Portal:Christianity
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It shares with Judaism the Hebrew Scriptures (called the Old Testament by Christians), and is sometimes called an Abrahamic religion, along with Judaism and Islam.
In the Bible, the names "Christian" and hence "Christianity" are first attested in Acts 11:26: "For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch Jesus' disciples were first called Christians" (Gr. χριστιανοί, from Christ Gr. Χριστός, which means "the anointed").
Within Christianity, numerous distinct groups have developed, with diverse beliefs that vary widely by culture and place. Since the Protestant Reformation, Christianity is usually considered as being divided into three main branches:
Eastern Orthodox: Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Assyrian Church of the East, with a combined membership of more than 240 million baptised adherents.
Western Catholic: With more than one billion adherents the Roman Catholic Church is most immediately identified with the Latin Rite, which is the predominant form of Catholicism in Western Europe, Africa and the Americas; however, the Catholic Church also includes several Eastern Catholic rites.
Protestantism: Numerous denominations and groups such as Anglicans, Lutherans, Reformed, Evangelical, Charismatic, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Anabaptists, and Pentecostals. The oldest of these groups separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. The later groups typically formed as separations from the older ones. Some Protestants identify themselves simply as Christian, or born-again Christian . Others, particularly among Anglicans and in Neo-Lutheranism, identify themselves as being "both Catholic and Protestant". Worldwide total is just under 500 million.
- Magisterial Reformation
- Radical Reformation
- Anabaptism
- Restorationism
- Quakerism (or Friends; see also: English Dissenters)
- Anabaptism
Other denominations and churches which self-identify as Christian but which distance themselves from the above classifications together claim around 300 million members, including African indigenous churches, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Quakers and other groups. The early leaders of most of these groups were originally Protestants. See also Christian denomination
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as the LDS Church or the Mormon Church, describes itself as the restoration of the original church established by Jesus Christ. It claims to be a Christian church, but separate from the Catholic or Protestant traditions. [1]However, a closer inspection of their belief system shows them to be similar at best to the christian religions.
The church teaches that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, Jr. and called him to be a prophet and to restore the original church as established by Jesus Christ through a restoration of elements that had been missing from Christianity since the early days of Christianity due to apostasy. This restoration included the return of priesthood authority, new sacred texts, and the calling of twelve apostles. The Church was organized under the leadership of Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York, on April 6, 1830, following his translation of the Book of Mormon from which adherents—also called Latter-day Saints—get their nickname Mormons.
Joseph Smith led the church until his violent death in 1844. After a period of confusion where the church was led by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and various claims of succession were made, Brigham Young led a group of Mormon pioneers away from the former church headquarters in Nauvoo, Illinois, and eventually to the Salt Lake Valley of Utah in July 1847. Brigham Young was sustained as President of the church at General Conference in December 1847.
Now an international organization, the church has its world headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah where Gordon B. Hinckley serves as its fifteenth President. The church sends tens of thousands of missionaries throughout the world,[2] and in 2005 reported a worldwide membership of over 12.5 million.[3]
View of the Cathedral of Segovia, Spain. It was built by Juan Gil de Hontañón between 1525 and 1526, his son Rodrigo Gil de Hontañon until 1577 and Juan de Mugaguren. It forms part of the old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
...that the Bible was the greatest passion of Sir Isaac Newton, who said, "I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."?
...that the Black Madonna of Częstochowa is credited with miraculously saving the Polish monastery of Jasna Góra (English: Bright Hill) from a Swedish 17th century invasion, known as the Deluge?
...that taking $370m in the United States, Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made?
...that, with 74% of its population Catholics and 15.4% Protestant, Brazil has the largest Christian population in the world?
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
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History: Jesus of Nazareth - The Apostles - Ecumenical councils - Great Schism - The Crusades - Reformation
