Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics
and worship, which play a fundamental role in the Abrahamic religions. The Ten Commandments appear
twice in the Hebrew Bible, in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.

Advent

Advent is a season observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation
for both the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas and the return of Jesus at the Second
Coming. The term is a version of the Latin

Lent

Lent, in the Christian Church, a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Western churches it
begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter, and provides for 40-day a fast (Sundays
are excluded), in imitation of Jesus Christ's fasting in the wilderness before he

Easter

Easter is one of the most festive events among Christians worldwide. It commemorates Jesus Christ's
resurrection from death, as written in the Christian bible. Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus'
resurrection from

Pentecost

The day of Pentecost is noted in the Christian Church as the day on which the Spirit descended upon the
apostles, and on which, under Peter's preaching, SO many thousands were converted in Jerusalem (Arts
2).

Subdivisions

Prior to the reign of Emperor Constantine who declared himself a Christian in 312 A.D., Christians were
persecuted under Roman Emperors. Christianity was only legalized in 313 A.D. upon Constantine's
declaration of the Edict of Milan, which declared equality among all religions. Later on, Emperor
Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire and sought to end all doctrinal
arguments on Christianity.

Emperor Constantine the Great

Subdivisions

In 330 A.D., Constantine transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium
(Instanbul) and renamed it Constantinople. As time went by, conflicts arose between the Roman Empire
and the Byzantium Empire, resulting in the inevitable split between the Roman Catholic Church and the
Greek Orthodox Church. The official split happened in 1054 AD. with the "Great Schism" which divided
the Western Latin Roman Christianity from the Eastern Greek Byzantine Christianity.
MARTIN LUTHER

1483-1546

Ecumenism

Ecumenism refers to the effort of the Catholic Church to sponsor activities and initiatives to promote
mutual understanding and unity among all Christians.

The Ten Commandments

Love God

1. I am the LORD your God: You shall not have strange gods before me.

2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.

Love Others

4. Honor your father and your mother.

5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Sexuality

Sexuality refers to sexual orientation, sexual activity, and sexual feelings. Christianity advocates that the
goal of sexual union between men and women is procreation, thus anything that might hinder this is
considered immoral (condoms, birth control, pills, and IUD's, among others). Christianity advocates
natural family planning methods such as the rhythm method. Abortion is also immoral for life begins at
fertilization.
Homosexuality

Homosexuality refers to attraction to members of the same sex. The Catholic Church states that when
God created humans He created male and female only, and that their union is meant for procreation.
The Church does not allow same-sex marriage and is vocal in opposing homosexual relationships. The
Catholic Church says being homosexual, however, is not wrong or sinful in itself, what is sinful is the
homosexual acts (sexual activity). Homosexual persons must be accepted with respect, compassion, and
sensitivity.

Family and Divorce

The Christian view on marriage is based on Matthew 19:16, "For this reason a man will leave his father
and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two,
but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Thus, divorce is not
allowed in the Catholic Church, since it believes in the sanctity of marriage which is a lifetime bond
between a man and a woman.

Annulment

An annulment is a declaration by a Church tribunal (a Catholic church court) that a marriage thought to
be valid according to Church law actually fell short of at least one of the essential elements required for
a binding union.

For a Catholic marriage to be valid, it is required that: (1) the spouses are free to marry; (2) they are
capable of giving their consent to marry; (3) they freely exchange their consent; (4) in consenting to
marry, they have the intention to marry for life, to be faithful to one another and be open to children;
(5) they intend the good of each other; and (6) their consent is given in the presence of two witnesses
and before a properly authorized Church minister. Exceptions to the last requirement must be approved
by Church authority.

Capital Punishment

Capital punishment or death penalty wherein a person is punished by death for his capital crime goes
against the Christian belief that life is given by God and should not be taken away by any person.
Euthanasia

Euthanasia or mercy killing is also considered, immoral since it entails taking away what has been given
by God, and that human beings should not interfere with the natural process of death.

Seven Sacraments

There are seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, which according to Catholic theology were
instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church. Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious
channels of the grace of God to all those who receive them with the proper disposition.

Baptism

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which
gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God;
we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission.

Confirmation

Confirmation is meant to complete Baptism and bring the baptized the graces of the Holy Spirit that
were given to the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday. If baptism is the sacrament of re-birth to a new and
supernatural life, confirmation is the sacrament of maturity and coming of age.

Eucharist

Holy Eucharist entalls the reception Christ's body and blood which helps Christians grow in the likeness
of Jesus Christ.

Confession

Confession is meant to reconcile Christians with God by confessing their sins.

Matrimony

This sacrament is the union of man and woman for the purpose of procreation and mutual support.
Lesson Proper

Christianity is considered the world's largest religion, a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ
who is considered the Son of God and the Messiah or Savior. Followers of Christianity are called
Christians. As of 2010, there are more than 2 billion Christians all over the world, which make up more
than 30% of the worlds population of 6.9 billion.

The cross serves as a symbol of Jesus Christ's victory over sins when he died on the cross for humanity's
redemption and salvation. In Roman Catholic Churches, the crucifix is a regular feature with the image of
Christ nailed on the cross- emphasizing Christ's sufferings for humanity. Protestant churches often
feature only the cross without the image of the body of Christ to emphasize Christ's resurrection and not
His suffering.

Religious Leaders

The Catholic Church follows a certain hierarchy based on the Canon Law of the Catholic Church. At the
top of the hierarchy is the pope, considered as Peter's successors. The hierarchy also includes the
cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons. Each member of the hierarchy has his own
function for the efficiency of the Church.

Pope

The pope is the head of the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Rome. The pope is also the head of the
sovereign city-state, Vatican City. What this means on a daily basis is that the pope, in this case Pope
Francis 1, has duties both political and religious

Cardinals

Next to the Pope are the cardinals, who are also appointed by the Pope. The primary responsibility of a
cardinal is to elect a new pope when a pope dies or abdicates the papacy. Other cardinals have different
areas of responsibility, called congregations.

Bishops

Bishops alone have the right to confirm and ordain members of the clergy, and their main duty is to
supervise the clergy within their diocese.
Archbishop

A bishop who moves to the level of cardinal isn't ordained, but handpicked by the pope, who also
appoints bishops. A bishop oversees a diocese, which is a collection of local parishes; and an archbishop
administers an archdiocese, which is just a really large diocese.

Historical Background

Christianity, regarded as an offshoot of Judaism, developed in Palestine around 100 C.E. it was founded
by Jesus considered to be the Son of God and Messiah or Savior. Today Christianity is divided into three
major sects- Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodox Church, and Protestantism.

Priest

In the Catholic Church, a parish priest(also known as a pastor) is a priest appointed by the bishop to
represent him to the local parish, which is a collection of neighborhoods in one small region of a county
within a given state.

Deacon

Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ, who came "to
serve and not to be served." The entire Church is called by Christ to serve, and the deacon, in virtue of
his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church.

Deity/God

Christians believe in one God, therefore Christianity is a monotheistic religion. God is seen as the creator
and maintainer of the universe, and is believed to be omnipotent(all-powerful), omniscient (all-
knowing), omnipresent (all-present), and omnibenevolent (all- good). God is also sacred, moral,
unchangeable, compassionate, graceful, and timeless.

Holy Trinity

Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, which means God is composed of three persons: God the Father,
the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit In Matthew 28:19, it is stated that: "Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
In 2 Corinthians 13: 1: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you all."

Sacred Scriptures

The Bible is considered the sacred scripture of Christianity. It is a collection of songs, stories, poetry,
letters, history, as well as literature. It is composed of two books, the Old Testament and the New
Testament. The Old Testament is considered the original Hebrew Bible, written between 1200 and 165
B.C.E. The New Testament was written by Christians around 100 C.E

New Testament

The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven different books attributed to eight different authors, six
of whom are numbered among the Apostles (Matthew, John, Paul, James, Peter, Jude) and two among
their immediate disciples (Mark, Luke). The New Testament was not written all at once. The books that
compose it appeared one after another in the space of fifty years, i.e. in the second half of the first
century. Written in different and distant countries and addressed to particular Churches, they took some
time to spread throughout the whole of Christendom. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as
well as events in first-century Christianity.

Beliefs and Doctrines

Beliefs and doctrines serve as moral guidelines for the Christians. They should follow these teachings
strictly if they want to redeem God's promise of eternal life. Not following them would lessen their
chances of being called true Christians and reduces their chances of salvation in the afterlife.

Holy Orders

Considered as the continuation of Christ's priesthood which He passed on to His apostles.

Anointing of the sick

Is administered to those who are on the verge of death or are seriously ill, or about to undergo a serious
operation, for physical and moral strength
Eight Beatitudes

The Beatitudes comprise what is known as the "Sermon on the Mount" recorded in Matthew 5-7. The
Beatitudes refer to the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the "Sermon on the Mount."

THE BEATITUDES

1) Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for there is the kingdom of heaven

2) Blessed are those who moun, for they shall be comforted

3) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

4) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfy.

5) Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain mercy

6) Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

7) Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called sons of God.

8) Blessed are those who are persecuted, for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Apostles' Creed

The Apostles' Creed is Trinitarian in structure with sections affirming belief in God the Father, Jesus
Christ His Son and the Holy Spirit. The Apostles' Creed was based on Christian theological understanding
of the Canonical gospels, the letters of the New Testament and to a lesser extent the Old Testament.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Loul,

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit And born of the virgin Mary,

He suffered under Pontius Pilot,

Was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

And is seated at the right Land of the Father.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

The holy catholic Church,

The communion of saints,

The forgiveness of sins,

The resurection of the body, And the fe everlasting. Amen.

CREATION STORY (GENESIS 1)

Day 1-God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light "day" and darkness
"night"

Day 2-God created an expanse to separate the waters and called it "sky.

Day 3-God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry ground "land" and the
gathered waters "seas." On day three, God also created vegetation (plants and trees).

Day 4-God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and to govern and

separate the day and the night. These would also serve as signs to mark seasons, days, and years.

Day 5-God created every living creature of the seas and every winged bird, blessing them to multiply and
fill the waters sand the sky with life.

Day 6-God created the animals to fill the earth. On day six, God also created man and woman (Adam and
Eve) in his own image to commune with him. He blessed them and gave them every creature and the
whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate.

Day 7 - God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and
making it holy.

BIG BANG THEORY

The big bang is how astronomers explain the way the universe began. It is the idea that the universe
began as just a single point, then expanded and stretched to grow as large as it is right now (and it could
still be stretching).
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES

Christians have certain religious observances in which they commemorate particular events in the
history of Christianity. Some of the most important Christian observances are Advent, Lent, Easter and
Pentecost.