The Bible tells of Men experiencing God
THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
The Bible tells of Men experiencing God
Over the centuries, people have passed on their experiences of God by telling others and writing them down. The Bible, the Sacred Scriptures of the Christians, is a collection of different texts. The first part (“Old Testament”) tells us about the faith experiences of the Jewish people in the time before Jesus Christ was born. The second part (“New Testament”) comprises what four authors wrote about the life of Jesus. These texts are called "Gospels", which means "good news". Furthermore, the New Testament consists of other texts dating from early Christian times.
The most important thing for Christians, however, is not a holy book, but the personal relationship with God. The example that Jesus Christ set with his life is always crucial when it comes to understanding the teachings and commandments communicated to us in the Bible. The faithful are to cultivate a friendship with God. Fundamental to Christianity is the understanding that God seeks not man’s subjugation but man’s loving response. He seeks not submission, but reciprocated love. The faithful read different passages from these Sacred Scriptures at home or listen to them at the religious services. In order to help people understand the Gospel and to pass it on from generation to generation, the Bible reports how Jesus of Nazareth chose 12 men, whom we call the Apostles. After their death, these first Apostles were succeeded by the bishops, an office which has evolved over the centuries. The most important bishop is the bishop of Rome, the Pope. He, together with all the other bishops, strives to ensure that the Catholic Church remains faithful to the Gospel.
A bishop usually leads a diocese, which is the community of all faithful people in a larger geographical area. The bishop is the authoritative teacher of doctrine and interpretation of the word of the Sacred Scriptures in his particular diocese. Each diocese consists of parishes. In Austria there are 10 Catholic dioceses. Apart from that, there are also some Orthodox, Protestant and Old Catholic bishops in Austria.
5.8 million Austrians are members of one of the Christian churches – this is 67 per cent of the population. The major part of them – 89 per cent – is Roman-Catholic.
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