Christianity Terms and Beliefs
Some important terms in Christianity apostle - Jesus chose 12 men to go out and teach the gospel to the world. Ascension - the rising of Jesus' body up to heaven after his time here on earth (celebrated 41 days after Easter). Resurrection - Rising of Jesus from the dead 3 days after his death. baptism - Sacrament (action) of sprinkling water symbolizing washing away sins and entering the Church community. confession - Sacrament (action) where a believer confesses their sins and is forgiven by God. Crucifixion - Roman execution method of hanging (with rope and nails) a person to a large cross - Jesus was killed this way. disciple - follow of Jesus during his ministry (it includes the 12 apostles) Easter - the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven gospel - "Good News", the teachings in the bible of the life of Jesus. Eucharist (Communion) - Sacrament (action) of spiritual communion with God - often in the form of unleavened bread and wine. Holy Spirit - one of the three persons in God, believed to bestow spiritual gifts upon people. Judgement Day (Last Judgement) - Day of God's final final judgement at the end of the world - the faithful will go to heaven. Messiah - The Saviour, the person sent from God to save all people - Christians believe this to be Jesus. Original Sin - believe of our tendency to sin (Baptism will wash this away). Purgatory - temporary stage in which souls of the dead are purified from sin. Papal infallibility - The belief that the Pope (the head of the Catholic Church) cannot be wrong in matters of faith and morals in his role as head of the church. BASIC BELIEFS Creation - God created everything in the universe (no particular date, he just did it). God - derived from Judaism, one god made up of three entities - the Father, The Son, Holy Spirit. Salvation and Eternal Life - believers will be forgiven for their sins and will enter heaven for eternity. Morality is derived from the 10 Commandments. Gender Roles - men are priests (Catholicism), women are nuns. But in most Christian denominations ministers can be either gender.
