Christianity
Christianity is the world's biggest religion, with about 2.1 billion followers worldwide. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago.
For ease of navigation, we include as Christian any group that sincerely regards itself as Christian, and whose beliefs are based on the teaching of Jesus.
Christianity at a glance
Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with over 2 billion adherents. 42 million Britons see themselves as nominally Christian, and there are 6 million who are actively practicing.
- Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
- Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
- Christians believe that God sent his Son to earth to save humanity from the consequences of its sins.
- One of the most important concepts in Christianity is that of Jesus giving his life on the Cross (the Crucifixion) and rising from the dead after the third day (the Resurrection).
- Christians believe that there is only one God, but that there are three elements to this one God:
- God the Father
- God the Son
- The Holy Spirit
- Christians worship in churches.
- Their spiritual leaders are called priests or ministers.
- The Christian holy book is the Bible, and consists of the Old and New Testaments.
- Christian holy days such as Easter and Christmas are important milestones in the Western secular calendar
