Blog Entry #5 - The World's Religions - "Christianity"

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?

To say exactly what happened is near impossible because no one can say for sure but I do believe that after any great figure passes away the people will have something to say about it. For the people many felt that Jesus was their savior so to hear that he has been killed probably resulted in an uproar. The fact that Jesus came back to life shows that their is a new sense of belief and hope for the people. Jesus as some may think has a second chance to finish what he has started. Whether or not people agreed with the crucifixion their ability to believe in Jesus was definitely changed for the better. After Jesus came back to life he knew he had to finish what he started, he need to make people believe that their was a place for the afterlife and through repenting your sins and doing the good in the world you will make it there. Jesus had a quest that he needed to finish for the greater good of the people and for generations to come. What occurred when Jesus awoke and how he had risen from the dead and how he escaped his tomb is left for the imagination and for faith to take control of. Every person will have their own belief of it and to say they are right or wrong is tearing apart the core of Christianity. Christianity is based around belief... taking belief from individuals and saying what is right is making it harder for people to believe.

What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

I've always been kind of intrigued on the general concept of transubstantiation. It seems like an odd concept in general especially as to how it came about and how it caused such a split over something so trivial. I have been a bit confused by the holy spirit. It is a part of Jesus I know but it's not really a part. I've found it difficult to really internalize.

5. Central theological doctrines of Christianity include the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the Trinity (p. 339f). Which of these concepts, if any, is of particular interest to you? Why?

What I found most interesting of the three concepts was atonement. Because original sin was infinite, the sacrifice must also be infinite to receive forgiveness. I suppose I understand why God coming to earth in human form and being crucified can be construed as the 'ultimate sacrifice' but what I don't understand is the role humans play in all of this. In some strains of Christianity, people must go to confess their sins and in others asking for forgiveness is a more one on one thing. I don't understand why human's are meant to confess and repent when this has already been done for them. I understand why this concept is good for society as a whole, but it just doesn't make sense that humans should have to go through the motions if their sins have already been atoned for. And in this belief there seems to be no ranking in goodness of human beings. One person could be good all of their life, go to confession daily and all that while another could lead a life of crime and even in their final moments, 'come to Jesus' and repent and those two people would end up in the same place. I suppose it's just another example of the contradictions in Christianity that just need to be accepted.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

Even though I was born and raised a christian, most of the material I learned from church had nothing to do with Christianity's history and much of the material I read was knew to me. What surprises me is how much a personal story the bible is in how it deals with people and the strength they are endowed by believing in God, and in how he believes in him. I can understand why people take such great comfort in believing in that. However, there are very few reliable people who are able to confirm that such miracles exist, and these are still probably just coincidences, simply by putting into perspective the sheer volume of things people do every day.

On a personal rant, Huston Smith did a very poor job of understanding quantum mechanics in this chapter. Zero point energy, the energy in empty space, is only theoretical and doesn't actually exist for any measurable amount of time. He also states that the universe is unpredictable, which is only true on the microscopic scale, and is essentially imperceptible at the macroscopic scale. Which means there is no connection between the randomness of atoms and the randomness of people and what they do.

What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

I think the most interesting aspect of Christianity is the idea of 3 parts all being one. Although I have been raised in a Christian environment and I have grown up with religion being a part of my life since an early age, I have found it difficult to understand how all three parts of god work in conjunction. It is easy enough to understand how God the father is in heaven and is a constant; it is also easy enough to see how Jesus is God's son sent from heaven to earth. It becomes cloudy when you bring in the holy spirit into the picture. I found it difficult to deal with how it is present in every person. It was interesting to learn more about the religion that I was raised in from a classroom standpoint. The compound knowledge of what I was taught in grade school and the more historical knowledge from this unit is an interesting combination for Christianity.

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?

This is a very interesting question. I'm sure there are many people who have not even considered what happened after the crucifixion. They just understand that Jesus rose three days later, and thats enough information for them to accept the story of His resurrection. However, its clear that this story is missing a few key points and and in order for it to be understood these missing elements need to be filled in. I can't say that I really have an idea of what happened. I'm sure there was lot of controversy, and that a lot of people were angry that the religious leader was killed, but nobody has the information necessary to even make a guess as to what would have occurred during these three days.

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?

No one is exactly sure what happened after the crucifixion, but since Jesus was a very influential religious figure to many, the crucifixion must have caused a lot of controversy around. But due to the fact that communication was very minimal back then, some people may have not even known if Jesus was actually crucified. We all know that Jesus came back three days later, so to some may not even realized he had passed away. However I'm sure there were multiple people were furious that this had taken pass, and some people rejoiced. I'm not exactly sure what took place, but I'm positive there were multiple reactions to Jesus' death, riots perhaps, but reactions after Jesus came back would have been more astounding to see.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

Christianity was the religion I thought I knew the most about in the beginning, although I'll admit I didn't actually know that much about it, other than what I had learned in church and in Sunday school as a child. After learning about other religions, and being able to compare their beliefs with those of Christianity, a few things began standing out to me. One idea in particular, stood out to me the most, and that was the idea of atonement. Atonement was the most interesting concept for me, but it also confused me the most. The idea of the infinite amount of sin, combined with the ultimate amount of sacrifice makes one complete-does this require death, or did it only require death for Jesus? Is there no other way? More than that, the idea that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for mankind. Does that mean that because Jesus took on all of man's sins, that the idea of infinite sin (the sin of other men) applies to everyone? It is mostly strange to me that one man could take on the sins of others and make up in sacrifice for them. Isn't it the job of each man to make up for his own sins? Not to mention, is one man's life enough to make up for the sins of mankind? i had previously thought that Christianity, in comparison to other religions, carried a hopeful outlook on heaven vs hell and the sins of man. Those opinions were dismissed after actually learning about the religion in more depth. I got to thinking that if Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for mankind's sins, and the religion is based on honoring Jesus, is it mankind's atonement to worship Jesus forever? I don't actually understand how Jesus' death could do anything to help the sins of other men. Maybe my outlook is morbid due to the fact that compared to many other people I'm rather unpracticed in Christianity. It just seems that a lot of other religions we have studied deal with finding something in one's self. Although Christianity lays out some healthy moral standards, I can't figure out for the life of me what the beliefs do for its worshipers.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

For me, I enjoyed learning about the different types of Christianity. Given that there is so much Christian influence here in the United States, I think it is essential for us all to understand the different forms of Christianity and their differences. Many people see the differences in religion as a part of modern day issues and to understand peoples' points of view will lead to a better understanding of today. Through reading a few of these blog entries, I really enjoyed what Matt O. said about the strength bestowed in people who believe in God and Christianity. For me, people of faith have this sense of confidence and support not only from God, but from others who have the same beliefs. Praying, for example, is one way people maintain a firm belief in God and are then filled with reassurance. Despite my appreciation for this, it does raise the question of what people can do without God and if they rely to much on Christianity.

Arjun Sridhar

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

I thought the Baptism is a very appealing element of Christianity. After reading this section, I thought it was very interesting of how a lot of Christians baptize their babies in water to have them be admitted to the church. I also think it is very intriguing of how Trinity is a term that refers to the teaching that one God represents The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. I think it is very interesting of how Christians believe that God is present in these three figures, which means that God is infinite. I think the concept of Heaven/Hell/Salvation is most difficult to accept. I think it is hard to believe that Christianity makes people believe that if they do certain things that they will be “saved.” For example, I think it is hard to understand that whoever believes in Jesus and is baptized will be “saved” and if you don’t believe in that, then you will be condemned. I just think that the concept of Heaven/Hell/Salvation is a little to extreme, and that humans should be able to freely believe in what they chose to instead of being given strict rules on how to be “saved.”

The concept I find most interesting of these three is atonement. In secular use, “atonement” can mean reconciling with someone. In a religious context, it refers to a state of being reconciled with God. In Christian theology, the idea of atonement is based upon the belief that three main historical events took place: Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden and thus committing a sin, their sin was transferred to their descendents (and all humans today inherit this original sin), and the relationship between man and God was restored / atoned after Jesus’ crucifixion. I think that this idea of atonement is interesting for several reasons. First I thought it was curious that sin can be “transferred,” and how all humans are born with original sin just because a long time ago a man and a woman ate an apple. Second I think that the established relationship between man and God in Christianity is very interesting: how people disobey God’s direct instructions, how they are punished, how they can be forgiven, how they communicate with God, how all of this moves in a cycle. I find the concept of atonement really confusing.

Nick Frecentese

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

One of the elements of Christianity that I found (and have always thought to be) intriguing was the concept of Jesus Christ being the Messiah beyond a shred of doubt. I find it interesting that although Jesus was a Jew, Judaism does not consider him to be the Messiah and instead thinks that the Messiah is yet to come. What makes christians so sure of themselves that Jesus was the chosen one? How do we really know for sure? Whenever I had asked this question in religious education classes or to my parents in the past I always received an answer somewhere along the lines of, "because we have faith and therefore do not question." This is another aspect of Christianity (especially Catholicism) that I have always fund to be pretty hard to accept: just believing in the views and opinions of the Church because that is what followers are supposed to do. I do not like this at all. I think that opinions and views should be challenged in order to make sure that they are solid in their foundation. If a concept can survive much attack and criticism with flying colors than it is a sound concept. I do not believe this to be true with a few of the concepts of Christianity, but since followers do not question the elements remain. Lastly, an element of christianity that I do not have trouble accepting and that I find intriguing is that this monotheistic religion is technically not monotheistic due to the trinity (three parts making one God). In the end though, somehow, Christianity is still a monotheistic religion... intriguing indeed

What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

Although I’ve grown up around the Christian Religion, I find it hard to identify with. I must say that I find one aspect of Christianity both extremely intriguing and intensely difficult to understand; that aspect is the rapture. Perhaps rapture is an unfortunate diction choice; maybe apocalypse would be better. The idea that there is a Kingdom of God that only Christians are allowed to ascend to baffles me. The idea that you’re only allowed into this great place if you believe in God and Jesus Christ seems greatly contradictory to the Christian ideal of being a good person and doing good. Why then, would they limit the number of people who get to enjoy God’s goodness? Why must Christians segregate themselves in this Kingdom? It saddens me to think that some Christians believe that if you do not believe in the Christian God that you will be condemned and spend eternity in Hell.

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?

After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ I believe there was an up roar and a riot of those who did not speak out before because they waited until the last minute to speak up but watching Jesus die before there eyes was the last straw. I also think that society changed greatly after he was "re-born" three days later. Showing that he is meant to finished a duty or task that he was not able to finish although in my mind I think that part of the duty was for others to see the pain and suffering he did for others and to prove a point. Jesus Christ died a hero and was therefore re-born as a blessing. Overall the risen Christ was meant to show how he was willing to die for what he believed in and impacted many lives.

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?
Basically I think Jews were outraged and saddened, the Romans brushed it off as just another one of hundreds of crucifixions, and then a few years down the road--or more than a "few" years (try centuries)--someone decided that Jesus was so awesome he deserved to be the foundation for a new religion named after him. And then the new Romans felt truly awful about what their ancestors had done and tried to shove the whole crucifying thing under the rug to make way for Christianity. I think Christianity was just a long time in the making and things had to settle down for a while before anyone could really "find the light" and make Jesus a holy image. But of course, this is just my opinion, the opinion of a 21st-century agnostic gal. :-)

4. What is the essential message of the "Good News" proclaimed by Christians? How does the "Christ of Faith" differ from the "historical Jesus"?
Jesus was a hippie. At least, I like to think he was, and we know his actions were certainly more than a little radical for his time period. I believe that while the historical Jesus was a man of devout faith and some of his teachings were religion-central, his "Good News" was more about living life the best you could than strict devotion to God. Some factions of Christianity today have obviously taken the religion to a frightening level, and this bothers me because whether pertaining to religion or not, Jesus was so much more than a man preaching his faith or the word of God! For Christians, the Gospel is often a good code to live by, but in my opinion, not everything in it can be taken literally, or even figuratively, anymore. The world we live in today needs the historical, radical, love-your-neighbor Jesus more than the God-fearing, Bible-banging image he is often depicted in.

1.

I have a hard time believing anything about the rapture. I'm not completely ignorant to doomsday theories, but I have a very difficult time believing them when they are associated with religion. Perhaps there will be an end of the world, but I believe that will be brought upon with science. The mathematical calculations predicting the trajectory of an asteroid can conceivably be put to the date. While not everything can be predicted (natural disasters), the idea that a super natural force will inevitably kill off everyone else and bring devout followers of christianity to a non-existent heaven is baffling to me. I see Rapture as an idea developed towards giving hope towards people. If everyone saw the world as, "Whats the point, we're all going to die someday?", there would be no motivation. The Idea of rapture gives hope to people to continue living with the idea of something better coming. It gives credibility to Christianity so that if the world does end some day, they will be in the winning circle. To me, it's all a sham to give hope to people.

1.

I have a hard time believing anything about the rapture. I'm not completely ignorant to doomsday theories, but I have a very difficult time believing them when they are associated with religion. Perhaps there will be an end of the world, but I believe that will be brought upon with science. The mathematical calculations predicting the trajectory of an asteroid can conceivably be put to the date. While not everything can be predicted (natural disasters), the idea that a super natural force will inevitably kill off everyone else and bring devout followers of christianity to a non-existent heaven is baffling to me. I see Rapture as an idea developed towards giving hope towards people. If everyone saw the world as, "Whats the point, we're all going to die someday?", there would be no motivation. The Idea of rapture gives hope to people to continue living with the idea of something better coming. It gives credibility to Christianity so that if the world does end some day, they will be in the winning circle. To me, it's all a sham to give hope to people.

skrikava
1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

To me, the element I find most intriguing is the idea that Christianity is a religion powered by love. God loves his people, and that's what Christians feel-his love. Huston Smith said that Christians get free of the burdens of guilt, and shame through love. It releases the "bad feelings". "So too, locked in every human being is a store of love that partakes of the divine..love is an answering phenomenon." (pg. 334). We are all somewhat familiar with the verse "Love is patient; love is kind…" (I Corinthians 13:4-8) and I think it sums up love in a really nice way.
What I don't understand about Christianity, is how many Christians have persecuted other people for not being Christian or for not following Christian ideals. That's not love, that's persecution. I don't understand why they cannot leave those issues alone. Ultimately, people are who they are. I respect that a person might want to try to convert someone, but I don't respect said person if he pursues another after they have said no. Leave it alone. I guess it's the evil in human nature. On page 326 of Huston Smith's book, he has a nice paragraph of mini paradoxes. For example, it says, "We are told to love our enemies and bless those who curse us. The world assumes that friends are to be loved and enemies hated." In the name of Christianity, millions have died because they do not follow Christian ways. It's corrupt, sad, and loveless.

1.
What is is intriguing to me about the Christian Faith is idea of the Holy Trinity. I went through most of elementary and middle school at a christian school. I was familiar with the Father, Son, and Holy spirit but never thought about what it means for these three facets to make up one godhead. From my understanding the Trinity seems to be a well made marketing scheme. God the father and creator is something we can be in awe of. Something of infinite love and wisdom, our creator who simply asks we return the love he has for us makes us feel comfortable in a world otherwise dominated by chaos. God the son, Jesus Christ is someone with a face and voice who we can follow and relate too. He is God made manifest and our savior, yet also almost the epitome of what idealize about humans. Jesus like God makes us feel safe and comfortable with our place in the world. The Holy Spirit is very mysterious to me. It almost seems like the Holy Spirit is just the Church's will. The Holy Spirit is present in everyone the Church deems a believer, the Spirit "inspires" all church doctrine and controls any redemption of sin. The Holy Spirit seems like it was implemented to say that if you disagree with doctrine you disagree with God. But I still feel like I have no idea what exactly the Holy Spirit is. I feel like it is just God's will manifest and given a glorified name and persona. Or maybe it is just because three is a more attractive number than two and Early Christians wanted to attract more of the polytheistic crowd with the Trinity.

2. I primarily see the “Kingdom of God” as an afterlife, but it has elements of psychic serenity, justice and equality. I interpret it as a place not attainable by humans; however, if you act with justice and equality during life it will result in entrance to the “Kingdom of God”. Although I do not have a specific view of an afterlife, I do feel very strongly that your afterlife is improved or destroyed based on the events in your life and how you respond to them. In other words, the more you struggle and suffer in flesh the more comfortable you will be in existential existence.

5. The idea of atonement interests me. When I was growing up going to Sunday school I would always here “God’s love is unconditional”. Being told this repeatedly when I was young it has somewhat been ingrained; however, as I have aged and been exposed to more of the cruelness that some people posses, the idea of unconditional love for all humanity becomes unfathomable.

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?

I believe that after Jesus was crucified, his followers remained silent for a while. Christians were prosecuted back then by the romans. A christian couldn't openly blame the romans without fear of death. I believe that people eventually saw how unjust his crucifixion was and they started to blame and fight over his death. People never take blame for anything so people blame each other and then riots ensue. Jesus' followers probably morned the death of Jesus and maybe even toke his body down. People saw that Jesus was a good man and then they regretted murdering him.

5. Central theological doctrines of Christianity include the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the Trinity (p. 339f). Which of these concepts, if any, is of particular interest to you? Why?

I find the trinity the most interesting of the three concepts. The Trinity is the churches way of saying you can pray to all three, the father, the son and the holy spirit, but they are still part of the one god. What i want to know is why do they need to do this? Is it because that Jesus has such a strong image that instead of people calling for God they instead called for Jesus so by making them one entity but split was a way of bringing people into the faith. Was the trinity a ploy by the church as a way not only to not seem polytheist but a way of making the religion not about Jesus but about the one God.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

I will say from the start i thought that I was going to know the most about christianity, because most of america is Christian, I have grown up Unitarian but in actuality my family and i are not religious at all. But i will say growing up with parents who are doctors and never pushed their thoughts on me i grew up with a strong science back round so i think the Bible and the stories are the most intriguing and hardest for me to understand. I understand that this could offend some people so SPOIL ALERT. I dont believe in the bible and its hard for me to understand things like how Adam and Eve started civilization after being in a garden together just dose not seem right to me, what about evolution. Or that everyone is born with sin because Eve gave Adam an apple just isnt fair! And i have never studied the bible so i know i could be very wrong and undertand that but still i just feel that science has seemed to prove so many things in the bible wrong that it confuses me that they still teach many things from it that just dont seem right. Also how it said one thing and people still live by it many years later such as gay rights. I just have always found it very interesting but so intriguing.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

One thing that I have always found to be very interesting is the overall benevolence of it all. Jesus wanted people to give up all of their earthly possessions, and be one with God. He hated greed and the unjust powers of the time. Although I do not affiliate myself with Christianity, my mother is a minister, so I already know a fair amount about Christianity myself. One thing I find hard to wrap my head around is the idea that some people take the Bible LITERALLY, word for word, like it was a historical account of what really happened. The Bible is such a complex book and was revised so many times over so many years, that it doesn't really make sense to me. I view the Bible still as an important book though, and just because things in it didn't necessarily happen doesn't mean the stories it holds aren't important.

3. Historically, there is little information regarding post-crucifixion events. However, in my days in Catholic school, I have been taught the conventional catholic belief that Jesus disappeared from the tomb in which he was buried and reappearing before his followers to deliver the message that the kingdom of heaven has been opened. Though this explanation could be deemed "miraculous" I believe that this is what occurred after the crucifixion. To me, it seems as if Jesus became part of trinity once more after his death. The crucifixion signifies Jesus' death for the purpose of our salvation and, as it is noted in the Apostles Creed, he ascended into heaven to be seated next to God awaiting judgment for people's immortal souls. As far as the earthly events post-crucifixion, I believe that Jesus' followers spread the word of Christ's story and began the Christian religion.

I find interesting that there are so many sub-divisions of Christianity that can believe in such different things. More so than any other religion, the sub-divisions differ greatly from others. Look at Mormonism and Orthodox Christianity. Two religions that believe that Jesus Christ was the lord and savior, yet share very few other similarities. From polygamy to the lack of alcohol, sex, and caffeine (not to be confused with sex, drugs, and rock & roll) Mormonism is near opposite than Catholicism or orthodoxy. I also find it interesting how much the sub-religions dislike each other. It is very prominent in pop-culture do see protestants dislike lutherans, etc.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

I am intrigued at how or why christians believe that jesus is the savior or messiah. in judaism, Jesus didnt really do much and the Messiah is still to come. I guess I just dont understand why one religion makes him super important but then another just kinda blows him off. And why did christianity pick this one random guy to be the chosen one? it just seems far fetched. it feels like a hoax. I just have a hard time grasping that concept.

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?

There is little historic evidence as to what actually happened after the crucifixion of Christ. I believe that Jesus was buried after being crucified. However, the crucifixion was unsuccessful and he was actually still alive, just unconscious. He awoke, buried, and believed that he was invincible. He dug his way out of his grave and recited a long, inspiring speech that uplifted his people which created the idea of Jesus being a savior. After this speech, Jesus had lost so much blood that he found a peaceful valley and laid down to die.

3. "We are given too few details to know exactly what happened after the crucifixion," says Smith (p. 329). What do you think might have happened?

It is very hard to know exactly what happened to jesus after the crucifixion. I believe that jesus died on the cross and was put in a tomb behind a large rock. After he died riots ensued for killing christ. However people calmed down after realizing that what happened to jesus would happen to them if they said anything. 3 days after he was killed jesus returned from heaven and went back into his body feeling stronger than ever. He moved the rock and went to his people to prove that he was the messiah. People were so surprised because they saw him die, so they believed them.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand

The element and idea of Trinity and the role its has in Christianity is what I find most interesting and appealing. It is something I've always wondered about and have been intrigued about. I've always been curious, skeptical, fascinated and intrigued by the fact that the teaching of Trinity is that one 'God' stands for and represents, what seems like three separate, individual single entities - The Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit. On certain occasions each one can be found spoken about as a separate thing in comparison to one another but then at the same time are all revered as one single thing - "God". This is one of the biggest aspects or elements I've always struggled to understand and accept because it never seemed to make sense or seem "right". But its always something I've been intrigued by.

What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

Personally I never have been too focused on religion. My family has never made me go to church and I honestly am very uneducated when it comes to the subject of religion. We have talked about this in my other classes and I personally would love to have a religion class to be somewhat educated and able to hold my own in a conversation about it. Now Christianity, if I was to be focused on one religion, would be my own. For me, I think the most appealing aspect of Christianity would be the idea of 3 parts all being one. I think it is very interesting how all 3 parts of God work as one like a cog in a well oiled machine. What is easy to understand is how God is in heaven and is constant. It also is easy enough to understand that Jesus is God's son who was sent from heaven to earth. Now what I had a hard time understanding was the holy spirit. I do not get how it is present in every single body. The most interesting thing about this was how much I learned about Christianity during such a sport span of time.

What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

Personally I never have been too focused on religion. My family has never made me go to church and I honestly am very uneducated when it comes to the subject of religion. We have talked about this in my other classes and I personally would love to have a religion class to be somewhat educated and able to hold my own in a conversation about it. Now Christianity, if I was to be focused on one religion, would be my own. For me, I think the most appealing aspect of Christianity would be the idea of 3 parts all being one. I think it is very interesting how all 3 parts of God work as one like a cog in a well oiled machine. What is easy to understand is how God is in heaven and is constant. It also is easy enough to understand that Jesus is God's son who was sent from heaven to earth. Now what I had a hard time understanding was the holy spirit. I do not get how it is present in every single body. The most interesting thing about this was how much I learned about Christianity during such a sport span of time.

What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

Like Jude, I was never too involved with religion. I went to church a handful of times when I was little, and I don't remember any of what happened. However, I believe I have a basic understanding of Christianity now than I ever did. I never really thought about how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were all essentially apart of one entity. I know and believe in one God, and I believe in Jesus Christ, (I don't know much or understand a lot about the Holy Spirit) but I kind of thought of them as separate, yet inevitably intertwining because God and Jesus are apart of one another (father and son). Although I have never sat down to read the Bible, from what I have heard I know that I disagree with some of its concepts. I find it hard to believe in and follow something, with no doubt in our minds, that we have no proof of. No one knows who actually wrote the Bible. No one knows what Jesus actually looks like. We never will. We really just have made up visions in our mind of what we believe things should be and that is not necessarily a bad thing, I just don't agree with putting all of my faith into something that I'm not even sure where it came from or if it's true. That is the most difficult thing to understand, and also the most interesting thing I took away from learning about Christianity.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?
I too agree with almost everyone else about what they find most interesting! The elements of of Christianity that i find most intriguing is the Holy Trinity. I am a born and raised Christian and attend church every week, but I rarely ever find myself thinking deeply about the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is such a powerful symbol, the fact that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all one is intriguing. I can see how there can be many skeptics of Christianity but I also see the brilliance of the religion. I really liked learning about Christianity from a secular point of view because a lot of it helped to confirm my own beliefs.

1. What elements of Christianity did you find most intriguing or appealing, based on your reading? What was most difficult to accept or understand?

The element of Christianity that is most interesting to me is how different sects of Christianity approach the concept of salvation in varying ways. Between the reading done in this class, and learning about it in other classes, I think it's interesting how different religions teach their followers. Whether it be through works, predestination or any other way that it is seen to make it to heaven.

5. Central theological doctrines of Christianity include the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the Trinity (p. 339f). Which of these concepts, if any, is of particular interest to you? Why?

Being a Christian, and specifically a Catholic, the concept of the Trinity is one that I've always been exposed to. The Trinity has been an idea that has been central in my life for so long, that before this class I never have analyzed from a scholarly standpoint what it's significance is to the religion. I find it interesting that many in the world see it as a reason that Christianity is not a monotheistic religion. Never in my life have I found the idea of there being three forms of one god unusual or difficult to understand, but when I really take a step back and look it, it is an interesting idea.