How have Christian beliefs changed from before?

Question

What are the changes that have occured in Christian beliefs from the origin(founding) and why?

Let me restate the question in other words:
How has the religion/philosophy changed since its founding and why?

I mean this one of my homework question, so I don't think that the teacher is stupid to put that as homework so there must have been changes. Like in the past there weren't this many branches like the catholic or orthodox, etc. YOu get what I am saying?

Answer 1

Actually there have been many changes, they were mostly founded in inturpetations of, or doctrine related to scripture...

The Big one is the Trinity, it was not an understanding by the Ancient Israelites as the first "nation" that God revealed himself to. It was not an "agreed upon" doctrine until the 4th Century A.D. (C.E. or Christian Era) long after the Apostles and those they directly taught were dead. Which is a fulfillment of Acts 20:28-30

Another is Hell another retranslation of ideas after the Apostles death originally translated grave, or pit, but the teaching of Hell as an everlasting torment was accepted around the same times as when the Viking/Northmen/Nords were "converted" into the Christian/Catholic Chruch, and the Viking had a teaching in their religion about Hell being a place of everlasting torment for the dishonored dead, overseen by a Goddess named Hel.

Many of the religious Holidays were originally rooted in Pagan worship, you can see the New Encyclopedia Britannica on the information of the source of the Holidays of Christmas, and Easter, as you will find they have nothing to do with proper worship of the God of the Bible.

Hope that helps jumpstart some of your research.
Peace.

Answer 2

Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church (and is guiding the church today) to make the correct choices about things like:
+ The Holy Trinity (which is also only hinted at in the Bible)
+ Going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday (which is actually directly against one of the Ten Commandments)
+ The Communion of Saints
+ Which writings include in the New Testament?

Things that are even more modern like
+ Slavery is bad. Slavery is never declared evil in the Bible. This was one of the justifications for slavery in the Confederate States.
+ Democracy is good. The Bible states that either God should be the leader of the nation like Israel before the kings or kings should be the leader, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's." This was talked about a lot during the American Revolution.

This second source of doctrine is called Apostolic Tradition.

Do Christians who do not allow the continuing guiding force of the Holy Spirit to make their beliefs more and more perfect, still endorse slavery as Colossians 3:22 commands, "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything"?

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 80 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#80

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

Wow, this is a very good question, and I cannot answer it fully here. I'll give you the basics, and point you towards some things to research yourself, if you are very interested in this.

There were changes VERY early.

The early Church of Jerusalem, whose leaders were James and Peter (who called themselves Nazarenes)had beliefs indistinguishable from the Pharisees, except that they believed in the resurrection of Jesus, and that Jesus was the promised Messiah - but the Messiah in Jewish terms - a HUMAN leader. They did not believe that Jesus was a divine person but that he had been brought back to life through a miracle of God, and would SOON return to finish his mission of overthrowing the Romans and setting up the Jewish kingdom.

They did NOT believe that Jesus had abrogated the Torah - they were aware that Jesus had observed the Jewish religion personally, and had never rebelled against the religion or Jewish religious law.

The Nazarenes were also observant of Jewish law. They did not see themselves as member of a NEW religion - their religion was Judaism.

One of the best places to learn about the earliest church is in the writing of Epiphanius. His treatise on "Heresies" has (biased) information about the Ebionites, who were the immediate successors of the original church which had been led by James and Peter, and the authentic successors of the disciples and followers of Jesus. The Ebionites were the same group that had earlier been called The Nazarenes.

It was Paul who preached that Jesus had started a new religion; it was Paul who added in parts of the Pagan mystery religions into Judaism (the atoning death of a divine being - the Sacrificial God-man, the Sacred King); it was Paul who taught that belief in this sacrificial death formed the only path to salvation.

The Nazarene Church broke with Paul and disowned him.

Anyway, see if you can find stuff on the Ebionites.

Ultimately, of course, Paul's version, this new religion, triumphed over the legitimate teachings of the authentic followers of Jesus. And thus Christianity was born.

Answer 4

Perhaps you would find that christianity was once torn by a great difference of opinion as to the divinity of jesus. It took church councils and lots of violence to end up with the diety point of view becoming more or less the prevailing view. See http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01707c.htm, which discusses the schism as viewed from the catholic church's position today (it states the non-divine point of view originated in the 4th century, but it was actually a common belief from the beginning of christianity.

Then there were martin luther's actions which resulted in a split in catholicism that left us with catholicism and protestantism.

Then there was the belief of jesus' disciples that he was going to return in their lifetimes. When that didn't happen, his return was rescheduled to the indefinite future.

There have been other changes in beliefs as well. In catholicism, priests were once free to marry, then they were prohibited from doing so. There has also been a changing view of what happens to dead babies. Catholicism has alternately taught that it is the only way to salvation and also that it is not the only way.

Answer 5

The one big difference that I see is the liberalization of church.
It astounds me how many church leaders are bending over backwards to reach society, and making the message of salvation an easier pill to swallow for a society that hungers for instant gratification.

I have no doubt that most of these leaders have good intentions, but the truth of God's word never changes. The rules don't bend, and the path to Jesus remains the same. Sugar coating the consequences of sin, and bending rules may make for impressive attendance numbers, but somehow I don't think that's what Jesus had in mind when He talked about His church growing.

Answer 6

It has been forced to change as discovery and science in general has disproven over and over again its more ridiculous positions on the nature of reality.

Answer 7

The types of things that are sins, now as compared to then.

Long hair on men.
Women wearing pants.
Television.
Rock and Roll.

Etc..

Answer 8

For one thing, the early Christians believed that Christ would return in their lifetime.

Answer 9

Christianity has not changed, but man's understanding of it certainly has evolved...for instance, Martin Luther greatly impacted the traditional church

Answer 10

Well they haven't really. There has only been one inevitable change: The people in it. Many of the origonal Christians had seen Christ face to face, heard him speak, or heard someone speak who had spoken to Him face to face. They died. Can't change death. (Unless you're God)