Christianity starts from Jesus life. Death and resurrection as they are
written in the New Testament – the other part of Christianity’s
holy Bible. The first part – the Old Testament deals with the world’s
beginning and the Jewish people’s history.
In Christianity they consider Jesus to be the promised Messiah/Christ.
God decided to come to the human being and God did it through Jesus birth.
After Jesus had been baptized he goes to the desert for meditation. He
is fasting for 40 days and is temped by Evil. But Jesus resists temptations
and starts his activity. He brings together his disciples as many as the
children of Israel.
Now comes a period when Jesus wanders around in the Gaul of the region
around the Gennesareth lake preaching and doing wonders. For example he
has five barleys bread and two fishes which was enough to several thousands
hungry people to give. He walks on the water he brings back one to life.
Jesus is the threat for the Roman government and the high priests. They
pay to one of his disciples – Judas – to show Jesus so they
can catch him. Jesus himself foresees this and keeps an evening before
his seize a last meal with his disciples. This meal takes place on Maundy
Thursday. On Friday (our Good Friday) gets Jesus crucified.
The centre of the Christian doctrine is that Jesus Christ gave his life
and was executed by crucifixion for people sins and he rise from the death
on third day. People have by this atonement get possibility to the conversion
and thus forgiving and purification from one’s sins. Through Jesus
resurrection have the hopes to the eternal life also become a centre doctrine
within Christianity.
One says also that the last day will Jesus return to condemn people either
to eternal life or to Hell (which is described as a burning lake where
you are weeping and gnashing of teeth).
Most important feasts of the Christianity are Christmas that is for Jesus
birth, Easter that is for Jesus death and resurrection. Whitsun is for
the first time the disciples received a part of the Holy Spirit which
lead to the birth of the Church.
Christianity is spread all over the world but the centre is on Western
world (Europe, North – South America) there are two Christian families
of church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches.
Catholic Church
The Catholic marriage enters for life and sees a reflection of God’s
relation to his church on earth. The Catholic is demanded a special dispensation
to get married with somebody of another religion.
Divorce actually does not exist in Catholic Church. It does not accept
divorce as a way to dissolve a marriage. On the other hand can Catholic
Church after the legal profession come to that a marriage was not legal
from the beginning and nullify it.
Sexuality have two sides, to express love and produce life, they cannot
be separated. The artificial contraceptive like condom is not accepted
and abortion is forbidden.
Protestantism
Within Protestantism is a marriage seen as a basic unity for the community
of a society and as a form of personal relations between a woman and a
man. Its aim is to protect and encourage the love of a woman and a man
and togetherness like to give life and bring up the children.
The couple gets married if one of the couple is a member of Swedish church.
There is no rule that says that you are not allowed to marry anybody.
To divorce is seen as exception from the way to live that is preferable.
But it may happen things in life that makes it worse to live together
than divorce.
Main direction says that sex is for a lifelong union but it is much important
when the partners have sex for first time. There are of course people
who do not like sex before marriage. It is an individual thing. When it
comes to homosexuality it is also individually how the matter is dealt
with.
Orthodox Church
Within Orthodox Church is a marriage that two bodies become one, a picture
of Christian union with their church. If you want marry somebody with
another religion you have to speak to your bishop about it and the matter
is dealt with each specific case.
Orthodox church does not see kindly to unfaithfulness but not judge them
who had been unfaithful. If a person confesses and feels sorry for done
so one will be forgiven.
Principally the marriage is insoluble, yet can orthodox church allow divorce.
There are many reasons to that it can be difficult to an individual to
practise the love and the unity that belongs to a true Christian marriage.
The church sees then forgiving to this and give blessing for the new marriage.
The contraceptives and abortion say the church no. Sex before the marriage
is forbidden.
