Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered around the personage of Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus
Christ. Christianity arose in the 30s–50s CE as a religious offshoot of Judaism based on the teachings of
Jesus, who was himself Jewish. Early Christianity rejected many of the social, cultural, and religious
institutions of Judaism and pursued radically different strains of spiritual thought. Within a century a
recognizable Church was founded. The texts of the faith and its most important creeds were codified in
the 300s CE. Despite persecution, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire and all of
its inheritors, and in the time since the different Christian denominations have collectively become the
largest faith in the world by a wide margin.

• Eastern Orthodoxy

• Eastern Rite Churches

• Roman Catholicism

• Roman Catholic Church Hierarchy

• Protestantism

• U.S. Protestant Groups

Christianity is a monotheistic religion founded by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, a Jew, was
born in about 7 B.C. and assumed his public life, probably after his 30th year, in Galilee. The New
Testament Gospels describe Jesus as a teacher and miracle worker. He proclaimed the kingdom of God, a
future reality that is at the same time already present. Jesus set the requirements for participation in the
kingdom of God as a change of heart and repentance for sins, love of God and neighbor, and concern for
justice. Circa A.D. 30 he was executed on a cross in Jerusalem, a brutal form of punishment for those
considered a political threat to the Roman Empire.

After his death his followers came to believe in him as the Christ, the Messiah. The Gospels report his
resurrection and how the risen Jesus was witnessed by many of his followers. The apostle Paul helped
spread the new faith in his missionary travels. Historically, Christianity arose out of Judaism and claims
that Jesus fulfilled many of the promises of the Hebrew Scripture (often referred to as the Old
Testament).
The new religion spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire. In its first two centuries, Christianity
began to take shape as an organization, developing distinctive doctrine, liturgy, and ministry. By the
fourth century the Christian church had taken root in countries stretching from Spain in the West to
Persia and India in the East. Christians had been subject to persecution by the Roman state, but gained
tolerance under Constantine the Great (A.D. 313). The church became favored under his successors, and
in 380 the emperor Theodosius proclaimed Christianity the state religion. Other religions were
suppressed.

Because differences in doctrine threatened to divide the church, a standard Christian creed was
formulated by bishops at successive ecumenical councils, the first of which was held in A.D. 325 (Nicaea).
Important doctrines were defined concerning the Trinity—in other words, that there is one God in three
persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Constantinople, A.D. 381), and the nature of Christ as both divine
and human (Chalcedon, A.D. 541). Christians came to accept both Hebrew Scripture and the New
Testament as authoritative. The New Testament comprises four Gospels (narratives of Jesus' life), 21
Epistles, The Acts of the Apostles, and Revelation.

Because of differences between Christians of the East and West, the unity of the church was broken in
1054. The religious center for the Eastern Orthodox Church was Constantinople, and the Roman Catholic
Church defined doctrine and practice for Christians in the West. In 1517 the Reformation began, which
ultimately caused a schism in the Western church. Reformers wished to correct certain practices within
the Roman church, but they also came to view the Christian faith in a distinctly new way. The major
Protestant denominations (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed, and Anglican [Episcopalian]) thus came
into being. Over the centuries, numerous denominations have broken with these major traditions,
resulting in a spectrum of Christian expression.

In the 21st century, many Christians hope to regain a sense of unity through dialogue and cooperation
among different traditions. The ecumenical movement led to the formation of the World Council of
Churches in 1948 (Amsterdam), which has since been joined by many denominations.

Through its missionary activity Christianity has spread to most parts of the globe.

Islam
Islam is a strictly monotheistic faith founded by the prophet Muhammad in the year 607 in present-day
Saudi Arabia. His teachings, collected in the Quran, claim common descent with many Jewish and
Christian beliefs. Muhammad preached his faith in the city of Mecca despite opposition from local
polytheists, and quickly built a religious community of early Muslims. The community was forced to
relocate to Medina in 622, after which the group codified and began their expansion across the Arabian
peninsula. Nearly all of Arabia converted to Islam by 632, the year of Muhammad's death, and in the
years since it has grown to become the world's second largest religion, mostly concentrated in the
Middle East and Southeast Asia.

https://www.infoplease.com/world/religion/major-religions-world

https://www.infoplease.com/us/major-religions-world/christianity

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam/Doctrines-of-the-Qur-an

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Islam