Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Ann Arbor Michigan www cherrylakepublishing com Content Adviser Alexander Kocar Princeton University Reading Adviser Marla Conn MS Ed Literacy specialist Read-Ability Inc Photo Credits marchello74 Shutterstock cover 1 vvoe Shutterstock 5 Matt Ragen Shutterstock 6 Freedom Studio Shutterstock 8 Renata Sedamakova Shutterstock 11 Janaka Dharmasena Shutterstock 12 Gerasimova Inga Shutterstock 14 cdrin Shutterstock 16 Rick Schroeppel Shutterstock 19 giulio napolitano Shutterstock 21 Peter Titmuss Shuttterstock 22 Gabriel Petrescu Shutterstock 24 Lisa F Young Shutterstock 27 Rawpixel com Shutterstock 28 Copyright 2017 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names Marsico Katie 1980 author Title Christianity by Katie Marsico Description Ann Arbor Michigan Cherry Lake Publishing 2017 Series Global citizens world religions Includes bibliographical references and index Identifiers LCCN 2016033580 ISBN 9781634721554 hardcover ISBN 9781634722216 pdf ISBN 9781634722872 pbk ISBN 9781634723534 ebook Subjects LCSH Christianity Juvenile literature Classification LCC BR125 5 M35 2017 DDC 230 dc23 LC record available at https lccn loc gov 2016033580 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning Please visit www p21 org for more information Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics ABOUT THE AUTHOR Katie Marsico is the author of more than 200 children’s books She lives in a suburb of Chicago Illinois with her husband and children
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 History Roots of the Religion 4 CHAPTER 2 Geography Mapping How Faith Formed 10 CHAPTER 3 Civics Organization and Ideas 18 CHAPTER 4 Economics Funding a Faith 26 THINK ABOUT IT 30 FOR MORE INFORMATION 31 GLOSSARY 32 INDEX 32
CHAPTER 1 History Roots of the Religion Since people began recording history they have written about the idea of a power greater than themselves Thousands of years later various beliefs in God or sometimes several gods still shape human culture Religion is the system people use to organize such beliefs Religion also standardizes ceremonies and rules for worship A World Ruled by Romans Christianity is one example of a major world religion It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and what his followers and their followers wrote about him Jesus was born between 6 and 4 bce in Judaea which formed the southern portion of ancient Palestine the homeland of ancient Jews 4 21st century skills library
The lifetime of Jesus took place during the Roman Empire Palestine is a historic region located in the Middle East on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea During this period in history Palestine was part of the Roman Empire As a result Roman officials controlled the area They often relied on harsh punishments to enforce or carry out strict rules Many local residents feared the Romans Some hated them They prayed for the arrival of the Messiah a special king and deliverer who God would send to save them This belief strongly influenced the practice of Judaism or the Jewish faith Global Citizens World Religions 5 55
