Introduction
Christianity is the most popular religion in the world, with a lot of influence on societal matters in recent times. This belief acts as a guide and measure for the rightness or wickedness of actions and decisions made in the world. Some religions, such as Hinduism, differ greatly from Christianity, while there are various faiths inside, such as Catholicism and Protestantism, which also have distinctions. The faithful Christians use the Bible as a guide to make life choices and inspire others. Christ’s role in the religion’s history, internal love for the world and humankind, and faith in the Lord highly determine the foundation of Christian worldviews.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ plays an essential role in the Christian worldview as he appears to be simultaneously fully human and fully divine. Jesus performed several miracles and propagated the gospel when he was entirely God and a human being who lived on this planet from his death. Jesus attracted a large following when he was on the earth and propagated the gospel of God. He paid the ultimate price for all sins by dying on the cross after his life. The greatest act of love was Jesus’ willingness to die for all people, and Christians would not be able to interact with God without Jesus’s sacrifice (Lewis Hall and Hill 469). He is opening a door for people to have that connection. Timothy 2:5 states, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” This demonstrates the significance of Jesus’s identity and activities to the Christian worldview. Without Jesus, the Christian worldview and connection to God would cease to exist.
The religion of Christianity has its major foundation in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who existed among the Jews. The Bible, the source of information on religion, has its major basis in Jesus. The teachings of Christ have a major impact on how Christians treat each other. Thus, in ancient times before the coming of the Messiah, the world was not embracing kindness, love, forgiveness, and peace. According to research books, various unethical practices existed; for instance, false fortune-tellers sacrificed animals and read the intestines and liver of the offered creature (Hudson et al. 88). Changes for the better started after the coming of the Messiah, which is why Jesus is a central figure in Christians’ faith.
Love
This vital element of the religion’s foundation is related to Jesus and God, who want people to love each other and have this feeling as a life guide. Christians use the basis of love while giving their view on the world in accordance with the teachings of Christ. While in his ministry, Jesus taught his disciples about love while portraying the same across his entire ministry. The Church believes that God saved humanity from perishing in sin due to love. In the book of John 3:16 (Amplified Bible Version), the Bible says that God loved the world so much that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Love is portrayed by God the Father through the son among the human race.
Christ gives every reason Christians practice love and makes this fruit of the Holy Spirit a major basis of their faith. The world could not have been saved in the first place were it not for the goodness and mercy that the Lord authored. Christians consider this example and follow the teachings of Jesus. The Savior commands believers to love their neighbors as they love themselves. In addition, it states, “you shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Amplified Bible Version) Luke 10:27. Therefore, followers ought to love the Lord and their neighbors as a sign of their faith to the Maker. It is love, and not vengeance, envy, vice, malice, and hatred, that saves the souls of people and helps Christians to live in peace with themselves and others.
Faith
Since faith gives anticipation for what people do not see or cannot touch, this is another primary element of the Christian worldview. The Bible states that it is impossible to please God without faith. As warned by the Holy Writ, being a Christ follower is not simple as Paul says, “that the race is not for the faint-hearted.” Followers across the globe have faith and resilience but not despair.
Christians have a major say on decisions that are made by world leaders as they ought to support spiritually. This support is done through prayer, counseling, and giving pieces of advice. When nations conflict with each other, believers have to act in favor of peace to bring reconciliation. Their strong faith in Jesus is based on the fact that Christ promised to come for a second time (Amplified Bible Version, Zach 14:5). The followers of the Savior have hope in Jesus as he promises them life after death. This trust is made strong by actions of the devoted that should not be questionable before God. The world does not know the Maker according to the Bible, but Christ-likes have the advantage of knowing God through their faith in Jesus Christ.
The most faithful person recorded in the Bible is Abraham, who is given the title of father of faith. Abraham believed that God was willing to sacrifice their only son, Isaac, to Yahweh, the God of Israel (Amplified Bible Version, Genesis 22). They also migrated from their homeland and left their people to go to a foreign land they did not know about. This was to obey God, who directed them to move out of the region to a new place God would show them. These incidences and obstacles challenge Christians today about being faithful to the Almighty and Sovereign God.
Admittedly, the Messiah is the major essential in the Christianity worldview. Love plays a major role in the vital requirements of a Christ-like. According to the discussion, faith is the other component of a Christian, as it lays a good foundation for all believers. All the three elements of this religion enable the devoted to fight for what is right, spread good values, and make this world a better place where the Christian worldview is respected. As a result, Christianity as a faith cannot exist without the three key concepts that every true Christian has in their heart.
Comparison of Hinduism and Christianity
Some differences and similarities between these two religions are explored in this paragraph. Thus, Hindus believe in various gods, while Christians exclusively trust in Jesus Christ. Hinduism is practiced by 900 million people worldwide, making it the third most widespread religion globally, and Christianity has 2.1 billion adherents (Bhandari). Christians firmly believe that only the Bible can bring one to God and salvation, but Hinduism holds that regardless of the person’s chosen faith, all roads lead to God and salvation. As for similarities, the main is that both teachings promote morality and ethics and encourage their followers to be guided by faith, love, self-control, generosity, and other positive feeling and motives. What is more, Hinduism and Christianity are similar in believing in life after death, but Christians expect to be eternally in Heaven or Hell, and Hindus state that they will experience reincarnation.
Comparison of Catholicism and Protestantism
The main difference between these two sub-religions is that Roman Catholics consider the pope to be the leader of the entire Church, and Protestants reject the idea of a hierarchical system leading to a single figure. They do not find it moral to allow one person to decide and proclaim the truth and cannot understand why Catholics never doubt this truth. Further, Catholics view Mary differently from the majority of Protestants, seeing her as a model of holiness and faith. At the same time, Protestants may hold Mary in high regard, but unlike Roman Catholics, for various reasons, they do not devote themselves to Mary or make her the subject of artwork or iconography. Roman Catholics hold that as acts are outward manifestations of one’s inner faith, they substantially impact one’s relationship with God. Protestants hold that a person can only have a righteous stand before Lord via justification by faith in God.
As for some similarities, all these followers believe in the concept of Deity and the confession of sins, having the same ideas about the background and role of Jesus Christ. Most Protestants and Catholics find it vital to hold services and other rituals in churches and chapels, and their concepts of Heaven and Hell, as well as the reasons one is sent to either of these places, do not differ. Finally, it is interesting that both Protestants and Catholics consider marriage to be a lifetime and God-granted union of two sincerely loving persons. Breaking this union, or in other words, getting a divorce is not encouraged by these sub-religions. Finally, they also similarly value prayers and, following the model of Jesus, Protestants and Catholics make them an integral part of their spiritual lives.
Analysis
The original biblical text and its traditional interpretations show that the Christian faith has several advantages, including forgiveness, community, and salvation. Christianity is one of the few religions that consider redemption from God or a promise of an afterlife. Other religions believe that leading a virtuous life will result in being freed from death or receiving forgiveness from their own God. The only faith that guarantees an afterlife for believers in God is Christianity. The Christian faith also benefits from a strong surrounding community. Since it enables believers to unite and flourish, the Christian community is also something truly unique. These groups give people a secure place to learn about God while also assisting in disseminating the good news to many people. The Christian faith is made robust and steadfast by the community that supports it, enabling phenomenal expansion.
The ongoing forgiveness offered by Christians is one of their greatest advantages. As stated in the biblical text, all sin was eliminated once Jesus was crucified, granting pardon to the rest of humanity for all time. This is an incredibly powerful aspect of the Christian faith because it enables everyone to know God’s love, regardless of their situation. What behavior is acceptable is the part of the Christian perspective that causes the most confusion. Many people think that some offenses are worse than others; for instance, stealing from a store is worse than taking someone’s life. Some Christians believe that everyone sins and that no one is better or worse than anybody else. Everyone will have a different idea of what conduct is appropriate for a Christian. The foundations of this religion can be understood and explored with the help of biblical texts and their interpretations, and in order to be able to distinguish between them and various ideas about Christianity, one should have an objective worldview.
Conclusion
Overall, Christian worldviews are mostly based on Christ’s historical significance, intrinsic love for the universe and humanity, and confidence in God. When expressing their worldview, Christians begin with the principle of love. The Church holds that God prevented humanity from dying in sin out of love. Jesus paid the ultimate payment for all sins by dying on the cross after his life. The Christian worldview and relationship with God would not exist without Jesus. Similar to any other religion, such as Hinduism or Protestantism, Christianity contains a diversity of interpretations of the faith. However, all the disparities still have in common the trust in God’s son, love and forgiveness for human beings, and faith in a higher power.
Works Cited
Bhandari, Sandeep. “Differences between Hinduism and Christianity.” Ask Any Difference, Web.
Hudson, Don Michael, and Andy M. Roberts. “Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice: A Model for Replacing Old and New Testament Surveys with an Innovative Approach to Teaching Religion in 21st Century Colleges and Universities.” Journal of Religious Education, vol. 67, no. 1, 2019, pp. 87-102.
Lewis Hall, M. Elizabeth, and Peter Hill. “Meaning-Making, Suffering, And Religion: A Worldview Conception.” Mental Health, Religion & Culture, vol. 22, no. 5, 2019, pp. 467-479.
The Holy Bible: The Amplified Bible. 1987. The Lockman Foundation, Web.