Christianity is one of the largest religions in the world. With many philosophical beliefs attached to it, it seems that the world easily confuses what Christianity is truly based on.
Many people understand the basics: the belief and following of Jesus Christ, but at the same time, this is the only thing they understand.
There are so many deep and beautiful beliefs surrounding this philosophy. However, the fundamental questions that Christianity is based on are quickly misinterpreted, and as a strong believer in this religion, I would like to clear things up.
Christian philosophy examines the existence of God through the teachings rooted in the life of Jesus Christ. When people first look at Jesus and Christianity, they assume that if you live like Him then you have earned your spot in eternity. Though this idea is very commonly perceived, it is, however, not the case. As Christians, we believe that it takes more than just doing good things in your lifetime to be able to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
A key to your salvation is not just your works, but your faith as well. The salvation we receive is a gift from God, which cannot be bought through our actions, but it is rewarded through our faith in Jesus Christ. With such faith, we produce good works as we live out our lives. So, in actuality, good deeds are more of a product of our faith and the action of following God, instead of being a guarantee for getting into heaven.
Another common misinterpretation concerning faith is the idea that faith and science cannot coincide with one another. When truly studying the word of God, one can realize that science backs up what Christianity has to say and vice versa. Many early scholars, when studying science, used the ideas and beliefs of Christianity to help determine significant parts of what is now our development of modern science. As a Christian, faith plays a substantial part in my life and the lives of other Christians as well, which, I feel, is what many outsiders mainly see in a follower of Christ – the strength and level of one’s faith. However, I also feel that it is important to note that Christianity does not just center around blind faith.
Blind faith is simply just believing in or following something with no reasoning behind it. What some people may view as contradictory, the majority of Christian teachings involve the practice of having a really strong and devout faith. This concept is one of the leading misinterpretations that quickly spread to the minds of others.
On the other hand, when you truly start to look deeper into the philosophy, it’s clear that these false ideas are torn apart in the Bible. The Bible teaches its followers to explore evidence and learn the meaning and understanding behind the truths that are presented. For those to grow in their relationship with God, they must be able to ask questions along with being able to receive the answers as well, forcing Christians to stray away from solely following blind obedience.
When it comes to knowing the philosophy behind Christianity, the most heartbreaking misconception is the idea that Christianity oppresses women. This notion couldn’t be further from the truth, but yet, somehow it’s one of the most believed ideas. I think this tends to be that this is such a strong belief for outsiders because society calls on them to believe it. The culture today tends to pick and choose what exactly they want to take from the Bible and misconstruct it in so many ways possible, completely confusing it from its original truth.
It is important to note that Christianity looks at humans as beings created in the image of God, which is truly an outstanding statement to sit in–the idea that God thought for so long and so intricately about you and how He wanted you created. The best part about this is that it didn’t just apply to men but to women as well. Furthermore, when delving into Christianity, we see Jesus openly respecting and encouraging the women in His ministry.
Thanks to the increase in interpretations of the Bible, it is easy for one to read certain verses and misguide them for different meanings, especially if you have no prior background knowledge of Jesus as a whole.
Yet, for those within the faith, it’s our priority to understand what the Bible is trying to communicate. By understanding the history and linguistics of the Bible, one can truly comprehend its meanings pushing all falsehood aside, such as the idea that women are oppressed by Christianity.
Nonetheless, any philosophy is bound to have some form of disbelief or misunderstanding. However, whether you practice Christianity or not, I hope you can understand the fundamental topics that surround this religion and better educate yourself on the misconceptions of what Christianity truly is.