What r some significant pillars of Christianity?

Question

For Example: Buddhist - Chant daily to purify their hearts
Hare Krisna - Chant Hare Krisna to purify their hearts and they don't eat meat.

Muslims - prayer five times a day, Ramadan to renergize ourselves and our hearts, we don't eat pork. we don't drink.

What do Christians do to purify themselves daily. What r the rituals or pillars of christianity. And if there is any, y is it not practiced widely in the US (The US is a Christian nation) For example, if you go to a Muslim country, they have a special time where everyone stops what they r doing and prays together. It doesn't matter rather you r at work or anything. What do Christain countries do?

Answer 1

The most significant pillar of Christianity is this:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40).

As to being seen to be praying constantly, Jesus had this to say: "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes, and be greeted in the market-places, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely" (Mark 12:38-40). Then there was the parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: "The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God I thank you that I am not like other men... or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a thenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:9-14).

What did Christ have to say about purification and rituals? Nothing complimentary. He was born into a nation obsessed with purification and ritual. They had missed the point. The outward appearance of cleanliness and holiness means nothing to our God who can read our minds, understand our motives. In order to please God, our worship must be pure. Nothing else matters.

As a Christian, I can pray to God any time. In private. I do not need to follow the prescriptions of men. Indeed, as a woman, I would not even be allowed to pray as the men do in an Islamic society, or even in a Jewish society where segregation in worship is strictly adhered to. What makes men think they can write rules about worship? What makes men think purification by the washing of hands means anything to a holy and righteous God? Surely it is the cleansing of our hearts and minds that matters most. Surely I trust God to judge the quality of my worship, not mere men or tradition.

Answer 2

FORGIVENESS, when Jesus died on the Cross at Calvery our sins were washed away and forgiven. As a Christian I pray daily asking Christ to forgive me of my sins and help me to Glorify his name. The US is not a Christian nation anymore. There are no Christian countries left. There are more Christians in China than any other country But the Holy Bible is still the word of God whether people want it to be or not. The Words in the Bible convict our hearts and we feel it inside. Thats why Christ isn't worshipped anymore, America doesn't want to look inside of itself. Jesus changes us on the inside, and people just want to do their own thing now and have forgotten how we got be the most blessed nation on the planet. Go visit the middle east for awhile and you will see what I mean. They are all muslim nations for the most part, and third world countries. And make no mistake thats where we are headed because we have turned our back on Jesus Christ. We see his Cross on hills and on Churches and we feel it inside and we say well I am not going that way. The problem is thats the way we need to be going. Christs way..... Great Question!!!

Answer 3

Jesus is the way the truth and the life-period
That is a statement, it does not mean that others who have not come to know him will not share in the glory of heaven in whatever way God so wills
Think of someone who has led an evil life then is able to repent at the last minute-that person will also have a share in the glory of heaven
The person who has lead a good life but does not know Christl will get to heaven-why not?
All those who died before Christ were taken up' at the Ressurrection
The pillars of Christianity are Christ and His Church and what His Church teaches
we have to have works and faith to get to Heaven
believing alone will not-that's a cop out!

Answer 4

The thing that makes Bible based Christianity unique is that there is nothing that they are told to do to purify themsevles.

Everything that needed to be done to purify Christian believers, Jesus did for us on the cross.

All we had to do, is accept that Jesus did it all for us.

After a person converts to being a Christian, we are told to make a public profession of our faith and be immersed in water, which is a one time event in a person's life time.

Then periodically Christians celebrate the Last Supper of our Lord, but this observance has not fixed schedule. Some groups do it monthly, others do it weekly, some even do it daily, but its not required for purification.

In fact neither one are required for a person to be saved.

So that's the difference between Christianity and all the other religions of the world.

Pastor Art

Answer 5

The Christianity practiced in the United States represents some 10% of Christians world-wide, and the dominant form of Christianity in the US is less than 200 years old.

A description of Greek Orthodox practices will suffice to demonstrate the pattern found among Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Anglican Christians (who collectively represent some 70% of Christians).

Prayer:
They typically set up an icon shelf in a prominant part of the common room in the house. The icon of Christ is placed on the left, and the icon of Mary is placed on the right. Other icons of different saints are placed on the outside of these two central icons. They light incense in a burner, and light candles or oil lamps in front of the icons. Then they recite the daily rule of prayer according to the prayer book, and make a series of prostrations before the icons. This is supposed to be performed three times a day, morning noon and night.

Meditation:
They use a prayer rope with a series of knots. They focus their concentration on the physical heart, bow the head until the chin almost touches the chest, and recite 'Kyrie Iesou Christou, uiou tou theou, eleison emas..." (or some variation thereof) in time with their breathing.

Fasting:
They abstain from all meat and dairy products on Wednesdays and Fridays. There are three great fasts throughout the year, in spring, summer, fall and winter. These are broken up by 12 great feasts throughout the year.

Answer 6

Rituals were part of Jesus' teachings - that they should ALL be discarded, i.e 'fasting' from the world.

His message of required 'death' of the conditioned ego identity is a lifelong process - with the goal of resurrection/rebirth of authentic being (Christ Self) before physical death, in order to fulfill individual mission and purpose.

Buddhist purification rituals are a different approach to this same issue of ego transcendence, as are Muslim prayer rituals of 'unselfing.' All religions have detachment from the conditioned selfish identity as part of their goal. Heaven in this life cannot be experienced without it. Jesus example was just more exaggerated and demonstrated as psychological metaphor.

Answer 7

There are no "Christian countries". There are only Christian individuals. And there is no truth outside of Jesus and the Bible. Jesus is truth.

The only thing that can make you a Christian, is the same only thing that will get you into heaven and out of eternal hell, to believe that Jesus, who is God, died for our sins on the cross and rose again. Not of works. Works cannot save anyone at all. Only faith in this truth of Jesus can save anyone, and Jesus saves all who believe it.

Answer 8

Thanks for a thoughtful question.
First of all, while I myself am a follower of Jesus, I wouldn't go so far as to say that the US is a "Christian" nation: I'd say it's a post-Christian nation. Many people here who claim to be adherents of Christianity don't really know what our scriptures say. Also, Western culture doesn't really have a place for what have been the traditional pillars of Christianity.
In the Catholic monastic tradition, there are several "hours" of prayer--much like Muslim prayer five times a day. Some Catholic churches still hold prayer services during some of these hours, but these churches are relatively few in the US. Most monasteries still practice them.
Western Christianity has unfortunately become more and more individualized, and fewer and fewer people know our rich heritage of prayer traditions. However, some protestant denominations are re-discovering the value of fasting, with some individuals practicing as much as a 40-day fast much like Ramadan. This usually is a one-time thing, a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts, practiced by those who wish to follow Jesus' footsteps as closely as possible: according to scripture, Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, fasting and praying, before he embarked on his ministry. Some Christians find one- to three-day fasts to be meaningful, particularly in the 40-day season leading up to Easter, when we focus on Jesus' trial, death, and resurrection. During this time, many Catholics refrain from eating red meat on Fridays. Many Christians also "give up" something that has a hold on their life during these 40 days.
Many Christians pray throughout their day, doing everything from reciting a psalm found in our scriptures, to saying a prayer Jesus taught us (known as the Lord's Prayer or the "Our Father"), to stating their faith using the Apostles' Creed, to simply speaking to God as we go about our everyday business. Our saints Paul and John of the Cross tell us that we should be praying without ceasing--praying all the time, no matter what we are doing. Some Christians practice this with a prayer as simple as, "Lord God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on me, a sinner." This prayer is repeated over and over until it is always in one's thoughts and heart.
Christian mystics throughout the ages have experienced many different ecstatic prayers, visions, and dreams. I have heard stories of Muslim believers who experience particularly intense times of prayer and dreaming during the season of Ramadan. Some Christians experience something similar during times of intense focus on Almighty God and his great grace to us all. Usually, the Christians who experience this have great time to devote to the worship of God and to prayer.
Unfortunately in Western culture, taking the time to do this has been devalued in the face of productivity and "getting things done." I don't think anyone would disagree if I said most Americans are constantly on the move. And I believe you will understand me when I say the point of religion in general is not "productivity" but spiritual fruitfulness. Bearing fruit takes time--sometimes it takes years after you plant a tree for it to bear fruit--and many Westerners (myself included) find themselves distracted from taking the time for spiritual discipline, and this is to our discredit. I have learned much from watching the discipline and ardent fervor of the Muslims in my life. Thank you for reminding me what true devotion can look like. While this answer is by no means definitive (there is so much else I could say!), I hope it has helped you gain some better understanding of Western Christianity.

Answer 9

One unfortunate "pillar" of Christianity, is that if you're not Christian, you'll roast on Satan's BBQ for eternity. I want no part of such beliefs.