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Worship
Most churches - Protestant,
Roman Catholic and Orthodox - share some basic elements in common in worship:
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A singing of hymns by
either the congregation, choir and/or soloist
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Scriptural reading from
Old Testament, Epistles and Gospels
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A lesson (homily) or
sermon by the Priest or minister often related to the scriptural reading for
the day
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A unison recitation of
the "Lord’s Prayer" (the "Our Father"): a directive
for prayer given by Jesus and found in the Gospels (MT 6:9-13) and, in some
churches, a recitation of the Nicene Creed
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A collection of money
(offertory) to support the church, its missions and/or its charitable work
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The Communion Meal,
"Lord’s Supper" or Eucharist, the climax of worship in some
churches or only once a month or less
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A "passing of the
peace" greeting each other with words such as "may the peace of
God be with you" "and also with you"
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Prayers for the sick
The Christian Life
Besides church attendance
for worship and Bible study, Christians live their faith in their daily lives:
:
social service (feeding the homeless, helping the poor)
Evangelizing and
Proselytizing : making new converts
Moral values and ethical
living : varies greatly between liberal and
conservative Christians. Debates range on issues such as:
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church-state issues
(e.g., prayer and religion in public schools and other public venues)
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issues of sexuality:
abortion, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, "living together"
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personal issues such
as dress, use of make-up, dancing, diet
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social equality
issues of race and gender (including the role of women in the church)
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extending the
Christian "love ethic" to the environment ("creation
spirituality")
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views toward science
and modern medical techniques (e.g., creationism vs. evolution,
experimentation, cloning, euthanasia, blood transfusions, prayer instead
of medicine)
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public policy issues
such as capital punishment, gun control, violence and sexuality in
entertainment and the Internet…
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