The view of mankind in Christianity

According to Christianity, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. It was on the sixth day that God created Man. From earth. This is exactly the same as in Judaism! In a way, that’s right.

The first Christians were Jewish before Christianity became a separate religion. So in many ways Christianity has the same view of mankind. Much of the Christian view of mankind is based on the creation myth in the Old Testament. And the Old Testament is the same as the Jewish Tanakh. Just as in Judaism, Christianity states that mankind is above everything else on earth.

Humans are more important than the animals and plants on earth. This is why human beings have a special value, an intrinsic value. Within Christianity, it is also believed that humans have free will and are responsible for their actions. This means that we can choose between right and wrong. Another similarity is the belief that humans have a soul.

But in terms of how the body is viewed, Christianity can sometimes differ from Judaism. Within Christianity the soul has traditionally represented everything that is good and pure. And the body… all that is evil. That which is evil, which goes against the will of God, is called sin. Sin and forgiveness from sin is a central concept in Christianity.

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve were the first humans. And they sinned against God. Therefore, within Christianity it is believed that all humans after them are born with sin. To have inherited sin from the first humans is called original sin. Because of original sin, humans owe something to God.

But when Jesus died on the cross, he took upon himself the sins of mankind. Jesus was punished instead of mankind. And because Jesus took the sins of mankind upon himself, humans can be forgiven by God, can be saved from sin: receive salvation. So when we do something wrong, and choose to sin, we can ask for forgiveness. But people can’t save themselves.

They have to believe in Jesus to receive God’s salvation. To believe in Jesus is the most important part of being Christian. As opposed to Judaism, anyone can become a Christian, as long as they believe in Jesus. So the view of mankind in Judaism is not exactly the same as in Christianity. There are some important differences!