Christianity

Christianity







The Christian religion, like all other religions has its strengths and



weaknesses in our modern society. Perhaps the strengths out weight the



weaknesses as this is one of the largest religions in the world. Hundreds



of people follow the Catholic/Christian religion yet still a greater number



follow yet other religions. Perhaps this is because they see the



weaknesses or perhaps it is simply because their parents have taught them



that it is a sin to follow this religion.







The Christian religions do however present much more of an appealing



atmosphere than such other religions which are as large as the Christian.



The Christian religion is one of few religions where punishments for sins



are not severe. In the Christian religion, even if you have lived a life



of sin, so long as you repent in the end, you will be saved and given



eternal life. This is not so in other religions. Such religions as



Hinduism for instance do not believe this. For everything you do wrong you



will be punished. For every action, there is an equal and opposite



reaction, if not in this life, then the next. Hindu's also believe that



punishing the body is part of the path to salvation. Christianity is



nothing like this. Many Christians live in high(c)class society.



Christianity is one of the most appealing in that any sins may easily be



corrected and that Christians may live comfortable, if not wealthy lives



without guilt.







Christianity, like other religions though, has many weaknesses.



Although as time goes on, Christianity is slowly evolving and trying to



become even more appealing to society, there are still many downfalls. One



thing with Christianity is that from day one we are given a guilt trip. We



are born evil. We are born with "the original sin". We are at the mercy



of God. If we beg forgiveness however, it shall be granted. My



grandmother for instance has been a firm believer in the Roman Catholic



faith. She, being taught in the old style, firmly believes in going to



confession weekly and begging for forgiveness. It has been taught to her



that man is born evil. All we can do is pray, beg and hope for



forgiveness. With such a guilt upon his sub(c)conscience, man can never be



truly happy.







Yet another strength with the Christian faith is that it is one of the



more flexible religions. Under the leadership of the pope(s), the Catholic



faith has evolved with modern society and become a more "reasonable" faith.



Such practices as not eating meat on Fridays, and so forth, have been



abolished as the Christian faith has bent to conform with modern society.



Some people may see this as a weakness. This is not so. The Christian



religion has modified its rituals yet the central beliefs have not been



altered since the very beginning of this religion. This is actually quite



a good thing. A religion should change as the modern society does and



conform to a more "acceptable" approach to continue its



teachings/practices. This is one great thing about the Christian faith.







A small, often overlooked draw back to the Christian faith is that



there is not any solid proof that Jesus existed. To the Christian faith,



Jesus is the central figure. A Christian will tell you that the Bible is



proof that Jesus existed. The Bible however was written much later, after



Jesus' death. Therefore the stories contained have been transferred by



word of mouth, which has certainly been distorted and exaggerated. The



Shroud of Turin used to be the Christian religion's artifact which was



believed to be the original shroud that Jesus was wrapped in when he was



buried and therefore solid proof he existed. Recently due to modern carbon



dating, this "artifact" has been proven to have been created with paint



approximately one thousand years after the day Christ died. To a



non(c)believer, this is a major drawback.







One very strong point about the Catholic/Christian religion is that



they strongly believe in correcting our corrupted world. Many missionaries



are sent yearly to third world countries where they help educate, feed and



provide moral support for a people who have nothing. With such a practice



in place, the Christian religion has put a smile on faces which normally



would never know anything more than tears. Probably one of the greatest



features of the Christian church which helps it survive in modern society



is the hierarchy system upon which this religion is based. Such strong



organization structure help this religion in well organized money



distribution, etc. In a modern society, such structure is necessary.







As one of the largest religions, the Catholic/Christian religion is one



of the great religions which stills lives strongly among us in our



increasingly modern society. Despite its many weaknesses, the Christian



faith has even more strengths upon which its survival is based. Times may



change, technology may advance, but essential beliefs never alter.