choose their destination while on earth and the bible records that God’s love extends even to sinners who accept to leave their sinful natures before death.
The belief in heaven and hell form the basis of Christian beliefs. The main assignment that Christians believe in having been left by Jesus is to win as many people as possible to heaven (Liberman, 2). The nature of Christianity is that preaching is a continuous process that does not have to happen in a designated area. Such a belief has led to the fast growth in Christianity since Christians believe that not winning people to Christ may constitute to selfishness, which could also cost an individual their ticket to heaven. However, a choice is given to Christians not to force people into believing, and thus chance should be given to all, but only those who believe in their hearts should be allowed into Christianity. The baseline for becoming a new member of the Christian religion is therefore set at believing that Jesus Christ died and resurrected and remains as the only way to heaven.
Additionally, the features are given to represent heaven have made several Christians to maintain their faith despite the difficulties encountered while keeping the faith. The Bible gives Christians hope that tribulations and persecutions are normal and that they mark the challenges that have to be overcome before making it to heaven. The beauty that heaven is represented as, gives Christians the long-suffering and determination to overcome all the challenges that they meet on the way in the journey through the earth.
The fear caused by the representation of hell has also been a cause for the way Christians conduct themselves on earth. Hell is promised to people who live in sinful nature, and thus people have been trying to leave sin and live righteously. The choice to leave sin has impacts on both the believers and not believers and generally makes the world a better place than would otherwise be. For example, life out of sin does not give an excuse for violence. Christianity teaches forgiveness on everything to earn the forgiveness of God. Individuals who cannot forgive are also destined to go to hell, and thus Christians choose to leave several grudges that would otherwise make the world more violent than it already is with the Christian religion. Also, the definition of God as a just God gives Christians hope in that individuals will only suffer the fate that they deserve.
Moreover, the Bible is believed to have been authored by God through people who He inspired. The main concern for God in writing the bible was to give the Christians a point of reference since God would be present to consult in person, but Christians believe that the word of God is living. The facts given in the Bible show that God means well for his people and that sin is the only cause of separation between God and His people. Christians have defined God as love and being able to accept anyone who believes in him regardless of the past.
In sum, Christianity is the largest religious tradition in the world. Christianity is centered on the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. The features of heaven are represented to give the destinations for believers and sinners after death. The impact of heaven and hell has led to the current conduct of Christians as they desire to make a successful journey to heaven. The bible is believed to have been authored by God through inspired writers and aimed at providing a guide to Christians during their stay on earth.
Works Cited
Blair, Christine Eaton, et al. “What Do Jews and Christians Believe About Redemption, Salvation, and Life After Death?.” Irreconcilable Differences? A Learning Resource For Jews And Christians. Routledge, 2018. 155-177.
Clingerman, Forrest. “Interpreting Heaven and Earth: The Theological Construction of Nature, Place, and the Built Environment.” Nature, Space and the Sacred. Routledge, 2016. 65- 74.
Davis, Christopher P. “Revisiting the Afterlife: The Inadequacies of” Heaven” and” Hell”.” Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research 1.1 (2016): 1.
Liberman, Alida. “Effective altruism and Christianity: possibilities for productive collaboration.” Essays in Philosophy 18.1 (2017): 2.