Christianity Educational Posters, Prints, Photographs, Charts & Maps
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World Religions -
Christianity Wall Poster
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
Luke 6:37

Christianity is based on the life of Jesus Christ, a Jew who encourage his followers to love God and one another. Jesus lived in what is now Israel about 2,000 years ago. There are many different denominations, or groups, of Christians, but all Christians celebrate Jesus and his teaching. Although Christianity began as a scorned sect of Judaism, it spread rapidly. Today more than 1.9 billion people follow Christianity, making it the world's largest religion.

The Bible in the Christian holy book. The New Testament of the Bible describes Jesus' life and the experiences of some of the First Christians. Like Jews, Christians believe in the god of the Old Testament of the Bible. Christianity is monotheistic – that is, Christians believe in one God. But Christians believe Jesus was God on Earth in human form. During his life, some powerful leaders disliked Jesus, and he was executed as a criminal. According to the Bible, after Christ's death, he rose from the dead and appeared to his followers. He told then that those who had faith in him and followed God's teachings would be forgiven their sins and have everlasting life in Heaven.

Christianity spread rapidly after it became the official religion of the Roman Empire during the 4th century A.D. But centuries of debate over Christian beliefs and practices led the Eastern Orthodox Church to split from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054. Then, in 1517, a priest named Martin Luther rejected some of the practices of Catholicism. He said that Christians are saved through faith in Jesus rather than through effort or participation in the Church. Followers of Luther's belief extablished Protestantism in the religious movement called the Reformation.

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Christianity

Poster Text:
Introduction: Christianity is the world's largest religion, with about 2 billion followers. There are Christians on every continent, and they belong to every nationality.

Key beliefs: Christians believe in one God who revealed his son Jesus to the world to demonstrate to people how he wanted them to live. Most Christians accept the "Creed" as a summary of Christian belief.

Founder: Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew, born about 4 BCE in the Roman Province of Judea. He lived in obscurity until he was about 30 years old, when he gathered a group of followers and lived the life of a wandering rabbi for three years, teaching about God. He was tried and executed by the Romans. Three days later his followers reported seeing him alive again. Christians believe Jesus was the Messiah (Christos in Greek) promised to the Jews.

Branches: There are three main brances of the Christian Church:
Eastern Orthodox - including Orthodox, Copts and Armenians
Roman Catholic - the largest branch of Christianity, whith more than 1 billion people
Protestant or Reformed Churches - including Anglican and Episcopalian churches, and many other groups.

Leaders: The Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. the Eastern Orthodox churches accept the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Patriarch of Constantinople, as their leader. The Anglican Communion is lead by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Other churches have individual leaders.

Worship: Christian worship is both congregational and individual. It includes praying, singing hymns, reading scriptures, and teaching. For many Christians the focal point of worship is the Eucharist, also called the Mass or Holy Communion.

Buildings: The work "Church" refers to the entire Christian community, both worldwide and locally, as well as the building in which Christians usually worship.

Holy books: Christinas call their holy book "The Bible." This contains the Old Testament - the Jewish Terakh - and the New Testament. The Old Testament starts with Creation and traces the hisotry and religion of the Jewish people and the promise of the Messiah. The New Testament contains records of the life and teaching of Jesus, the birth of the Christian Church, and letters of Christian teachings written during the early years of the religion's existence.

Rites of passage: Baptism is the sign of becoming a member of the Christian church. Some churches practice infant baptism, while in others only believing Christinas can receive baptism. Confirmation is the ceremony in which people take on the promises made at their infant baptism. Marriage is performed "in the sight of God."

Festivals: Christian festivals celebrate events in the life of Christ (Jesus), or in the life of a famous holy person (a saint). The three major festivals are: Christmas, celebrating the birth of Christ; Easter, celebrating his resurrection; and Pentecost, celebratin the gift of the Holy Spirit.

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According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem to Mary, a virgin, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. Joseph and Mary of Nazareth were in Bethlehem because Jews were required to report for a census by Caesar Augustus.

Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birth, has been traditionally celebrated on December 25 in Western Christianity; in Eastern Christianity, Jesus' birth is generally celebrated on January 6, also known as Epiphany. Setting the celebration on a winter date seems to have been initiated by the early Roman Catholic Church in an attempt to replace the Roman festival of Saturnalia as Biblical accounts suggest the activities of the shepherds were more likely to take place in the spring or summer season.

Joseph and Mary used a stable manger as a crib for the infant Jesus when they couldn't find room at the inn. The Gospels report that the family was visited by the lowly shepherds, and the "Wise Men" or "Magi" who brought gifts of "gold, frankenscence and myrhh" after following a star they believed was a sign that the King of the Jews, had been born (Matthew 2:1-12).

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The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. After Jesus was baptized the Gospel of Mark states “the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven saying: ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’”. (Mark 1:10–11)

Jesus attracted large crowds in his ministry where he performed miracles and used parables to teach about love, forgiveness, faith, and humility. The Sermon on the Mount included the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer.

The only money accepted for ceremonies at the Temple in Jerusalem was Jewish coinage, people with Greek and Roman coins had to change money to worship. Jesus, offened by the commerce, drove the merchants out; later the priests, teachers, elders, Pharisees and Herodians questioning Jesus' authority to do the things that he is doing.

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The last meal Jesus shared with his Apostles, during Passover and before the Crucifiction, is called the Last Supper. Christian ceremonies of the Eucharist and Holy Communion is based on the sharing of bread and wine: Jesus breaks the bread saying "this is my body", takes a cup of wine saying "this is my blood."

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Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus which occurred on the third day of his death by crucifixion. Easter is observed in the spring season of the northern hemisphere, a time of renewal and rebirth after the death of winter.

St. Patrick with Shamrock & Crozier

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