Article Views:
943
Ezine ready page
Ezine ready page
Posted on October 23, 2007 by Jason Petrina | Posted under Religion
Christianity: Different Variations
|
The cornerstone of the Christian religion is that Jesus is the Son of God; that he was crucified; raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. His crucifixion and resurrection are seen as proof of God's love for humanity and the ultimate act of forgiveness for human sins. It is thought that by belief in Jesus, His relationship with God and his resurrection that one can attain salvation and eternal life. To a large extent the variations of the Christian religion related to interpretations of the role of the clergy, church organization and different forms of worship. There may also be some slightly different interpretation on fundamental beliefs. There are three very broad divisions of the Christian faith; Roman Catholic, Orthodox Eastern and Protestant. Even within these three broad categories, there exists much variation; however. The Protestant church developed when groups objected to very specific practices within the Roman Catholic Church. Primarily this involved the required celibacy of the clergy and the prohibition of married couples from divorcing. Today there are numerous different denominations within the Protestant Church. The most well known include Episcopalian, Baptist, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist and Lutheran; however estimates indicate that there may actually be more than thirty thousand various sects of the Protestant Christian religion. While there are differences between these denominations; certain practices remain the same. Clergy members are allowed to marry; married couples are allowed to divorce and with the exception of the Seventh Day Adventists, the Lord's Day is celebrated on Sunday. The Roman Catholic Church is by far the largest sect within the Christian religion. The clergy system of the Roman Catholic Church tends to be somewhat different than that of other Christian variations. The head of the Roman Catholic Church is the Pope with the inclusion of a church hierarchy such as Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops. The clergy within the Roman Catholic Church are not allowed to marry and divorce is generally not allowed. The liturgical service of the Eucharist, or Mass, forms the center of the Roman Catholic worship service. The Eastern Orthodox Church splintered from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054. The clergy of the Eastern Orthodox Church is known as episkopoi; more commonly referred to as Bishop in English. Other ordained roles include deacons, priests and Archpriests. While Bishops are always celibate, other clergy members are allowed to be married as long as the marriage took place before ordination. Clergy members who are widowed are not allowed to remarry. Beyond the major denominations of the Christian faith there are also other groups that, while they tend to espouse the major tenets of the Christian religion; are often viewed askance by traditional Christian groups due to rather unorthodox views. These groups include Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One of the major differences between Jehovah's Witnesses and other mainstream Christian denominations is the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses reject the Trinity, a cornerstone of traditional Christianity. While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints rejects the idea of the Trinity as well, there are further significant differences with this variation on Christianity. In addition to the Bible, LDS also accepts the Book of Mormon as words of scripture and practice baptism of the dead. About The Author: Jason Petrina is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com |
Tags:
