Paul Carden - World Religions Made Easy

Jesus Christ. Founded about ad 3033, in Judea (present-day Israel), under the Roman Empire. Followers of Jesus Christ became known as Christians.

The one God is Triune (one God in three persons, not three gods): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is a spiritual being without a physical body. He is personal and involved with people. He created the universe out of nothing. He is eternal, changeless, holy, loving, and perfect. The title God is often used to designate God the Father, the first person of the Trinity.

Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity. As God the Son, he was never created and has always existed. He is fully God and fully man (the two natures joined, not mixed). As the second person of the Trinity, he is coequal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. In becoming man (the Incarnation), he was begotten through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

Jesus is the only way to the Father, salvation, and eternal life. He died on a cross according to Gods plan, as the full sacrifice and payment for our sins. He rose from the dead on the third day, spiritually and physically immortal. For the next 40 days he was seen by more than 500 eyewitnesses. His wounds were tangible, and he ate meals. He physically ascended to heaven. Jesus will come again visibly and physically at the end of time to establish Gods kingdom and judge the world.

The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force or energy field. He comforts, grieves, reproves, convicts, guides, teaches, and fills Christians. He is not the Father, nor is he the Son (Jesus Christ).

Key Writings

The Holy Bible, divided into

• the Old Testament: 39 books written mainly in Hebrew and Aramaic
• the New Testament: 27 books written in Greek

Salvation is by Gods grace, not earned by an individuals good works. Salvation must be received by faiththat is, people must trust sincerely that Jesus died to pay for their sins and then physically rose again, which assures believers of forgiveness and resurrection of the body. This is Gods loving plan to forgive sinful people.

Believers go to be with Jesus, where they await the final judgment. Both saved and lost people will be resurrected. Those who are saved will live forever with Jesus in heaven. Those who are lost will suffer the torment of eternal separation from God (hell). Jesus bodily resurrection guarantees believers that they, too, will be resurrected and receive new, immortal bodies.

Major Celebrations

• Easter, commemorating Jesus resurrection (annual; dates vary)
• Christmas, commemorating
  Jesus birth (annual; December 25)

Group worship, usually held in churches. No secret rites or doctrines. Baptism and the
Lords Supper (Communion). Active voluntary missionary efforts. Aid to those in need: the poor, widows, orphans, and downtrodden.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah promised to Israel in the Old Testament ( Tanakh ). Jesus said that his followers would be known by their love for one another. Basic teachings are summarized in the ancient statements of Christian belief, especially the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon.

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

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary;
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and buried.

He descended into hell;
On the third day he rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father;
From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
The communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Jehovahs Witnesses

(Watchtower Bible & Tract Society)

Key Person/Founder, Date, Location

Charles Taze Russell (18521916), succeeded as president by Joseph F. Rutherford (18691942). Began 1879 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Headquarters in Warwick, New York.

Key Writings

All current Watchtower publications, including

• the Bible ( New World Translation only)
• What Can the Bible Teach Us?
• How to Remain in Gods Love
• The Watchtower and Awake! magazines