Abstract
Although the Christian religion is often viewed as a rather complex set of concepts and rules, it, in fact, conveys rather simple ideas, which are related closely to the human nature. While the latter is linked to the concept of sin directly, the origin thereof allows assuming that there are sufficient chances for every single member of the Christian faith to face salvation and a spiritual resurrection.
The principles of Christian faith manifest themselves in not only the aspects of one’s life related to religious traditions but also regular life. Particularly, the process of communicating with other members of the society involves the use of the basic ideas making the foundation of Christianity, such as fairness, justice, etc.
Certain concepts, however, may be viewed as confusing for those, who are not familiar with Christianity. For instance, the idea of forgiveness and being non-judgmental can be interpreted as turning a blind eye to something that is intrinsically wrong. Instead, Bible teaches tolerance and justice, therefore, pointing to the necessity to protect the weak and making the world a better place.
God
Although God is the focus of Christianity, the answer to the question of who he is may be quite tricky to obtain. According to The beginning of wisdom: An introduction to Christian thought and life (n. d.), God should be viewed as the Creator. However, a less narrow way of looking at this element of the Christian faith is to view God as the source and nature of the Universe and the humanity (Hiles & Smith, n. d.).
Humanity
The humanity, in its turn, is often viewed as the representation of the fall of the humankind (Adams, 2011). Although sin is traditionally viewed as an integral part of the human nature, people are given credit for their ability to change; herein the purpose of the humanity lies. Particularly, people are supposed to see the light and repent, thus, changing their values, behavior, and attitudes. However, seeing that the sinful nature is typically viewed as the root cause of human problems, it can be assumed that the process of salvation may be long and complicated. Although it was only a single man, who planted the seed of sin in the human nature, the crime of Cain still defines the evolution of the human race as far as its spiritual progress is concerned: “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?” (James 4:1).
Jesus
The fact that God in Christianity is represented by the Holy Trinity may be viewed as somewhat confusing for the people belonging to other religious denominations, as well as people, who are not acquainted with the concept of Christianity in general. For instance, it is stated that Jesus is the Son of God, yet it is also assumed that Jesus and God are two representations of the same entity: “To worship God means to worship Jesus, the divine human being whose life was utterly devoted to God and humanity, the human being who, as God, fulfilled the human vocation to be in God’s image” (Merrick, n. d., par. 2). Therefore, while the two images are admittedly interchangeable, it can be assumed that Jesus is the physical representation of the Christian God, as well as the representation of God’s love for people (Merrick, n. d.). Herein the reasons for identifying Jesus as the Christian prophet lie.
Restoration
Restoration, in its turn, is viewed as the process of reconciling with one’s Christian beliefs and returning back to the fold of God Almighty. In other words, the process of restoration includes the reconsideration of one’s values, the acknowledgment of oneself as a believer and a Christian, and the further devotion to the Christian faith and its principles. The process of restoration has a lot to do with salvation: “This is where Christ is working to restore all things and bring a fallen world back into right relationship with him” (Diffey, n. d., par. 3). Particularly, restoration invites a possibility for an individual to see the light and experience a spiritual resurrection. On a number of levels, restoration is the final part of the Biblical storyline: “The story of the Bible unfolds in four acts: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration” (Diffey, n. d., par. 11).
Therefore, it is the reconnection with one’s source of spirituality and recognizing God as one’s guide that can be viewed as the solution to human problems. Grace and faith play a significant role in the process of restoration. Religious faith creates premises for the restoration to occur while the grace of God makes the specified process possible. The fable of Noah and his ark is a graphic example of one opening to the faith and receiving God’s grace to experience salvation: “God showed grace and favor towards Noah and his family” (Diffey, n. d. a, par. 27). The transformation is, therefore, viewed from the Christian perspective as the transition from following one’s sinful nature to giving oneself to God’s judgment.
Analysis: The Christian Worldview
Strengths of the Christian Belief
The Christian belief provides a very solid foundation for the further growth of the humankind, allowing people to see the light eventually. The Christian faith promotes a set of values and virtues essential for becoming a decent person; thus, it offers the means of reaching the religious enlightenment.
Apart from offering an admittedly challenging yet rewarding way of reaching spiritual enlightenment, the Christian belief also presupposes that believers should be lead by a strong and determined person. Defined as the Messiah, this character is typically exemplified by the Biblical characters such as Moses or David (Barkman, 2015).
Last but definitely not least, the concept of justice, which is the focus of the Christian faith, clearly is the essential strength thereof. The Christian justice presupposes that fairness should serve as the basis for passing any judgment. In other words, the Christian values and virtues make the basis for any judgment.
What May Seem Confusing
Despite its obvious strength, the Christian belief may be viewed as a very complicated theory due to a conundrum of allegories and ambiguity of some of its messages. Particularly, the very idea of Christianity may be misinterpreted. To be more exact, when it comes to analyzing the arguments of opponents, one will notice that most of them tend to point to the impossibility of proving God’s existence. Hence, it can be assumed that people may be confused assuming that Christians are trying to prove God’s existence. Instead, one should realize that Christians do not need to prove the validity of their belief or the fact that God exists – instead of proving it, they believe it. Being a believer means that one does not need any proofs to accept God in their heart: “Evidences for faith are many and varied, but are not to be confused with proof of God’s existence or the veracity of the Bible; ultimately, trust is needed” (Lamca, n. d., par. 83).
Influence of Christian Beliefs on Thinking
The effects of Christian belief on thinking are obvious; it gives its followers strength and courage, making them confident in their faith and helping them create a strong moral and ethical basis for making decisions. In fact, the connection between creation and the development of the Christian worldview allows assuming that caring for the spiritual well-being of people makes the foundation of the Christian worldview: “To have a proper understanding of the Christian worldview, it is essential to have a proper understanding of how this first act unfolds” (The beginning of wisdom: An introduction to Christian thought and life, n. d., Chapter 3).
Likewise, Christian morality and values affect one’s behavior to a considerable extent. Particularly, one is supposed to avoid lust, greed, and other feelings that are criticized in Bible. The above-mentioned characteristics of a believer, however, create considerable tension between the foundation of Christianity and the current believers. The introduction of media in people’s lives has opened a plethora of ways for the temptation to tickle in people’s lives; as a result, Christian believers are extremely vulnerable to the aforementioned experiences. However, it could be argued that it is not the avoidance of the emotions in question, but the ability to handle them in an appropriate manner without letting them consume one is what makes one a true Christian believer. Therefore, Christian beliefs also affect the manner, in which people learn valuable lessons regarding morality, and the way that they handle ethical and moral dilemmas.
Reflection: From the Perspective of a Christian
Being a Christian, I do whatever I can to comply with the principles set I the Bible and uphold to the high moral and ethical standards that a true Christian is supposed to. Particularly, I do my best to be fair in my communication with others and abstain from judging others. The latter endeavor, in fact, requires a considerable effort due to the specifics of the contemporary communication process. To be more exact, the contemporary information technology, as well as the development of social networks, has created premises for the communication, where the boundaries of ethics and morals can be overcome easier than they are in traditional conversations. Therefore, losing one’s touch with the basic ethical values is easier in the specified environment. My Christian beliefs, in their turn, do not let me overstep the boundaries set by the ethical standards and moral principles. Consequently, even in the environment that does not presuppose any responsibility for being unfair, I manage to retain my Christian values and fair to others, refraining from judging them harshly.
Conclusion: Christianity in a Nutshell
Being a Christian means being able to live up to the standards set by the Christian ethics and uphold to the corresponding values. While it is important to rely on religious traditions, one must also understand what the origin of the religion is and, therefore, what their actions and judgments should be based on. Despite the alleged complexity of the Christian postulates, understanding and accepting the values and morals of the religion in question is rather easy, as they are derived from the part of the human nature that is linked directly to the Creation.
Reference List
Adams, M. M. (2011). Julian of Norwich: Problems of evil and the seriousness of sin. Philosophia, 39(3), 433–447.
Barkman, A. (2015). Reply to Donald Williams. Value Inquiry Book Series, 286(2), 205-210.
Diffey, D. (n. d.). Chapter 3: Wisdom in the beginning.
Diffey, D. (n. d. a). Chapter 4: Departure from wisdom.
Hiles, J., & Smith, A. F. (n. d.). Chapter 2: Evaluating wisely.
Lamca, C. (n. d.). Chapter 8: Intellectual obstacles to wisdom.
Merrick, J. (n. d.). Chapter 6: The wisdom and power of God.