Christian Beliefs on Suffering, Death and Resurrection
The death of Jesus is one of the most important Christian beliefs
throughout all Christian Churches. Christians believe that the death
of Jesus holds many meanings for all of us: it was the means of
salvation, a form of atonement and it gave us the chance of
reconciliation so that through his death the gates of heaven have been
opened where we can achieve eternal life.
Jesus faced opposition throughout his life, this conflict came to its
culmination before Jesus' death, in the temple, at Gethsemane and
particularly at the trials. His death was a result of both religious
and political factors. The questions put to Jesus at his trials
illustrate the religious and political differences. At the Jewish
trial Jesus was asked "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed
One?"(Mk.14:61) which is of obvious religious significance. Pilate
asked Jesus at the Roman Trial "Are you the King of the Jews?"(Mk,
15:2) which suggests a political charge of treason. Jesus was then
charged, mocked and crucified.
Christians believe that Jesus did not die in vain, as it was God's
plan, part of the plan of salvation, both Jesus and God knew it must
happen. Jesus knew it was his duty to go through with it so instead of
avoiding the authorities in Jerusalem, he preached and taught to
everyone as he normally would, knowing he would get caught. It was the
Father's will, "Father take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet
not what I will, but what you will." (Mk 14:36) The crucifixion was
also necessary for the Resurrection to take place. Without each other
they do not make sense alone. The Crucifixion and Resurrection go
hand-in hand.
The death of Jesus was also for atonement, Jesus died to save us from
our sins, "To give his life as a ransom for many." (Mk. 10:45) Jesus'
life was a ransom, his death was a payment for our sins. As man sinned
God demanded a payment from man but only a truly innocent victim could
The Lord was so gracious that he died for us so that we can repent, and we should use that gift for granted.
The traditional Christian answer to why God allowed the death of Christ is for the absolution of humanity’s sin. However, this begs the question, as an omnipotent God why was it necess...
According to Communication between cultures by Larry A.Samovar, Richard E. Porter and Edwin R.McDaniel, Buddhism was originated in Indian by the prince named Siddharth Guatama in about 563 B.C. Siddharth was born into a great luxury. He was married and by the age of 29 disillusioned with his opulence and ventured out of his palace. For the first time, the prince was encountered old age, sickness, and death. He was so moved with the painful realities of life that he left his wife and comfortable home to search for an end to human suffering. For the next six years, the prince discovered the way to overcome the suffering of life. He engaged himself in deep meditation and lived an austere life. It was the completion of calm and sense of serene confidence. He emerged from his self-imposed seclusion and became Buddha. (139)
"Apology" and "Phaedo" Knowledge of Death versus Belief in a Soul In Plato’s "Apology," Socrates says that he knows nothing of death while in "Phaedo" he discusses many of his beliefs on death and its philosophical ramifications. From this simple perspective it may seem as though he is contradicting himself although he, after further investigation, is not. Philosophically, the idea of death and an afterlife can be looked at from multiple non-contradictory viewpoints. Socrates talks of his lack of knowledge of death in order to define, more so, his philosophy on life. While in "Phaedo," he talks explicitly about his philosophy on death. The two discussions of death are equally important in determining Socrates’ overall philosophical outlook on life and death although the have different emphasis. They both do help to define philosophy’s proper relationship to death. In Plato’s "Apology " Socrates announces that he is not afraid of death because he knows nothing of it. His lack of knowledge of death is relative to his knowledge of living and, in that manner, helps to define his knowledge of life. Socrates, at his trial, is faced with the death penalty unless he pleads with the judges for a different sentence. The sentences that he may be able to obtain instead of death are a fine, banishment from the city, or imprisonment. Socrates refuses and accepts death. His reasoning for this decision is that the other options are most certainly evils; owing money that he does not have to people he does not want to pay, being sent away from his friends, his family, his city and his home to go to a foreign land, or imprisonment. His beliefs, though, and his teachings seem most valuable to him and any inter...
Redemption is the act of being saved by from sin, error, or evil. Redemption is a major theme in all writings, short-stories, novels, poems, plays, etc. Many people in their lives look to achieve redemption by the time they kick the bucket, however sometimes redemption is achieved with death. In Christianity I am reminded of the significance of the death of Christ on the cross to relate to the theme of redemption in death. In this paper I hope to accomplish a contrast of the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines and the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, by using the theme of redemption in death, and also ultimately explaining
"Grieving and death rituals vary across culture and are heavily influenced by Religion (Medscape)." Cross cultural beliefs, ceremonies, and rituals allow for the deaths of individuals to be encompassed in a more organized social order (Death and Dying, A sociological perspective). The religious rituals encountered are often influential in funeral arrangements and grieving behaviors. On a sociological level, we can interpret these things in a more objective way. I believe that in order to understand religion and culture: we must first understand the concepts that may be seen as highly influential. These concepts include religion and culture in association with social class, social norms, social reality, and class systems. The two religions I found most interesting were Hinduism and Buddhism.
Each month our educational center section provides the Hinduism Today staff with a 'kind of group meditation. Individually we ponder our subject, and together we discuss it in detail. These past 30 days our meditation was on death. You might think we had a morbid March. Not so, since, as U.S. General George Patton rightly noted, "For Hindus death is the most exalted experience of life."
experiences and its beliefs developed over time about sin, salvation, grace, faith and so forth.2
Death in Different Religions Death has a great impact on people's lives in such a way that they learn to value life, or even live it to the fullest. But what happens to us after we die? Many religions have answered this question for us, according to their faiths. Buddhism is a religion where Buddhists believe in the concept of death and reincarnation or rebirth.
The concept of suffering plays an important role in Christianity, regarding such matters as moral conduct, spiritual advancement and ultimate destiny. Indeed an emphasis on suffering pervades the Gospel of Mark where, it can be argued, we are shown how to "journey through suffering" (Ditzel 2001) in the image of the "Suffering Son of Man" (Mark 8:32), Jesus Christ. Although theologians have suggested that Mark was written to strengthen the resolve of the early Christian community (Halpern 2002, Mayerfeld 2005), the underlying moral is not lost on a modern reader grappling with multifarious challenges regarding faith in the face of suffering. In his article "A Christian Response to Suffering", William Marravee (1987) describes suffering as an "experience over which we men and women continue to stumble and fall". The way we view God is crucial to the way we view suffering according to Marravee, who delineates the disparity between a view of God as an ‘outsider’ and the biblical image of God – where God is an ‘insider’ who suffers with us in our struggle. This essay seeks to explain the Christian view of suffering and the purpose suffering can have in our lives.
Hinduism is unlike many other religions in that it does not have a single founder or text, but is more like an umbrella in ways of life. In death and life for the Hindu, “The ultimate goal of the soul is liberation from the wheel of rebirth, through reabsorption into our identity with the Oversoul (Brahma)-- the essence of the universe, immaterial, uncreated, limitless, and timeless” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p. 134).
In other words, Jesus, although perfect and blameless in all His ways, took on the title criminal and died as such. He was crucified on a cross at Calvary. No other God has died for his people. Jesus drank the cup of wrath that was reserved for mankind (Matthew 26:39). Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The death and resurrection of Jesus purchased victory over death for humanity, if they choose to accept Him as their Lord and Savior (1 Cor. 15:55). Those who cling to the Gospel, either in sharing it or receiving of it, must believe that Jesus’ death is the only route to attain salvation. He is the only way, truth, and life (John 14:6,
Jesus Christ’s life and mission, which is now present worldwide, is the origin of the Roman Catholicism. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became man, died and rose from the dead to redeem humanity from sin (Catholic Truth Society, 3). He passed his mission of salvation to the Catholic Church through his apostles and then their successors (Catholic Truth Society, 4).
If there is one constant in this world, it would surely be death. Dying is an unavoidable part of life. Indeed, everything that lives will at sometime die. The fear of death is held by everyone. Perhaps it is the correlation of death with pain or the unknown state of the human consciousness after death, maybe a combination of both, that creates this fear. The fear felt is undoubtedly universal, however, the ways in which it is dealt with are varied and diverse.
"Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:15), or as Paul puts it in Romans 6:23 " the wages of sin is death". Christ never sinned, and therefore did not earn the wages of sin. Therefore God raised him from the dead "having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." (Acts 2:24). The full story of Christ's death and resurrection can be found in Matthew 27 & 28, Mark 15 & 16, Luke 23 & 24, and John 18 - 21.