5) Religious Experiences

What is the group or individual experience in Christianity?

 The individual experience in Christianity includes many private prayers and the tradition of confession in the Catholic sect. This differs based on the belief of a mediary or priest to help connect you to God, or a direct connection proposed by Martin Luther. Confession in the Catholic denomination consists of a person confessing their sins to a priest in utmost privacy. However, many rituals are preformed with a group of people and bring practitioners together. This includes the traditional wedding in a church with distinct language that incorporates God and community into the celebration. Music and dance are used in weddings and celebrations of all Christian holidays including Christmas and Easter to create a common experience with which all Christians celebrate. These holidays and personal experiences are based on doctrines within the Christian religion.

What is the role of meditation / worship / prayer?

 Worship is included in the group celebration on each Sunday that brings the community together while praising God. This is a fundamental part of the religion and solidifying their belief. Music and singing is used to create a beautiful sound that embraces God and the beauty in the world. Language is used to communicate the messages and allow for personal interpretation based on personal experience. Prayer is done in this environment of community as well as in the privacy of ones home. This results in the development of a culture that impacts Christianity greatly in different areas of the world. The specific prayers and social events will also affect individuals.

4) Doctrines and Beliefs

Key Doctrine- The key belief in the Christian faith is that Jesus was crucified for the sins of others and he was God's son. He was resurrected 3 days after being buried. This is the foundation of belief for Christians and from it grows the problem of sin and solution of repentance. This also solidifies Jesus' role as Messiah and a holy figure that was the son of God.  The entire faith stems from this miracle and the fact that Jesus died for our sins.

Eschatology- This is the part of Christian theory that describes the end of history or the apocalypse. This results in how Christians strive for salvation and to be forgiven for their sins. This will grant them eternal life and life in heaven instead of hell. The apocalypse is viewed as the end of God and the violent destruction of the world in Christianity.

Schools of thought- There are many schools of thought in Christianity under different umbrellas of thought and branches. These all differ in slight ways through interpretation or belief. These specific divides have created many denominations under which Christianity is practiced at slight or major differences and separated the religion. In my opinion, the divides in the religion separate practitioners and result in the confusion of authority to divine figures, for example the Pope. Culture has greatly influenced practitioners and each denomination; specifically Catholicism and the strong connection to Roman tradition and worship.

 In conclusion, each doctrine results in the direct or indirect practice of ritual and celebration. Each doctrine may be analyzed differently and several denominations are the result. The culture of Christianity remains strong and the link between organization and authority will differ to each sect.

3) Sacred Texts

  The Bible is not only the best sold book in the world, but it is also the most important text in the Christian faith. It is split into the New Testament and the Old Testament. The primary difference between the two parts are the fact that one anticipates Jesus' arrival and the other describes Jesus' life. This is when the authority of the Old Testament is called into question. Jesus was the figure that brought Christianity to existence and gave the Bible authority. The Old Testament however is unable to be determined as fact or fiction due to its resonance in faith and lack of historical reference. This is also found in the comparison between historians reports like Tacitus, and Josephus. These people offer different perspectives in a primary point of view that carry and give authority to the faith based gospels. 

  Reading the bible contextually, in the historical, cultural, and personal context of the time, or literally, each word is taken on face level to be exact, will dramatically change the interpretation of the text. Also, the Bible is considered to be God's word. This means that we are not able to fully understand his pristine meaning. These differences in analysis have lead to many variations in practice. Catholics and Protestants for example differ in their believes in the authority of the Bible alone. Protestants believe that the Bible is God's word and is the only text on which Christian behavior should be measured. Catholics believe that tradition and worship are equally important on Christian Values. This is shown in Timothy 3:16, "...all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

  The Gospels focus on the life of Jesus Christ and his life, death, and resurrection. They explore Jesus from a first hand perspective and his status as Messiah. This results in a direct link between Christianity and Jesus. The Bible is also read as the word God which directly links God with the religious beliefs. 

  Interpretation of the Bible has changed over time and has resulted in many different denominations and sects within the Christian religion. This is apparent in the comparison above between the Catholic and Protestant denominations. These branch further into different sects, all with their own disagreements and contrasts about analyzing the Bible. For example, Baptists and Lutherans differ in their believes of how someone is saved- by a public profession, or to an unknowing baby. 

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/difference-Catholic-Protestant.html#ixzz3YiD9XWW0

Hinduism Review

1) Key Concepts and 2) Rituals

Part I

Vocabulary

1. The Holy Trinity- The Christian concept that defines God in three elements: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The separates the definition of what and who. Although God is separated into three persons he is still one almighty and the persons are separate from each other. 
2. Resurrection- A living being coming back to life after death. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the central focus of Christianity, and is used to develop the idea of life after death.
3. Church- Christianity is practiced in a church. They are houses of God that sometimes symbolize His Body. The united prayers “make… in their very sound the sign of the Cross.”
4. Sin- The act of violating God’s will. These vary from minor to deadly and are shown through violating the 10 commandments. Sin is inevitable and separates humans from God, but they must be repented.
5. Repentance- Reviewing ones actions and feeling regret for past wrongs. In Christianity one must have a change of heart after Repenting and it is motivated by a love of God and a sincere desire to obey his commandments. 
6. Reconciliation- This occurs after repenting and is the restoration of good relations. This is when one is able to be forgiven in God’s merciful love.
7. Grace- By definition in the bible, “the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.” Grace is described as a gift from God to man, that manifests in the salvation of sinners. 
8. Agape- Selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. There are four types of love in the bible and this is the highest. This is the love that Jesus had for his father and his followers, and is why he sacrificed himself. 
9. Atonement- Humans can be reconciled to God. This is the pardoning of original sin and sin in general by the sacrifice and death of Jesus. There are many different theories regarding atonement. 
10. Kingdom of God- This is heaven. If a person lives a righteous life and repents their sins, as well as loves God and accepts his love- then they will be granted entrance into the Kingdom of God. 

Rituals

Festivals/ Holy Days- There are many holy days in Christianity that all come with various festivals and traditions in their celebration. This includes Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ascension day, and Holy week. All of these celebrations are in honor of events in the life of Jesus or remember saints and acts of God. These rituals bring the Christian community together and celebrate and strengthen their faith. These holidays help practitioners appreciate the struggles of Jesus, and the major elements of their religion. They are celebrated differently all over the world in terms of food and tradition, but the reason they are celebrated and the mood they bring are international. 

Gender and Ritual- Christianity may be considered a male affair in the aspects of God, The Son, and the popularity of male Priests. However, with these common references of He and Him people forget about the absence of gender in the spiritual sense. Therefore, God is only referred to as Father because this is what Jesus calls him. Marriage is a holy gift from God that is considered sacred in Christianity. This is why getting married in a church, in front of God, is very important. Women are expected to dress modestly in order to save herself for her husband and avoid the sin of lust. 

http://www.christianity.com/ 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/