Serious question for Christians?

Question

This is a serious question, please don't spout 50 bible verses in your comment...I probably won't read it.

When did Christianity first start? (Time period). I have a preconceived notion that in the age of [at least] early egyptians and prior to that there was no "christianity". Is my notion correct? If not pls fill me in (factual evidence please, nothing from the Bible)

I was wondering, if my notions are right and there was a time when 'christianity' was not known...what happend to the people living at the time when they died? Also, same goes for other cultures who did not have contact with Christianity. If they did not have the opportunity to know about it, did they not go to 'heaven' because of it???

Ok then...Judaism...was there always Judaism, and was it always known to everyone?

Ok...what I mean is the christian/judaism 'god'....that's what i'm getting at here... the 'god' and not the religion itself i guess, I know 'christianity' started around 2000 years ago... bleh, i'm tongue tied

I see some pretty good answers (that aren't full of biblical statements) and yet explain it pretty well (Lifeline)...so I want to say thanks guys!...even if some of it sounds preposterous to me...i at least understand it better.

Answer 1

Christianity as per the belief was not as early as you notion, sure the Hebrews the slaves for the Egyptians and they did believe in a God---the True God, the creator of heaven and earth. Those in the age before Jesus could enter a place called Abraham's bosom but only if they made a sacrifices to "erase" or have their sins forgiven. As time passed Jesus was born, his followers took His message of salvation after they learned the path to heaven and when Jesus ascended into heaven the disciples took the message and those that believe in the message became Christians---a christian is anyone that believes and accepts Jesus as Lord and savior. In other words, if a person does not know Jesus as Lord and savior he or she is not a real christian.

Answer 2

Heather:
The evidence of the start of Christianity in the first century AD is pretty good. It spawned from Judaism in the land around Jerusalem in a time when the land was under Roman occupation. (Not Egyptian.)

Judaism started about up to 2000 years earlier with Abraham.

The question of what happened to the people who were not part of these faiths has been debated over time. Judaism was a tribal religion that was only observed by the Jews. There is no real consensus on the fate of those who preceded the advent of Judaism or Christianity.

Answer 3

Before Jesus was born there was no Christianity, the "religion" for Israel at that time was Judaism. This is not just based on Biblical scriptures, it is based on historical fact. I studied religion at a university. Also you can find out about it the World Almanac.
In fact people were not even called Christians until well AFTER his birth. As for the people living before Jesus, they were considered "righteous" in God's sight by their FAITH. And as for people who'd never heard of Jesus, I honestly don't have an answer for you there. I know in the Bible it says plainly that all men, know God exists. I also know that God says in the Bible, that the man who finds life will find it through trusting God, so I'm inclined to believe that although Jesus was not born yet, and though people lived far from Israel, I believe that whatever the religion was, if the person's heart was good "if he put his faith in a god (if he, in his heart thought about a god and admits his existence), I believe that person would still go to Heaven. And the same goes today for people who've never heard of Jesus. Now, if a person hears of Jesus and doesn't repent, that is a different story. In other words if you'd never heard of Jesus, you'd have an excuse as long as you tried to follow your religion as close as you possibly could. But if you've heard of Jesus, Which obviously you have, there is no excuse.

Answer 4

First, understand Jesus was Jewish and the Jewish are considered the "chosen people" by God.

Good Jewish people who keep the faith are said to go to heaven.

Next, the Christian religion basically got started in a minor movement and a major movement.

A relative of Jesus who gave up his tomb for Jesus was said to have travelled to Wales and helped establish a bible center there for scholars.

Around this same time Peter and to a degree Paul and John were taking the word to the Medertaranian area away from the Middle East. To Italy (Rome), Greece and Turkey.

It was during this time that the foundation of what would become the Catholic Church somewhere between 1 AD and 3 AD was founded.

This is also the period when a lot of the later books of the NEw Testiment were written, such as Roman, Corthithans, etc.

John had is Revelation during this era.

There was a line from Paul (or maybe Peter) stating that the new Christians because of their faith in Jesus now had the same rights and privilages of going to Heaven as the Jews held.

The Catholic Church then founded the primary Christian religon between 1 and 3 AD (after Peter's Crusifiction), but it eventually splintered off into ethnic groups that became the Greek Orthodox Church and later other non-Catholic Orthodox sects in Russian, Romania, etc. (See the above previous answer for a more detailed look at Constantine.)

The actual Bible was made up from Greek transcriptions of HEbrew scrolls and verbal teaching from Hebrew Rabbis and scholars. Also the writings of Peter and Paul and John and Matthew among a few others.

The Bible from the secret bible sect in Wales were different from the Catholic Bibles.

By 1300 several learned theologians began to hold different views from the mainstream teachings of the Pope in Rome. Wycliffe, Calvin and later on MArtin Luther.

These extremists broke with Rome and eventually founded what came to be known as the Protestant sects.

The primary difference was that in the Catholic Religion the Pope has final say and final interpretation of the Bible and sets all rights and rituals.

In the Reformist or Protestant sects the individual is entrusted with the Bible and is to read it and determine for themselves what to do and how to do it.

The Protestant religioins kept a lot of rituals and holidays established by Rome, including Easter (which is celebrated differently by the Eastern Orthodox Chruchs such as the Greeks), Christmas and communion.

The abandond other aspects, such as worshiping the Virgin Mary, stations at the Cross, Holy Water, Ash Wednsday, etc.

Each sect in the Protestant faith was allowed to determine if minsters or priests or Bishops could marry.

Each was allowed to determine the body poltic and some chose to have no Elders, committes, Bishops, etc.

Some believed that Communion was spritual and you were actually drinking the blood and eating the flesh of Jesus, other felt this was just a geusture or a rememberance.

Some believed in free will. OThers believed in Predestination (you are what you are, sinner, saint, muderder, good person).

Some believed in Once Saved Always Saved. Others believed that those Saved could Fall from Grace.

Some believed in baptism at birth while others believed only a grown person could make that willfull choice and could only then be baptised.

It should be noted that the Baptist faith existed before Jesus began his mission and John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

Many Baptists embrace the tenents of what Jesus was about, but don't consider themsevles Christians. Others do consider themselves Christians.

These varioius sects that formed between 1300 adn 1600 got into friction with both the Catholic Church and the new Church of England that was a neo-protestant church. A reformed Catholic church that allowed Priests to marry, didn't report to Rome and premitted divorce among the followers. This was Established by Henry VIII in England.

As a result of this friction some sects or follower from some sects put their hats into the ring to go to the New World in America and they became the Pilgrims and Puritans.

From these people came the Anabaptists, Calvanists, Congregationalists and these eventually turned into Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Quakers and Amish by the 1700s.

The Church of England became the Angelican Church in America.

The Catholics also came over in Massachuesttes.

By the 1800 new age sects such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons and Christians Scientists also began to flourish in America.

Answer 5

Christianity first started with the early Christians, the disciples who followed Jesus Christ, precisely where the word came from.

Before Christ came, the early Egyptians had Moses and Joseph. They were not called Christians but they were expecting for the coming of the Christ.

The Great Commission (Christ's Order to all Christians) to proclaim the Good News to all the world (which probably explains some "aggressive" behavior on some new and excited Christians), and then the end will come. Those who had no opportunity to hear it will be judged according to their laws. "The Jews according to the laws of the Jews, the Gentiles, according to the laws of the Gentiles."

Christianity has by far the easiest laws to follow, for Jesus said, "my yoke is easy, and my burden light".

Those who have heard the word and rejected it, will have some explaining to do and no Lawyer to defend him.

That's the most secular language that I can present.

Answer 6

Heather,
Got your answer right here. The year was 325 A.D. The Roman Emperor Constantine was faced with the dilemma of a crumbling empire. The followers of Jesus were a major part of the problem. They loosely belonged to a system of discipline known as "The Way". Depending on where you lived, and who the local spiritual leader was, you had varying ideas of what the faith of Jesus was. Constantine realized that all the efforts to erase Jesus' followers had only increased the popularity of the movement. In a stroke of brilliance, He decided to take over "Christianity", and put it to work for him. In that year previously mentioned, He convened the Council of Nicea. He gathered all the the known church leaders and elders, along with all available scriptures. Under his guidance, they crafted an orthodox version of what we now know as the Christian faith. Many of the original teachings of Jesus were lost. Several new doctrines were added, some of them pagan in origin(Christmas, Easter, SUNday, etc). The idea, was to create a faith that anyone could join, even pagans. He needed something to glue his empire back together, and this was it. Many of the scriptures were rewritten by men called "correctores". Anything that didn't agree with the new faith, was destroyed. Anyone who didn't go along with the new orthodoxy, was exhiled, or worse. This new faith, evolved into what we call Catholicism. It is also the source of protestant Christianity. They say they are not catholic, but they obey the Pope in setting aside the 4th commandment, and keeping the holy days established by the Catholics. Jesus himself, came to the earth, to deliver a message, both simple, and elegant. "The Kingdom of God, is within you". If we approach God as humble children, and invite Him into our hearts, He sends His Spirit into us, and bonds with us. We become new creatures, part mortal, part Immortal. the old values of materialism and fear fall away. Love and Wisdom, become the foundation of all our choices. We have entered the Path of Eternity, and we will never be the same again. This Path, has been open to the human race since our creation. All who seek God, with all their heart, will find Him. He promised it. How else could Elijah, Enoch, and Moses have entered God's Kingdom so many years before Jesus was born?

Answer 7

I believe the Christianity began when Adam committed his first sin. God had plans from the beginning to save the human race. I believe the Judaism and Christianity share the same God. During the days of the prophets, i.e., Isaiah, people were told of the coming Christ and it is the same Christ today’s Christians believe in. To show their faith, the Jews (god’s people) were required to do certain things and keep the law (the 10 commandments) which no person was able to fulfill because of humans’ sinful nature. God gave humans hope of salvation only through the grace of God (Jesus) and that applies to people before and after Christ.

Answer 8

Christianity started when Jesus "the Christ" was here a little more than 2000 years ago. Hence the name of the religion. Before that, people were Jewish and believed in God or they were Gentiles and did not. Most Gentiles believed in many Gods. Jewish people had to make sacrifices of lambs, calves and birds to "pay" for their sins. God sent Jesus to become the last sacrifice and to invite all who believe in Him to follow Him. All of us who follow Him are to teach others about His love for us. The 10 commandments are our rules just as our parents make rules for us. If we don't follow these rules (parents or God's) we notice that bad things happen. (ie. don't run in the road you may get hit by a car, etc.) As far as what happened to people way back when who knew nothing about God? I don't know. I guess I'll find out when I go to heaven. I don't know all but I can tell you what I do know. You can contact me if you'd like. I wish you all good things.

Answer 9

christianity started somewhere around 30 AD it began after jesus died and then paul started traveling around the mediteranean area, peter became the first "pope" christians were crucified, well you probably know the rest vaguely.

Some believe that prior to jesus people were in a sort of strange limbo, hades. Just a place where souls came to spend eternity, not great, but not suffering either. then some christians believe from there that they went into heaven or hell or they still wait until the end

Others believe that they went to hell and either got to heaven with jesus or they stay awaiting the end

im sure you'll get a variety of answers

Answer 10

Christianity is the continuation of Judiaism. Followers of Christ were first called Christians after the death and ressurection of Christ around 33AD.

Yes, there was a time when the world did not know what Chrisianity was, but there has not been a time when the God of Israel was not known among humanity. Since Christianity is a continuation of Israel's religion, it is also safe to say that there has not been a time when the God of the Christians was not known to humanity.