Christianity

Origins  Founded in about 33 C.E. in Jerusalem (modern Israel)  Based on the idea that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish Messiah, or christos in Greek, (person who would save the people from evil and their own sins) and God’s son  Attractive to the poor and women, because it declared all peoples’ souls equal

Christianity’s Symbol  Symbolized by a cross or crucifix (a cross with Jesus hanging on it)  The symbol helps Christians remember that Jesus died and then came back to life

Founders  Paul is the most important founder of Christianity  He was an early convert and wrote many of the books which appear in the Bible, the holy book of Christianity

Leaders  Christian leaders can be called Pastors or Priests  The name given to the leader depends on what denomination one belongs to Russian Orthodox Priest

Places of Worship  The Christian place of worship is called a church  In Catholicism, the church where a bishop presides is called a Cathedral or a Basilica

The God of Christians  Christianity is a monotheistic religion  However, God is conceived as being in 3 parts = The Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)  Jesus is seen as divine (a god)

The Afterlife  Christians believe faith in Jesus as God’s son is essential to one’s ability to go to heaven  Most Christians also believe living a righteous life is also important  Like Muslims, Christians believe in Heaven and Hell

Short History  After the death of Jesus, his followers claimed that he rose from the dead  The new sect of Judaism quickly gained followers, despite persecution, and then broke away from Judaism  The religion was finally made legal by Roman Emperor Constantine in 312  In the 900s, a fight over power caused a split in the church between Eastern and Western sections called the Great Schism

More short history...  There were now two main branches of the Christian religion: Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic – both paid tribute to a head bishop (church leader) who lived in Constantinople and Rome  In 1517 the church split again and the Protestant branch began, which did not believe in the authority of the Pope

Christianity Today  There are approximately 2 Billion Christians in the world today