1 Unit Religion Half Yearly

4. How do you think this event fulfilled the great commission & began the development of Christian Communities?
The men that were gathered from every nation when the disciples spoke in tongues were then convinced of the workings of God as they became witnesses to the miracles that they had heard about. They were then able to go back to their nations and minister the words of God themselves with faith.
6. See v22-24: Peter now tells the crowd the message about Jesus death and resurrection (this is called the gospel). Think again 'how does this show Peter taking the Great Commission seriously?
Peter preaches that god has give life to Jesus again after death, as death wasn’t strong enough to hold back the work of the Lord, and now that Jesus has experienced heaven as well as life on Earth it is impossible for the people not to follow the Great Commission, and the word of the Lord.
8. How does Pentecost therefore play an important role in the development of Christian Communities after the death of Jesus?
Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church, and is celebrated in churches every week on the holy day (Sunday). Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit onto the earliest followers of Jesus.

In Acts 1 and the Gospel of Matthew 28, The Great Commission is given by Jesus Christ to the apostles. This is believed to be the beginning of the development of Christian communities. The Great Commission happened a few weeks after Jesus’ death and resurrection, as Jesus had followers before (the disciples), but his resurrection brought faith to many others, and when the word was spread, believers flocked from all the nations.
The Great Commission demanded his followers to spread the word, and so they did. Within a few weeks it was believed that 3000 gathered in the name of God. This baptism of around 3000 is called the Pentecost. On this day God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, descended on the disciples, giving them powers such as being able to quote from the gospel, and speaking in tongues (unknown languages). This day is now celebrated as the birthday of the Church and is held on the holy day.
Peter and James were responsible for delivering the Gospel to the Jews in Jerusalem. The Jews that they converted were then known as Jewish Christians. They concentrated on the part of the Great Commission that mentioned ‘Jerusalem’.
The primary impact that Paul left on Christianity after him is through his letters, but in his own time, he was primarily a prophet to the non-Jews, bringing them the message of the crucified Messiah, and did this in an extraordinary way. He saw that the cities were the key to the rapid spread of this new message, and didn’t stop until he reached Rome where he was executed.

Catholicism
The Catholic movement emerged in the fourth century as the demise of the Roman Empire became apparent. At this time the capital of the Empire was split between Rome in the west and Constantinople in the east. Consequently when a unifying creed (or statement of belief) was proposed the bishop in Rome expressed different emphases to the authority in Constantinople and thus a rift appeared. The flavour of Christianity in Rome continued to develop into what is called Catholicism today.
Basic Beliefs * The Pope is the head of the church on earth & has authority to add to the Biblical authority. * Faith in Jesus Christ alone is not sufficient for salvation, righteous works must accompany faith, even though God will ultimately decide. * Mary as the mother of Jesus receives great emphasis: she is prayed to and is revered as the mother of the church. * The church focuses on sacraments (for example the Lord's supper holds great significance and Catholics believe that the literal body of Jesus is present in the bread and the literal blood of Jesus is present in the wine). * Purgatory is a unique catholic belief not found in scripture (the Bible). * The Church & scripture have EQUAL authority. * Women cannot be ordained as priests. * Men are to be unmarried and celibate in order to serve as priests and bishops (this too is not determined by scripture, rather tradition).
Orthodoxy
When western Christianity in Rome ended up branching off into Catholicism in the 4th century, the largely Greek eastern province in Constantinople developed into what we now call the Orthodox tradition. This tradition is only very small today and survives in the form of fifteen self governing churches.
Basic Beliefs * Major emphasis on liturgy (this means there is an emphasis on celebrating the eucharist which centers on the Lord's Supper). * Incense, sung liturgies, sanctuaries, symbolism & ceremonies. * Traditions are held to strongly. * Male married priests are allowed but not bishops.
Protestantism
Protestants were given their name due mostly to the constant 'protests' that they held against the Catholic church in the 16th century. Through the works of Martin Luther (he nailed 95 theses to the door of the Wittenburg Cathedral in protest against the Catholic churches insistence that people could buy their way out of damnation by purchasing 'indulgences' from the Catholic church) & John Calvin the protestant reformation was born. Protestants differ markedly from their Catholic peers in the following:
Basic Beliefs * The Pope is not authoritative above the Bible. In fact, the Pope is not regarded at all by Protestants. * Authority is derived from Scripture (Bible) and Scripture alone. If anyone (pope included) steps outside of Scripture, Protestants will not accept their teaching as being 'of God'. * The Bible is the only source of revealed truth from God as it was written by eyewitnesses and inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16ff). * Salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Righteous deeds flow from God's saving grace, they do not somehow help save you. * All believers are rightly called 'priests' (1 Peter 2:9). * God is completely transcendent and all mankind has fallen into Sin, only Jesus can provide salvation. * Liturgy, sacraments and ceremony are not as rigid and revered as in Orthodoxy and Catholicism. * Conservative protestants ordain only men to high positions of leadership due to the many aspects of instruction in Scripture, however women are included in all aspects of the church family and encouraged to lead other women and children. * Emphasis is on preaching, teaching and hearing of God's word as found in scripture.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is essentially a branch of Catholicism with two flavours. High-church Anglicanism is very similar to the Catholic church and maintains much emphasis on sacraments, ceremony, liturgy and tradition. Low-church evangelical Anglicanism is wholly protestant in its persuasion. Anglicanism was born out of the reformation that birthed the protestant movement and depending on where it is practiced, different ends of the high and low spectrums are experienced. In Australia for example, the Sydney diocese is revered for its evangelical protestant flavour and would be labeled as 'low-church' Anglican, however the Perth Diocese is very 'high-church' and emphasises liturgy, tradition, ceremony and processionals.
The Anglican church was named the 'Church of England' up until very recently in Australia and takes its roots from it's English heritage after the reformation.
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a very new movement in the history of Christianity. It moved out of the protestant reformation but didn't take form until the 20th century in the USA.
Basic Beliefs * Very big emphasis on the 'gifts of the Holy Spirit' from Acts Chapter 2. * Corporate worship that involves congregational singing and contemporary inclusiveness is vital. * Bible is very important but experiential faith is of exceptional importance. * Speaking in tongues is claimed to be evidence of the Holy Spirit and therefore necessary for all true pentecostal adherents. * An example of a pentecostal movement in Australia is Hillsong Church in Sydney.

The immanent dimension emphasises the presence of God or gods within human existence, in the day-to-day, concrete, ordinary concerns of life, rather than above and beyond it

Buddhism is a world religion that looks at divine powers within; this is the essence of Immanence. It is not concerned so much with the origins of life, but rather what the individual does with the life that they have.