Christianity practices

Importance of prayer:

- Enables christans to talk and listen to God.
- Helps chirstians to accept God's will even if it means suffering.
- Encourages reflection in the middle of a busy life.

Lord's prayer:

- Christians see it as model of good prayer as it combines praise to God whilst asking for one's needs.
- It reminds christians that God is the father of the whole christian community and it creates a sense of unity when everyone in the congregation says it together.
- Used in worship, holy communions, marriages, funerals and schools in commeration services in the UK.

Prayer - Is communcating with God either privately or through words of prayer.

Set prayers - Written down and said by one or more people eg. lord's prayer.

Informal prayer - Made up by individual using his or her own words.

Sacraments - holy rituals which believers recieve a special gift of grace.
Baptism - ritual through which a person becomes a member of the church, involves water to symbolise the washing away of sin.

Baptism

- Is cleansing of sin, recieves God's saving grace and the holy spirit, becomes a child of God.

Infant baptism - for babies and young children

- Practised in the catholic, methodist, anglician and united reformed christian churches.
- Removes orginal sin, allows child to be welcomed into church.
- Priest pours blessed water over baby's head, godparents & parents promise to bring up the child as a christian.

Believers baptism - people old enough to understand significance of the ritual.

- Practised by pentecostalists, person fully immersed in a pool symbolises new life in christ.
- Decision to dedicate a life to Jesus.
     - Person gives brief testimony of their faith in Jesus.

Holy communion - Known as the eucharist is the sacrament that uses bread and wine to celebrate the sacrifice of jesus.
Transubstantiation - The belief that Jesus' bones/body and blood was represented through the bread and the wine.

Meaning of holy communion:

- Protestant christians celebrate holy communion as a reminder of the last supper and the symbol of Jesus's sacrifice.
- Catholic, orthodox christians and some anglicans believe the bread and the wine becomes the body and the blood of christ.

Bible reference: 'For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.' 1 corthinthians 11:26

The impact of the holy communion:

Individuals - christians recieve God's grace by joining in the sacrifice of jesus.
Communities - Brings communities of believers together in unity of sharing the bread and wine.
Wider society - It encourages christians to work for equaility and justice for all.

In most churches, holy communion is celebrated in 2 parts: the ministry of the world which focuses on the bible and the minstry of the holy communion which is the offering, consecrating and sharing of the bread and wine.

Differences between holy communion services:

In orthodox churches:

- Holy communion is called divine liturgy and is believed to recreate heaven on earth.
- Most of the service is held at the alter behind the iconontasis which represents the divide between heaven and earth.
- The priest passes the iconostasis using the royal doors.

In catholic and anglican churches:

- Catholics believe the bread and wine turn into the body and blood of chirst whereas many anglicans believe jesus is the only present, in a spiritual way when the bread and wine and being eaten.

pilgrimage - A journey made by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons.

Role and importance of pligrimage:

- Reflect on one's life and thank God for a blessing.
- Strengthen faith in god and experience a holy place.
- Meet others who share the same faith and seek a cure for illness.

places of christian pligrimage:

Lourdes - A town in France.

- Water believed to have healing properties and a number of healing miracles claimed to have taken place here.
- Pilgrims pray, ask for healing, bathe in the water's of spring and recite rosary together here.

Iona - An island off the coast of scotland.

- Community has a ecumenical centre where pilgrims can stay.
- Pilgrims attenend service in the abbey,workshops and visit holy or historic sites.

Christmas - Commeomarates the incarnation of Jesus.

Midnight mass: Reflects the holiness of the night and the joy christians feel at Jesus' birth.

Carol services - With bible readings reminding christians about God's promise of a saviour and events of jesus' birth.

Easter - Most important christian festival, which celebrates jesus' rising from the dead (resurrection).

Holy week: Remembers the events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion including his arrest.

Good Friday: Day Jesus' was crucified, special services and person carrying a cross.

Easter Sunday: Services held at sunrise and share breakfast include eggs to symbolise new life.

Role of church:

- Support local projects, campaign for justice and provide social services such as schooling and medical care.
- Educate people about christianity, provide activities for younger people e.g. youth clubs.

Bible reference: 'And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills everything in everyway.' ephesians 1:22-23

Example of church helping local community:

The trussell trust:

- A charity running over 400 food banks in the uk.
- Aim to bring both non religious and religious people together to end poverty and hunger.
- Non perishable food is donated by churches, supermarkets, school, buisnesses and individuals.

Street pastors - People who are trained to patrol the streets in urban areas. They help vunerable people by providing a ressuring prescence on the street.

The importance of helping in the local community:

Bible reference: 'In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.' James 2:17

Jesus taught that christians should help other by showing them agape love:

2 examples of christian organastions that help local communites:
- Street pastors and parish nursing.

street pastors:

- They listen and advice people on where to seek help and discourage anti social behaviour.
- Work closely with police and local council.
- The main aim was to challenge gang culture and knife crime in London.

Jesus gave the commision to his disciples to spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations through baptism.

The aims of missionary work and evangelism are to work to persuade people to accept Jesus as their lord and saviour and extend the church to all nations.

Bible reference: 'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.' Matthew 28:19-20

Mission is a vacation or calling to spread the faith. The church has a mission to tell non -  believers that Jesus christ the son of God, came to the world as it's saviour.

Ways christians can spread the faith:

- Praying for others to accept God.
- Advertising using media such as facebook, twitter and christian radio.
- Sharing what God has done for them.

New christians are expected to help spread the faith.

Evangelism should convert others in the ways of following christ.

Christians believe humans were reconciled to God through jesus' death and reserruction.
Reconcilation is therefore an important part of the church's work.
For catholics the sacrament of reconciliation also helps to restore people's relationship with God.

Examples of organisation working for reconciliation:

Corrymeela community:

- Bring people together from different faiths and backgrounds together.
- They meet in a residential center in nothern ireland away from violence so they can work together constructively.

Irish churches peace project:

- Bring catholic and protestant together in nothern ireland.
- Aims to develop peace and understanding between 2 denominations.

Persecution:

- Persecution happens world wide but particularly in iraq, syria, somlia and north korea.
- Internation society for human rights estimate 80% of persecution of all acts of religious discriminations today are aimed at christians.
- Some christians response to persecution.

- For some christians, persecution can strengthen their faith and allows them to share in the suffering of jesus bible reference: 'I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.' Phillippians 3:10

- Church believes it is important to act against persecution by supporting the persecuted wherever possible and campaigning on their behalf bible reference: 'If one part suffers, everyone suffers with it, if one part is honoured, everyone rejoices in it.' 1 Corinthians 12:26

- Christians are encouraged to show love and forgivness towards their persecutors bible reference: 'Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.' Romans 1:22

Jesus once taught a rich man to sell everything and give it to the poor, mark 10:21

- The parable of the rich man and lazarus (luke 16:19-31) tells of a rich man who ends up in hell for ignoring a beggar.
- The parable of the sheep and the Goat says those that help the poor and suffering get to go to heaven to sit on the right side of God's shoulder.

Bible reference: 'But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him.' 1 john 3:17-18

Examples of charity and their work:
Christian aid:

- Supports projects to encourage suistanable development.
- Provides emergency relief, such as food, water, shelter and sanitation.

CAFOD:

- Works with local organastion to train,supply and support communities to work their own way out of poverty.
- Gives short term aid.
       - Encourages catholic schools to pray,give money and campaign for justice.