Have you ever asked yourself:  Where was God in the middle of our turmoils?

How can I be
thankful and trust God like this?
"We must never forget that we live in a fallen world. If things go wrong and trials beset us, this
isn’t a reflection on the power and genuineness of God’s love. Nor does it necessarily imply that
we have sinned against Him or displeased Him. It simply means that the world isn’t what it’s
supposed to be."
 
Intro to Christianism:
 As we all know, Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the
world, with more than 2 billion followers. The Christian faith centers on
beliefs regarding the birth, life, death, and resurrection of  Jesus
Christ. While it started with a small group of adherents, many historians
regard the spread and adoption of Christianity throughout the world as one of
the most successful spiritual missions in human history.
 

Who was Jesus? 

 Most historians believe that Jesus was a real person who was born between 2
B.C. and 7 B.C. Much of what scholars know about Jesus comes from the
New Testament of the Christian Bible.

 According to the text, Jesus was born to a young Jewish virgin

named Mary in the town of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem in modern day
Palestine, Christians believe the conception was a supernatural event, with
God impregnating Mary through the Holy Spirit. 

When he was around 30 years old, Jesus started his public ministry after
being baptized in the Jordan River by the prophet known as John the
 Baptist. For about three years, Jesus traveled with 12 appointed disciples
(also known as the 12 apostles), teaching large groups of people and
performing what witnesses described as miracles. Some of the most well-
known miraculous events included raising a dead man named Lazarus from
the grave, walking on water and curing the blind. 

Jesus' Teachings

 Jesus used parables—short stories with hidden messages—in his teachings.

In one of Jesus’s most famous speeches, which became known as the  Sermon
on the Mount, he summarized many of his moral instructions for his
followers.

 Love God.
 Love your neighbor as yourself.
 Forgive others who have wronged you.
 Love your enemies.
 Ask God for forgiveness of your sins.
 Jesus is the Messiah and was given the authority to forgive others.
 Repentance of sins is essential.
 Don’t be hypocritical.
 Don’t judge others.
 The Kingdom of God is near. It’s not the rich and powerful—but the
weak and poor—who will inherit this kingdom.
History of Christianity
  According to the Bible, the first church organized itself 50 days after
Jesus’s death on the Day of Pentecost—when the Holy Spirit was said to
descend onto Jesus’s followers. Most of the first Christians were Jewish
converts, and the church was centered in Jerusalem. Shortly after the
creation of the church, many Gentiles (non-Jews) embraced
Christianity.  Early Christians considered it their calling to spread and teach
the gospel. One of the most important missionaries was the apostle Paul, a
former persecutor of Christians.

Types of Christianity
Christianity is broadly split into three branches: Catholic, Protestant and
(Eastern) Orthodox. 

The Catholic branch is governed by the Pope and Catholic bishops around the

world. The Orthodox (or Eastern Orthodox) is split into independent units
each governed by a Holy Synod; there is no central governing structure akin
to the Pope. 

There are numerous denominations within Protestant Christianity, many of

which differ in their interpretation of the Bible and understanding of the
church.  Some of the many denominations that fall under the category of
Protestant Christianity include:  Baptist ,Episcopalian,  Evangelist, 
Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican and etc.

The Human Person as an Embodied

Spirit: Christianism
                                        Is life in our contemporary world dictated by
technology? Are we pushing the responsibility for our existence on to society,
instead of facing the questions of who we are? According to a monk, (Thomas
Merton) there is no other way for us to find who we are than by finding in
ourselves the divine image. We have to struggle to regain spontaneous and
vital awareness of our own spirituality. 

What is the spirit? How does the spirit define the nature
of man? 

 The notion of soul and spirit is prevalent in various cultures and religions.
The Christian doctrine holds that the spirit is created by God and that it is
embodied in the human being. Upon the body's demise, the spirit continues to
persist into the afterlife. The spirit is also an essential element for the
salvation of mankind, as the departed spirits will be raised from the dead
during the end times and shall receive the judgment of God.
The Catholic doctrine holds that the human person is the union of the body
and soul, and that man's soul enables him to know and love God and grants
him the dignity of a person. It is through the soul that man is able to share in
God's life and it is this relationship with God that defines his/her existence.

If the spirit exists, does God exist? 

The spiritual aspect of human existence is a vital component of religious

belief. The belief in the spiritual embraces the concept of the divine,
particularly the existence of God. Philosophy has long debated the concept
of God and Divinity. Theologically speaking, God is acknowledged as the
Supreme Being w/c governs all existence; and the center of faith and
devotion of religion. Christians believe in a single God ( monotheism) who
has the ff characteristics: 

 Omniscience ( God is all-knowing) 

 Omnipotence ( All-powerful) 
 Omnipresence ( Ever-present God) 
 Eternal ( God is timeless and has no beginning  and end) 
 Benevolence ( All perfectly good, just and loving) 
Theologians have embarked on a study of God through the analysis of sacred texts
( revealed theology) while some have employed reason to substantiate the
existence of God (natural theology) Studies in natural theology have given rise to
several arguments on the existence of God. The ontological argument contends
that since man, a rational being, is able to conceive the notion of Supreme Being,
then it holds to reason that such Supreme Being exists. The teleological
argument meanwhile, focuses on the purposes of a God would play in the
universe. It argues that a Supreme being is necessary for the continued existence of
an orderly but complex universe. The cosmological argument takes into account
the nature of existence and the universe and recognizes the existence of God as an
explanation of how things came to being in our reality. 
 

Biblical God and Humanity

Religious people definitely do not treat God's existence as a hypothesis, for
God is a constant presence, rather than a being whose existence as accepted
as the best explanation of available of available evidence. In neither the
Jewish nor Christian Bibles is there any argument for God's existence. For
the biblical writers, proving God's existence would be as pointless as
trying to prove the existence of the air we breathe.  

God is recognized Creator of the universe and continues to be present in all

creation and in His followers. God plays a central role in redemptive
salvation as it is through Him that saving faith is effected. God's presence
in this universe may be seen as
either immanent or transcendent. Immanence regards God as manifesting
Himself in the world as unique entity.  Christian doctrine recognizes God's
immanence through Jesus Christ who came into being as part of salvation
and suffered and died for mankind. Upon Christ's resurrection and
ascension, God's presence continues to guide humanity through the Holy
Spirit. 

The growth of Christianity has greatly influenced the development of

theology and various Christian thinkers have put forth their ideas on the
nature of God.  

Here is a ppt for you to understand more about Christian thinkers and their
philosophy: