Christianity According to Bishop Schori (2014), Christians recognize happiness in living a spiritual and moral earthly life that prepares them for the ultimate happiness of union with God Some Christians view happiness only as eternal peace in God’s presence, whereas others expand this belief to include happiness that comes from the pleasures of this world The New Testament, the part of the Christian religious scripture that distinguishes it from Judaism, uses the term makarios, a Greek word that means happiness, blessedness, or good fortune In the Gospels, makarios means transcendental happiness or happiness that occurs after death or when in communion with the Divine This conception of happiness is clear in the passage called the “Beatitudes” in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke According to the Holy Bible: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for, in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:3–5:12, New International Version) However, Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels referred to a comprehensive approach to happiness, both spiritual and earthly This approach to happiness is clear from the public works of Jesus that he undertook He fed and ate with the unclean, healed the sick on the Sabbath, and taught the people He considered these “pure” jobs as a blessing (Schori, 2014) Bishop Schori (2014) says many Christians believe happiness has something to with the direct experience of God They also believe happiness lies in the experience of 44