The Christian past
Christianity began as early as the year 33 C.E. (the first century). A man named Jesus Christ started it. Christianity is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion, meaning that Abraham is the patriarch in their lineage and Abraham's covenant with God appears in the texts of Christianity. Its based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who traveled in the lands around Jerusalem and Judea preaching and performing miracles. After Jesus' death, one of his disciples, Paul, traveled around the Roman Empire preaching what Jesus had taught him until his death in 67 C.E. Christianity mainstreams from the idea that Jesus is the Son of God, fully divine and fully human (savior of humanity). They refer to him as the Messiah and the Son of God. There are three branches of Christianity:
1. Roman Catholic Church, 2. Eastern Orthodox, 3. Protestantism.
It all began in the countries of Israel, Palestine, and quickly spread to Syria, Asia Minor, Egypt, and other places of the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches began in the year 1054 C.E. Protestantism began in the 16th century after breaking away from the other two branches. As of the 21st century, Christianity has over 2.2 billion followers. Because of its size and spread all over the world, Christianity has greatly influenced the cultures and people where it is practiced.
1. Roman Catholic Church, 2. Eastern Orthodox, 3. Protestantism.
It all began in the countries of Israel, Palestine, and quickly spread to Syria, Asia Minor, Egypt, and other places of the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches began in the year 1054 C.E. Protestantism began in the 16th century after breaking away from the other two branches. As of the 21st century, Christianity has over 2.2 billion followers. Because of its size and spread all over the world, Christianity has greatly influenced the cultures and people where it is practiced.
similarities
The Christian religion holds to the same general beliefs that it did when it first started 2000 years ago, unlike belief systems such as Taoism. The Bible is the sacred texts that defines the core beliefs of the Christian people. They believe that the Bible, made up of the Old and New Testaments, is still as meaningful today as it was when it was first composed. Even though people have changed their lifestyles from what they were 2000 years ago, believers still find Christianity relevant to the world they live in today. In Catholicism, Popes have endeavored to keep the beliefs from changing significantly. The Protestant Reformation, beginning in the 16th century, was a reaction by some Christians against what they saw as flaws in the Roman Catholic church. Despite these differences, Protestants and Catholics still hold to the same core theological beliefs.
differences
There are over 120 different countries around the world in which Christianity is a significant presence. When Christianity began, it was a persecuted minority in the Roman Empire. In many places today, Christianity is an accepted part of society. Today, the people have branched out into many different types of Christian beliefs. One the first major statements of what Christians believed that helped unite them was the Nicene Creed. The creed itself was created because of the diversity within the religion by the time of Emperor Constantine. He wanted to have a clear statement of the base beliefs of Christianity to define what exactly they believed in. People have revised the creed due to the different time periods we've gone through, but it still has the same meaning. As new sects of Christianity have been established over the years, some have chosen not to put as much importance on the Nicene Creed. Another difference is that while Catholics believe that the Pope is the sole leader of the church, Protestants organize their churches with a variety of leadership systems. Churches also frequently differ from one another as to how the Bible should be interpreted. This leads to differences in beliefs in how one gets to heaven.
Effect on societies
Unlike Taoism and ancestor worship, Christianity is an example of how a belief system has adapted to a wide variety of cultural settings and changes so far in a positive way. For example, the Bible has been translated into hundreds of languages so that people can read it in a form they understand. The fact that there are so many different denominations of Christian churches allows for people to find the one that suits them best. Instead of this belief system combining itself with others and thereby losing some of its ideals, it is able to stand alone in a culture. Other belief systems than Christianity that have the ability to do this are Islam and Judaism. Proof of this is shown through the number of followers they have, making them the biggest religions in the world. They have reached out to every region of the world, and so provide a strong foundation for cultural development. Because of their sizes, these belief systems are have the ability to keep their original, basic ideals the same. Though sects of one of these religion may break away or branch off, or form so as to adapt to a societies certain core beliefs, the over-all practices of it remain the same.