Christianity has always seemed rather unique as a religion to me. This is going to sound cliche, but I think it’s because in every other religion you have man reaching out to God(s) or some kind of higher level existence or some ideal, while Christianity says that there’s no way people could have reached God, so He reached out to people.

It probably sounds a bit ridiculous at first, but just consider this. What was Jesus like? He wasn’t some powerful god-king who came and demanded to be worshiped and served. He didn’t have wealth, palaces, or conquering armies. Heck, the bible even says that he didn’t even have that great of looks. Instead, he was the carpenter son of a carpenter. When he started his ministry, he didn’t set up somewhere with his followers and wait for people to come to him; he went out and spent his days in the cities, towns, and temples. He went to the people. He spent all of his time with people, talking to them, healing them, caring for them.

Just think about that. The God who coordinates and keeps track of everything that happens in the universe cared enough about people to talk to them. He would just sit (or maybe stand) for hours with these huge crowds of people and just to talk. And he wasn’t just there to be heard, either. He compassionately saw them as people who needed loved and who had needs. When they were hungry, he provided food. When the sick and disabled were brought to him, he healed them. When children came to him, he held them and loved them.

He is not a god who wants someone to say the right magic words, or prove themselves with righteous and pious works.  He is the God that wants to know his children.

I’d also point out that Jesus’s answers to the world’s ills and suffering was not to transcend (aka, ignore) it or accept it as the status quo.  His answer was: if you want suffering to stop, stop causing others to suffer.  He wanted people to love and take care of each other.  He made this idea…this taste of heaven on earth…one of the central tenets of Christianity.

And that is what stands out about Christianity to me.