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Quarter 1 – Module 5:
Christianity
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Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems – SHS
Christianity - 1st Semester Module
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l.
INTRODUCTION
Hello Learners! This module is intended to keep you informed and abreast of
one of the world’s famous religions, Christianity. Know its founder and brief history,
core teachings, beliefs and practices, varieties and some issues and concerns. Enjoy
and learn as you explore the world of Christianity!
ll. OBJECTIVE
In this module, you are expected to:
Examine the brief history, core teachings, fundamental beliefs, practices,
and related issues of Christianity.
lll. VOCABULARY LIST
For easy understanding of this module, you must be familiar with the terms or
words that you will encounter as you go along this learning journey. Take a look at
the words with the given definitions. Come on and let us start!
Word
Religion
Christianity
Doctrine
Definition
- the belief in a God or in a group of Gods.
- an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules to
worship a god or a group of gods.
- the religion that is based on the teaching of Jesus Christ.
- the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as
sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic
and Protestant Bodies.
- a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of
knowledge or system of belief.
- a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be
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Sacred
Trinity
-
Bible
Old Testament
-
New Testament
Creeds
Gospel
Resurrection
Sect
-
Roman Catholic
Eastern Orthodox
ProtestantismEcumenism
Gospel
Scripture
Advent
Monotheistic
-
true.
holy, dedicated to God, worthy of religious veneration, not to
be violated.
the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in
one Godhead according to Christian dogma.
the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old
Testament and the New Testament.
the book of sacred writings accepted by Christians as
coming from God.
Testament - the first part of the Christian Bible containing the
books of the Jewish canon of Scripture.
the second part of the Christian Bible comprising the
canonical Gospels and Epistles and the book of Acts and
book of Revelation.
a brief authoritative formula of religious belief.
an idea or set of beliefs that guides the actions of a person
or group.
the teachings of the Christian religion.
the rising of Christ from the dead.
the rising again to life of all the human dead before the final
judgment.
a religious group that is a smaller part of a larger group and
whose members all share similar beliefs.
of, relating to, or being a Christian church having a hierarchy
of priests and bishops under the pope, a liturgy centered in
the Mass, veneration of the Virgin Mary and saints, clerical
celibacy, and a body of dogma including transubstantiation
and papal infallibility.
of the Eastern Catholic churches that accord primacy to the
patriarch of Constantinople and adhere to the Byzantine rite.
a member of one of the Christian churches deriving from the
Reformation.
ecumenical principles and practices especially as shown
among religious groups (such as Christian denominations).
the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and
salvation.
the books of the Bible.
a body of writings considered sacred or authoritative.
the coming of Christ at the Incarnation.
the belief that there is only one God.
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lV. PRE-TEST
WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW!
Let us determine how much you know about Christianity.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
Please write inside the circle the words or concepts you can associate with
Christianity. Please do it in your journals.
CHRISTIANITY
Congratulations! How did you find the activity? I’m sure that you have stock
knowledge about religions particularly along Christianity.
To further enrich your knowledge, let’s have more activities.
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V.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
One of the world’s biggest religions with about 2.1 billion followers worldwide,
Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in Israel some 2,000
years ago.
Do you want to know more about Christianity? Well let’s find out.
TASK 1
Please read the poem from the letter of Paul to the Philippians that gives an
idea about Christianity. After reading the poem, answer the questions following it.
Write your answers in your journal.
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
Did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
He humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death –
even death on a cross.
Therefore, God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name,
that is above every name
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the Glory of God, the Father.
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ANSWER ME
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1. What is the poem about?
2. What does it tell about Christianity?
I hope you enjoy the activity, but before we end the session for today, please
share your insights by completing this statement. Write your answers in your journal.
1. My significant learnings for today’s activity are _____________________.
2. These learnings will help me ____________________________________.
Vl. DEEPENING
Welcome back my dear students! We are now on the second day of our
module.
Can you recall the previous activity? Well, this day will be another exciting
journey toward understanding Christianity.
Today, you will learn about the origin, core teachings and basic practices or
beliefs and some issues on Christianity. Please read the passages and do the task.
What is Christianity?
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Its adherents, known as Christians, believe that
Jesus is the Christ, who’s coming as the messiah was prophesied in the Hebrew
Bible, called the Old Testament in Christianity, and chronicled in the New Testament.
It is a religion that was meant to be universal. Jesus Christ’s evangelical
command, “Go and teach all nations” to His disciples shows that He intended His
teachings not just for the Jews, but for all the world (Brown 1991,8-10). Christianity is
a religion that developed from Judaism; some of its first followers were originally
Jews. What distinguishes Christians from Jews is that the former accepts Jesus
Christ as the Messiah, or the Savior, while the latter considers Jesus as just another
prophet of God, and the real Messiah is yet to come.
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The essential Christian beliefs are recorded in creeds, and there are different
versions of such creeds. The common element, however, is the acknowledgement of
the Holy Trinity – belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It was the Father who created the world, and Jesus often speaks about Him in the
Gospels. Jesus is the only Son of God, sent to save the world from sin. The Holy
Spirit appeared in the Baptism of Jesus and was also sent down to the disciples to
guide them in spreading Christianity. The Spirit is believed to guide all believers.
While the God of Christianity is agreed to as having one entity, there are greater
majority of Christians who believe that this God is a Trinitarian one: Father, Son and
Spirit (Molloy 2005, 361,363).
The whole of Christian conviction could be summarized in Jesus’ two great
commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and
with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Matthew 22: 3740). The life of the Christian is centered on these two things: praise and thanksgiving
for God, and acts of love to humankind (Brown 1991,15).
Christians also believe in the life after death. After death, the soul of a person
will be judged according to his/her deeds in his/her life in the world and will either go
to Heaven, to dwell with God, or to Hell and be separated permanently from Him.
There is also a belief in Purgatory, where there is temporary punishment for those
who do not yet deserve to go to either Heaven or Hell. But there are also some
Christian groups who believe in the establishment of the Kingdom of God with the
creation of the new heaven and the new earth where they would dwell. At the end of
time, there is agreement that all souls will be reunited with their bodies, just as Jesus
resurrected from the dead, and there will be final judgement (Molloy 2005, 364).
Apart from centering their lives on Jesus, Christians, especially Catholics are
also devoted to Mary, the Mother of God. Catholics, Orthodox and some Protestants
feel close to Mary, and consider her their mother. Mary has also been viewed as the
helper of those who suffer. Even Martin Luther retained veneration for Mary in the
salvation story of his reformed Protestantism (O’ Collins and Farrugia 2003, 370371).
Who founded Christianity?
Christianity originated with the ministry of Jesus in the 1st century Roman
province of Judea. According to the Gospels, Jesus was a Jewish teacher and
healer who proclaimed the imminent kingdom of God and was crucified c. AD 30–33.
While the main tenets of Christianity originated with Jesus Christ, it was His
12 disciples, and eventually apostles who institutionalized and established the
bureaucratic structures of the religion. We see in the Book of Acts, the book after the
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Gospels, the accounts of His disciples after His ascension to heaven. Fifty days after
His resurrection, the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of God, came down upon the
followers of Jesus, in the form of fire and wind, to inspire them to spread their
leader’s teachings (Molloy 2005, 350-351). This is celebrated as the feast of the
Pentecost, and it is considered to be the birth of the Christian Church (Brown
1991,34).
The early Christian Church in Jerusalem was composed of many Jews. Both
Judaism and Christianity were strong religions for about 40 years after Jesus’ death,
but with the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., they
disappeared. The non-Jewish early Christians were spread through the Roman
Empire through the missionary, Paul (Molloy 2005, 352).
Jesus of Nazareth
Much of what we know about Jesus Christ could be found in the Gospels.
Even though he knew the Hebrew Scripture well, he was not a scholar, nor a writer
(Molloy 2005, 349).
According to the accounts in the Gospels, he was born of a virgin named
Mary, who was supposed to wed Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter. Joseph was a
descendant of King David, and due to the Roman emperor’s decree of census, he
and Mary had to go to Bethlehem, David’s homeland. In that land, Jesus was born in
a manger, because there was no lodging available to them. Jesus’ birth is celebrated
annually on December 25 as Christmas.
We know little of His childhood, except perhaps when He was found by His
parents speaking with the teachers in the Temple of Jerusalem. He was 12 years old
then. The next account of Jesus in the Gospel was during His baptism and His
temptation in the desert for 40 days, which happened when he was “about 30”. From
there, He began His public ministry, teaching the people of Israel.
Since He was raised as a Jew, Jesus obeyed the Laws and learned the
Hebrew scriptures. Nonetheless, He still thought independently, questioning the
people on strict adherence to the teaching at the cost of injustice and lack of love.
Perhaps His greatest emphasis was on universal, unconditional love. He taught that
we must forgive people endlessly (Matthew 18:22). He even asked for forgiveness
for those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). He asks us to love everyone, even our
enemies (Luke 6:27) (Molloy 2005 348).
Jesus was condemned to death due to His unorthodox teachings, through the
initiative of the chief priests and Pharisees He was criticizing. His passion and death
is commemorated during the Holy Week, which culminates at Easter, where he
supposedly rose from the dead.
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Basic Teachings
Jesus used parables – short stories with hidden messages – in his teachings.
Some of the main themes that Jesus taught, which Christians later embraced,
include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Love God.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Forgive others who have wronged you.
Love your enemies.
Ask God for forgiveness of your sins.
Jesus is the Messiah and was given the authority to forgive others.
Repentance of sins is essential.
Don’t be hypocritical.
Don’t judge others.
The Kingdom of God is near. It’s not the rich and powerful – but the weak and
poor–who will inherit this kingdom.
In one of Jesus’s most famous speeches, which became known as the
Sermon on the Mount, he summarized many of his moral instructions for his
followers.
How did Christianity begin?
Christianity began in the 1st century AD after Jesus died, as a small group of
Jewish people in Judea, but quickly spread throughout the Roman empire. Despite
early persecution of Christians, it later became the state religion. In the Middle Ages
it spread into Northern Europe and Russia.
Timeline of Significant Events in the History of Christianity
Time
c. 4 B.C.E.-c. 29 C.E.
c. 4-64 C.E.
313 C.E.
354-430 C.E.
476 C.E.
c. 480- c. 547 C.E.
638 C.E.
Event
Life of Jesus
Life of Paul
Issuance of the Edict of Toleration by Constantine
making Christianity legal
Life of Augustin
Collapse of the Roman Empire of the West
Life of Benedict
Muslim Conquest of Jerusalem
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1054 C.E.
1099
1347-1351
1453
1483-1546
1492
1509-1564
1517
1534
1565
1805-1844
19XX
1948
1962-1965
Split between Eastern and Western Christianity
Conquest of Jerusalem during the First Crusade
Black Death
Conquest of Constantinople by Muslim forces
Life of Martin Luther
Expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Spain
Life of John Calvin
Beginning of the Protestant Reformation
Founding of the Church of England by King Henry VIII
Christianity enters the Philippines
Life of Joseph Smith
Founding of Iglesia ni Cristo
Founding of the World Council of Churches
Modernization of Catholicism by the Second Vatican
Council
Practices
Although there have been different forms of Christianity, much of their rituals
are shared. The most important among them are believed to be signs of God’s
grace, called sacraments.
People who want to be converted to Christianity will have to undergo baptism.
The person is cleansed with water, to signify repentance and cleansing. Catholics
and Orthodox baptize babies, while some Protestants baptize only those who are
willing (Molloy 2005, 403-4).
During the Last Supper, Jesus broke the bread and shared the wine to
represent His Body and Blood, and the Apostles were sharing His sufferings. This is
commemorated through the sacrament of the Eucharist, where Christians gather in
the church, and share the Body and Blood of Christ. Some churches use literal bread
and wine, while others interpret it symbolically (Molloy 2005 404-405).
These two are the most important sacraments in Christian practice. Others
include confirmation which is a blessing of initiation after baptism; reconciliation,
where someone confesses his/her sins and gets absolution; matrimony, where two
people commit themselves with each other for life with God as the center; ordination,
where someone commits himself to priesthood; and anointing of the sick, which is
usually taken by a sick person (Molloy 2005, 405-406).
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Complete the table by providing the needed information based on the
passages that you have read. Copy and answer this in your journal.
Religion
Founder
Origin
Core
Teachings
Beliefs or
Practices
Christianity
1. What significant concept have you learned from today’s activity?
2. What meaning does it give you as a person?
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU MADE IT.
TASK 2
Religion vary in several ways: in doctrines or creeds or in practice.
Christianity is divided into three major divisions which are Roman Catholic,
Eastern Orthodox and Protestantism.
The reading that follows deals with varieties of Christianity and some issues
on this religion. Be able to analyze and tell your opinions regarding the issues along
Christianity. Write your answer on your journal.
Varieties or types of Christianity
For about 300 years since the death of Peter and Paul, the Romans
persecuted Christians. “Christianity was declared illegal, and many Christians died
for their faith.” But when Constantine became the first Christian emperor of the
Empire (East and West), Christianity was more and more accepted, until it became
the religion of the Roman Empire at 380 CE (Brown 1991,36). Constantine ruled as
an emperor of both Western and Eastern until his death in 337 CE. He transferred
the capital from Rome to Byzantine, which he renamed Constantinople (Higgins
2007,76).
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Eastern Orthodox
With the capital in Constantinople, the Eastern Roman Empire flourished, but
at the cost of the political and military power of the Western Empire (Higgins
2007,76). When the Latin-speaking Western Roman Empire fell in the 5th century
BCE, Western Christianity developed independently. The Greek-speaking Eastern
empire developed its own form of Christianity until 1453. This Eastern Church is
called Orthodox Church because they settled on traditional beliefs throughout its
reign (Molloy 2005, 374).
Protestant Reformation
With the successful spread and development of the Western Roman Church,
they earned financial and political support from the people. At one point, during the
construction of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the papacy was asking for
contributions, in return for “indulgence,” which shortens the time that a soul would
spend in purgatory. Martin Luther, a German priest, “opposed the idea that anything
spiritual can be sold” (Molloy 2005, 386-388). As such, he posted on the door of the
Castle church of Wittenberg his proposed changed and reforms, in the form of 95
theses. Luther was asked to retract his statements, but he refused to do so. He
“affirmed the supreme authority of the scripture and rejected both the papal authority
and the binding force of decisions rendered by ecumenical councils” (Higgins 2007,
88).
Luther pushed for “the right of every individual to radically question and
reinterpret Christian belief and practice, “which was called the Protestant Principle
(Molloy 2005, 388). There are many kinds of Protestants and here are some of them.
Martin Luther translated the Christian Bible into German, to allow the liturgical
practices to be more open to the people who do not understand Latin. “Over the
years, Lutheranism has retained Luther’s original enthusiasm for the Bible, a trust in
God, and excellent church music” (Molloy 2005, 389)
The Protestants seek to find what is essential to the Christian experience. It
places great emphasis on the individual’s own ability to establish a personal
relationship with God summarized terms of return to simple Christianity, the centrality
of Jesus, the guidance of the Bible, the importance of faith, direct relationship with
God, and the value of individual judgement.
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Roman Catholics
As a response to several Protestants, the Roman Catholic Church started
what we call the Catholic Reformation or Counter Reformation, which began with the
Council of Trent in 1545. They had to reform some of their own rigid doctrines to
respond to the reforms of the Protestants. They affirmed Luther’s conviction that the
scripture has binding authority, but the interpretations is entrusted to the Church
officials, and not to individuals. Salvation is decided to require faith, hope, and love,
as well as good deeds (Higgins 2007, 93). As a result of the Protestant Reformation,
Catholicism defends the following beliefs and practices: the importance of good
works, the value of tradition, a guided interpretation of the Bible, hierarchical
authority, veneration of Mary and the saints, and the seven Sacrament.
ANSWER ME
1. How do the three types of Christianity vary?
2. How do these types or varieties find similarities under the major religion of
Christianity?
1. What is the important concept that you value from the discussion?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
2. What have you discovered about yourself in relation to the beliefs in
Christianity?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.
Vll. APPLICATION
Interview a couple in your neighbor about their religion. Ask why they prefer to
belong to such religion and what beliefs and practices they value.
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Vlll. POST-TEST
After studying the module, I hope that you have learned and enriched your
knowledge and understanding about Christianity.
Please take this self-assessment test.
Examine the brief history, core teachings, fundamental beliefs, practices, and
related issues of Christianity through the statements below. Determine if they are
True or False. Write T or F on the blank.
__________ 1. Christianity is a religion which originated with the ministry of Jesus
and was spread through his disciples and apostles after His death.
__________ 2. One of the practices to be taken into consideration to become a
Christian is to undergo baptism which is one of the important
sacraments in Christianity.
__________ 3. Christianity is a pluralistic form of religion because of its belief in the
Trinity.
__________ 4. The basic teachings of Jesus as the founder of Christianity can be
summarized into two things: Praise and thanksgiving to God and Acts
of love to humankind.
__________ 5. Having three major varieties or types of Christianity is one of the
issues that this religion encounters.
__________ 6. Christianity is a religion that is meant to be universal because Jesus
intended His teachings not just for the Jews but for all the world as His
command to the disciples “Go and teach all nations”.
__________ 7. The Eastern Orthodox is a variety of Christianity which settled on
traditional beliefs.
__________ 8. The sacrament of the Eucharist is only practiced among the Roman
Catholics.
__________ 9. The practices and beliefs among the types or varieties in Christianity
varies but they are one in centering their lives to Jesus and His
teachings to love God and his mankind.
__________ 10. Christianity enters the Philippines in 1965 as reflected in the
timeline of significant events in the history of Christianity.
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lX. ASSIGNMENT
Make a comparative study of the different views of Christianity by following
this format. You can gather data through the internet, reading materials or resource
persons that you can interview if available or ask help from your parents or
somebody who is knowledgeable of the topic in your community.
Varieties of Christianity
Founder
Beliefs/Teachings
Write a short essay about your religion and tell the beliefs and practices that
you value in life as core teachings of your religion.
Rubrics for the essay.
Points
Criteria
20 points
Well-organized, ideas presented clearly.
10 points
Organized, ideas presented.
5 points
Not well-organized, limited ideas.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have finished exploring the world of Christianity. I hope that you will do the same
in the succeeding topics on religion.
Good luck!
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lX. ANSWER KEY
PRE-TEST
Answers may vary.
POST-TEST
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
T
T
F
T
T
T
T
F
T
F
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References:
•
Webster’s New Dictionary for School, Home and Office Philippine Edition.
Merriam and Webster Bookstore, Inc. Manila Philippines
•
Cornelio, Jayeel S. et al. Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems.
Rex Bookstore, 2016.
•
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/hHistoryofChristianity
•
https://www.history.com/toppics/religion/history-of-christianity#secton3
•
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-Orthodoxy
•
https://www.jnka-architects.com/worship/protestant-churches/
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For inquiries or comments, please contact:
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