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The Christian Church
has held the following beliefs
through its history. Conservative Christians follow these beliefs today.
Liberal Christians often deviate from them
(click on word for quick link, Creation, The
Fall, Salvation, Salvation
of Christians, Salvation of
non-Christians, The Bible, Jesus'
Birth, Atonement, Resurrection,
Second Coming, Incarnation,
Justification, Regeneration
of the Spirit, Deity, Satan,
Heaven & Hell):
Creation: God created the universe and the first couple, Adam and
Eve. Liberal Christians tend to interpret the beginnings of the Book of
Genesis as mythical truth rather than a precise description of real
events.
The Fall: Adam and Eve were seduced by Satan into disobeying God's
instructions and eating forbidden fruit. That act brought sin into the
world, which has been inherited by all of mankind. Again, liberals
generally regard this story as mythical and disagree with the concept of
"original sin".
Ancient Israelites: The ancient Israelites were God's chosen
people, to whom he gave a complete set of laws to govern their behavior
until the arrival of Jesus. Christians have various conflicting beliefs
about the status of God's covenants with the Jewish people today.
Salvation: Almost all Christians agree that everyone has eternal
life. However, Christianity had traditionally taught that the destiny of
most people is to go to Hell for endless torture because of their sins,
without any hope of mercy or an end to their suffering. Only that very
small minority who have achieved salvation before death will live forever
in heaven. Whether one has been saved is thus a topic of great importance
- more important to a traditional Christian than any other factor in life.
Salvation of Christians: The Christian Church has taught that
salvation involves the forgiveness by God of a person's sins. The person
repents for her/his sins, trusts Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and becomes
reconciled with God. God makes the person into a "new creation."
These traditional beliefs are held by most conservative Christians today.
More liberal Christians place little emphasis on salvation; they often
reject the concept of Hell as a physical location and interpret it
metaphorically - perhaps as a state of mind, or as a place where one is
separated from God. The idea of a loving God sending people to be
eternally tortured is abhorrent to them. Denominations differ over criteria by which a person
is saved: some believe that faith alone is sufficient; others believe that
good works are sufficient; some believe that both are necessary. Salvation of
non-Christians: No consensus exists over the fate
after death of three groups of people:
1. People in non-Christian countries who have never heard the
Christian message and therefore have never been able to accept or reject
it. 2.
Adults who have heard the Gospel message but have rejected it for
whatever reason. 3.
Infants, small children and developmentally delayed individuals who
cannot understand the Gospel or make a rational decision to accept or
reject it.
The Bible: Conservative Christians generally believe that the
original writings of the Bible, were inerrant (without error). Liberals
tend to view the Bible as a collection of writings describing a gradual
evolution of religious thought.
Jesus' Birth: The Christian Church has traditionally taught that
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin at the time of Jesus' conception.
Roman Catholics believe that she remained a virgin all her life. Most
liberals regard this as a myth, based upon an ancient mistranslation of
the Book of Isaiah..
Atonement: This is the concept that, through Jesus' death, the
relationship between God and Man (which had been damaged by Adam and Eve's
sin) can now be restored through the process of salvation.
Resurrection: This is the teaching that after Jesus' death and
burial, he arose again on the third day.
Second coming: Many Christians have expected Jesus' imminent return to earth ever since the 1st century CE. About one in four American adults expects him to return during their own lifetime. A substantial number expect the second coming during the year 2000.
Incarnation: Christians believe that God appeared on earth in human
form as Jesus.
Justification: an act of God in which any person who accepts that
they have sinned and who believes in the atonement of Christ is forgiven
of their sins and brought into a close relationship with God .
Regeneration of the spirit: The belief that a new believer
undergoes a spiritual rebirth.
Inspiration: the belief that the authors of the Bible were inspired
by the Holy Spirit so that their writings were free of error.
Deity: God is a single deity who exists as a Trinity of three
separate personalities: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Satan: is regarded by conservatives as a created being, who was once
an angel but is now an all-evil tormentor of humanity. Liberals regard
Satan as a symbol of evil.
Heaven and Hell: Conservative Christians believe that these are
locations which are places of reward and punishment. Liberal beliefs are
varied.
Most conservative Christians also believe in the
Rapture. This involves the resurrection of all saved Christians who have
died in the past. Both they and currently living, saved Christians will
rise towards Jesus Christ in the sky. |