Sect Church Cycle Essay

Religion creates division between humans because of the historical values and stories that are pasted down throughout the centuries yet many of the stories have very similar backgrounds. This division begins with the teachings of the religion to its followers and the degree to which they implement the teachings into their own lives. Humans have a distinct internal drive to be on top and in the best groups.

The process by which Scripture has been preserved and compiled is one whose history is worth noting. The early church had many opportunities to share the Good News of Christ via word of mouth, but from the time of Christ’s resurrection until the mid-second century, there had not been a single culmination of writings considered to be essential for the purposes of

The most prominent religions in the world are Christianity and Islam. Christianity is based on the teachings, beliefs, and practices of Jesus, while Islam is based on what Prophet Muhammad founded and taught, which includes the principle of total submission to Allah. When comparing the two religions, it is made apparent that there are a lot of differences in topics such as worship, practices, salvation, Jesus’s role, and many other things, which show the strength and weaknesses in both religions, and through those strengths and weaknesses it is made clear that Christianity is the more plausible religion.When comparing both religions, the first thing that separates them are the place of worship. Christians can worship in various places such as a church, Chapel, a Cathedral, and even from their home by watching their church live or watching other churches on television, which can be convenient because something would happen where a Christian would not be able to attend church, he or she could watch his or her church live from a computer or cell phone, listen to a church program on the radio, or watch a church program on television. On the other hand, Muslims do not have that broad of a list for a place of worship. The Muslims worship place is a Mosque. The Mosque is where a Muslim goes to pray with other Muslims. Although Muslims can pray anywhere a mosque is preferred because Islam teaches that Muslims should be around other Muslims to get to know each other better and to

Since the dawn of man, millions of people around the world coming from all kinds of diverse cultures and different backgrounds have been born into a family where some sort of religion is practiced. Fortunately, in the modern day here in the United States, we are free to worship and practice any religion we please. Two of the main religions in the United States and North America in general is Judaism and Christianity. It goes without saying that these two religions do have a lot in common, which is mostly due to the fact that Judaism was the forefather of Christianity. The main base is the same for both religions, the Old Testament.

Religion has played a big part of history around the world. Through religion we have learned so much about different cultures, beliefs and Traditions. Some of the religions that we discover in history are still dominate religions until this day. The Christianity and Islam Religion are two of the most practiced religions around the world today. From Christianity and Islam you get Christians and Muslims. The Christians and Muslims during the Crusades have similar and not so similar views on personal virtues and religious practices.

There are may religions in the world, but through out the different religions there are many crossovers and similarities. Mattie Stepanek said “It doesn't matter how you pray. Just pray. All religions are beautiful and they all have one common belief. There's something bigger and greater than us that can give us and take from us life. It is better than the here and now”. Religion itself means “a belief in and worship of a greater power” (dictionary.com). By people believing in any kind of religion, it means that similarities can start there. With so many religions having similarities, it might be hard to distinguish from certain religions from another. Religions like of African and Native Americans might not at first seem alike, but as you look deeper into their religions and see they have similarities. These similarities are attributed as beliefs, rituals, and history. Their growths and struggles might not have happened at the same time, but both religions are still celebrated today.

They are the oldest religions, where Christianity and Islam have their roots in Judaism; all three religions believe that there is one and only one God, but they have different facets of image of the one God they believe. Throughout the history of the human race, religions were established or expanded upon whether they’re monotheistic or polytheistic because religion provides a sense of connectedness. People of shared beliefs come together and celebrate the religion they believe. As Juliana Spahr’s poem “The Connection of Everyone with Lungs” states “In this everything turning and small being breathed in and out by everyone with lungs during all moments.” (Spahr 10) Even when we do not realize it, there is something that binds us together. When Spahr wrote her poem, she was talking about every American citizen being unified due the attacks on American soil, but the idea can still be extended to spirituality. Humans live in an ecological community where everyone is connected to everything else. Even for those that do not believe in God, there is still have a connection to desire some sort of spirituality. When Keith and Florence first met and talk about how they survived the destruction of the towers, they talk about God and their conversation goes into how the terrorists believe in God. Keith questions the idea of God and says “Who’s God? Which God? I don’t even know what it means, to believe in God. I never think about it.” (DeLillo 93) Keith and Florence conflict in their beliefs in God. Florence believes that there is a God that watches over her and she explicitly expresses that one doesn’t have to attend religious services to have a basic affiliation with God. It is a contrasting idea because there is Keith, who never gives a thought about a God existing and Florence who has a completely opposite view. Florence is an example

What happen next was to change the believers and establish the early church, when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together

Religion is a major foundation for many cultures. It is present all over the world in many different shapes and forms. But all religions have one thing in common, communality. Naturally, with rituals such as congregation people of religion are brought together. This community worships together, but this relationship extends further than the confines of a church. Members of the same church, or religion, have the same core values, and these commonalities result in a community that would not have otherwise existed. When there is a disregard for religion, there is a loss of community and thus a step

According to our text a church is coexist in a general population with similar practices of that population. Additionally the book describe a sect as an organization that does not fit into the norms of society. These sect eventually gain a large amount of followers and turn into churches. A sect-church cycle is the continuous phases of people belong to a church forming their own organization because of difference in beliefs, gaining large amount of followers and that organization becoming a church in with similar beliefs of the society in which it exist.

The Chinese Christian church in the United States often has ethnic characteristics, but different Chinese churches often have special concentration in the composition of the congregation, which reflects the tide of Chinese immigrants in different stages. For example, descendants of early immigrants from southern China usually have their fixed church. International students from the mainland of China have the church which they set up together. And other "informal immigrants" also formed Christian organizations. According to Aihui Lee, she divides American Chinese Christianity into four categories.

For centuries, religion has been a key underlying concept that has had the power to unite many individuals, and give them a sense of belonging. For thousands of years, polytheism was a widely popular religious affiliation until the transition into monotheism. The belief in only one god was a major shift in history, especially when looking at Christianity. The unity of faith for Christians has been an ideal from the beginning. On the other hand, Islam, and its followers the Muslims, are united in belief and practice because of Allah, or the God.

The sect-church cycle is described in our textbook as the events of when a church becomes divided over social issues and separates into a new sect of the same religion. When there is an issue in a denomination, they break off and gain followers and eventually this sect becomes its own church, and eventually the cycle repeats itself, thus forming the sect-church cycle. This is a very common thing in Christianity. One example of this given in our textbook is Methodism. The early Methodists were described as a radical bunch. They were very supportive of gender equality and of the abolition of slavery. Naturally, they had difficulty gaining popularity in the South, so they abandoned some of their traditional practices such as extreme celibacy and

would be free to establish healthy kingdom alliances with fellow spirit filled ministries. In Acts 2:42, the apostles clearly understood that the mission that they were called to was relational. So they continued daily from house to house, fellowshipping, breaking bread and praying. It’s a miracle to get 50 pastors in any city in America to come together for that city alone for any extended period of time. Most churches and pastors have tunnel vision and short memories just like children.

The four marks of our church are what we believe as Roman Catholics our church to be. We state these beliefs in the Nicene Creed and they are also shown in many other parts of our faith. Only the Roman Catholic Church reflects the fullness of these marks. It is through these marks that salvation can be achieved. These marks include One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostalic.