Religion
Christianity
The New Testament presents salvation as coming through Jesus Christ. (John 3:16; Acts 4:12)
01
Identity Card
- Name and etymology
- From Greek Christos ("anointed one"), translating Hebrew Mashiach (Messiah).
- Type
- Abrahamic monotheistic religion.
- Founder or origin
- Jesus of Nazareth (~4 BCE–30 CE); the New Testament presents him as Christ, Lord, and Son of God. (Mark 1:1; John 20:31)
- Date and place
- 1st century CE, Roman province of Judea.
- Adherents
- ~2.4 billion (~31% of humanity); largest religion globally.
02
Source of Authority
- Primary scripture
- The Bible: Old Testament and New Testament. Christians use it as their main sacred text. (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Source of truth
- The New Testament presents Scripture, Jesus’ teaching, and apostolic witness as central sources of truth. (John 14:6; 2 Timothy 3:16; Acts 2:42)
- Authority structure
- Varies: papal (Catholic), synodal (Orthodox), congregational (Protestant).
03
Core Beliefs
- Core idea
- The New Testament presents Jesus as the Word made flesh, crucified, and raised from the dead. (John 1:1–14; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
- View of God or ultimate reality
- Mainstream Christianity understands God as Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
- View of humanity
- The Bible says humans are made in God’s image, affected by sin, and offered redemption through Christ. (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 1:7)
- View of the world
- The Bible presents the world as created good, damaged by sin, and awaiting renewal. (Genesis 1:31; Romans 8:20–22; Revelation 21:1–5)
04
Practical Implications
- Purpose of life
- The New Testament calls people to love God, love others, and follow Christ. (Matthew 22:37–40; Luke 9:23)
- Ethics
- Christian ethics center on loving God and neighbor, the Ten Commandments, and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. (Exodus 20:1–17; Matthew 5–7; Matthew 22:37–40)
- Afterlife
- The New Testament teaches resurrection, judgment, and eternal life or separation from God; details vary by tradition. (John 5:28–29; Revelation 20:11–15)
- Key practices
- Common practices include baptism, communion/Eucharist, prayer, worship, and Scripture reading. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19; Acts 2:42)
05
Comparative Lenses
- Main branches
- Catholic (~50%), Protestant (~37%), Orthodox (~12%).
- Relationship to others
- Shares roots with Judaism; recognizes some prophets in common with Islam.
- Common critiques
- Debates on doctrine, science vs. faith, institutional history.
- Modern adaptations
- Ecumenism, evangelical movements, liberation theology, digital ministry.
Simple educational summaries. For religions, claims are attributed to scripture or major source texts where possible; where no scripture exists, wording describes what followers/supporters generally hold. References are starting points, not exhaustive academic citations.