A Visit to Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

This article describes a visit to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and explores the unique features of Christianity. It also compares Sikh and Christian beliefs and provides insights into the Christian faith.

Running head: A VISIT TO CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
A VISIT TO CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1A VISIT TO CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
Part I
Introduction
Christianity is the world's largest and widely practiced religion. Christ the Savior is
among the oldest and the famous cathedrals in the world. As a part of my assignment, I visited
this Russian Orthodox Church. This paper reflects the feelings, thoughts, fears, and assumptions
experienced during the visit by me. I belong to Sikh religion; thus, visit the church was a new
and unique experience for me. The expressions of Christianity was very unfamiliar to me, so
before the visit, I did some research about the orthodoxy. However, it was delightful and
amusing to learn about this religion.
Discussions
Overview of the church
Christ the Savior is an Orthodox Cathedral of Russia located in Toronto, Canada. The
architectural structure of the church is small, and it has completed its hundred years (Kounine,
2018). After World War II, many Russian settled in Toronto and visited the church. One of them
was Olga Alexandrovna, the Great Russian Emperor Nicholas II's sister. She purchased many
icons of the church out of which, the image of the Pochaev, the Mother of God was the famous
one (Kolega, 2019). This icon is very famous as the people offer prayers for healing in front of it.
A short description of thoughts running through mind while visiting the church and its
services
The people have faith that if a sick person does prayer in front of this icon, he or she is
heal very quickly. At the entrance of the church, one can feel the immediate sense of holy

2A VISIT TO CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
reverence and respect. Everybody was in proper attire; especially the women were wearing the
headscarf to cover their heads. The people make the cross and bow sign while they enter the
sacred ground. The cross is their symbol. The interior wall contains various saints and biblical
characteristics. The environment inside was very peaceful and silent as the people were service
oriented and converse very less. The people were offering prayers solemnly in front of the Jesus
Christ idol. The priests and the people harmoniously performed the rites and rituals way. The
choir sound is incredible and gives a goose bump to the first time visitor. The feeling is
immensely majestic and depicts the magnificence of the holy place as a heavenly one. The
liturgy is silent, ritual and meditative; therefore, freedom of movement is restricted.
Unique features of Christianity and its acceptance by the followers
Christianity is unique, and several features are distinguishing it from other religions.
Firstly, the personification of God in Jesus Christ is a unique feature. They consider Christ as
their god and no leaders or founders in other religion made such claim in the world. Christianity
mentions that one God exists in three people and they are the Father (God himself), the son
(Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. Secondly, regeneration is a distinctive feature where
confessing sin is consider a universal sacrifice. Thirdly, the Bible is the holy book of the
Christians. It is not the collection of global stories but is a historically reliable book.
Learning experience by observing their service
By watching their service, one can feel the importance of a sacred place. The people
were, and there was silence all around. The environment was very peaceful as the people were
busy worshipping harmoniously. Nobody was communicating between himself and herself. By

3A VISIT TO CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
observing, the prayers offered before Pochaev, Mother of God, for healing gives the reflection of
faith of the people.
Learning that is not included in the textbook
The exciting fact about Christianity is that they believe that their religion revolves around
life and death. They believe in the re-birth of Jesus, and they think that God has sent Jesus, the
Messiah, to save the world. They believe that Jesus was tortured to death to offer his forgiveness
of sins. Jesus was reborn before ascending to heaven. When any person gets sick, the people
think that he might have committed crime. The ill person offers the prayer before the idol to
confess his sin.
Comparison of Sikh and Christian beliefs
I am Sikh from religion and attend Gurudwara for worshipping God. My faith teaches
that God is neither born nor dead. It is believed that there are many ways to reach God.
However, respect all religion and their beliefs. However, Christians think that God is a heavenly
father and human being can have a relationship with God.
Questions asked during the visit
In the church, I speak to a person and asks some items from him about the belief and faith in
Christianity. My questions were:
a. Is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one God? The person responded to me in a simple
way where he said that the Bible teaches the existence of only God. He explains the
doctrines of Trinity where he considers that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are
the God.

4A VISIT TO CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
b. What about the wars done in the name of Christianity? The person answered that many
things have already been done in the name of Jesus Christ and Christianity. It does not
mean that if a person claims to be a Christian, it makes him a follower of Jesus Christ.
The actions against the people who claim to be Christian but do not have t.
The contrast on the belief system of Christianity and my personal view on it
The overall impression on me about Christianity is peaceful, sacred and dignified. The
religion is respect with high regards. The decorations and the environment inside the church
prompted the feeling of admiration and majesty. The believer of Christianity dedicated their
service entirely to the god, which is admirable. Even the older people, despite their age, bow and
kneel to the floor out of respect for their service to god. The arrangement of service is
predetermined and organized, which gave the feeling of the holy and spiritual rhythm of life. The
melodiously recited prayer gives the impression of authenticity.
Conclusion
To conclude, I have learned about the feeling of affection and belief Christian have on
their religion. The people have massive respect for their faith and dedicate their lives in service
of God. I have learned the unique features of Christianity by observing their service and some
theological features and compared the thoughts, beliefs with that of Sikhism. However, this visit
was a lifetime learning experience about different religion for me

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Reference:
Esposito, J. (2018). How is Islam Similar to Christianity and Judaism? - IslamiCity. Retrieved
from https://www.islamicity.org/4654/how-is-islam-similar-to-christianity-and-judaism/
Kolega, V. (2019). Russian Orthodox Christ the Saviour Cathedral. Retrieved from
https://www.christthesavioursobor.com/?q=en/node
Kounine, P. (2018). Russian Orthodox Christ The Saviour Cathedral - Pavel Kounine. Retrieved
from https://pavelkounine.com/russian-orthodox-christ-saviour-cathedral/

6A VISIT TO CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
Part II
Comparison of the believe on God of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity have similarities in their beliefs and values. All these
Religions worship and believe in only one God though with different names. Judaism considers
the God known, as ‘Yahweh' or ‘Jehovah,' is one. Islam embraces an invisible God known as
‘Allah.' Islam considers it a strict Monotheism. Christianity believes the existence of the Trinity
in one God (Esposito, 2018). All these religions have the same belief that there are human
emotions connected with God and he wants a peaceful relationship with the man. Hence, the
statement is true.