Christianity - An Introduction :-

Basic of Christianity:-

* There is only one God.

* God has fashioned the earth distinct from him but is believed to be on the go within it.

* Humans are formed at a distance from God and are accountable for their own lives. God is judge of all that they do, but also seeks to help them when they go incorrect.

* God exposed himself in three 'persons': Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. However, these three persons are regarded as a harmony, sharing one 'body'.

Major Branches of Christianity :-

* Break of eastern catholic Christendom in the 5th century

* 'Great division' between the West (catholic) and the East ( orthodox) circa 1054

* Restructuring in the 16th century, which led to the emergence of Protestantism.

Eastern Churches :-

This refers to the orthodox churches. There are over 214 million Orthodox Christians today. The churches extend across Eastern Europe , Slav countries and the eastern Mediterranean.

The come apart with the western church came about because of disagreement over the Pope's claim to highest authority and a section added to the church's dogma. worship of icons is an important part of community and personal worship.  

Roman Catholic Church:-

Largest of the Christian value, with imminent a billion members. Its genesis are from the Western church of the Middle Ages. It believes in the dominance and power of the Pope, who is conventionally regarded as Christ's spokesperson on earth.

When defining matters of trust or ethics what the Pope says is regarded as foolproof and compulsory on all Catholics. Both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches identify the seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, marriage, ordination, reparation, extreme unction and the Mass.

Protestant Churches:-

They rose out of protest against Roman Catholicism in the 16th century. There are approx. 500 million members.

The contentious issues at the Reformation were the authority of the Pope, the authority and accessibility of Scripture and precise meaning of the eucharist (the ritual of sharing bread and wine to represent Christ's body and blood, as he did with his disciples the night before his death). The church rejects the supremacy of the Pope.Emphasis is placed on the authority of the Bible and the traditions of the early church.

Christian links:-

^^ www. christianity .com

^^ www. christianity today.com