Portal:Christianity

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Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers, in which context he is known as the Christ (or Messiah). It shares with Judaism the Hebrew Scriptures (called the Old Testament by Christians), and is referred to as an Abrahamic religion, along with Judaism and Islam. Christianity has an estimated 2.1 billion adherents, or about one-third of the total world population.

Its followers, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is the son of God and is also the Messiah (or Christ) who was prophesied in the Old Testament (the part of scripture common to Christianity and Judaism). To Christians, Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a virtuous life, the revealer of God, and most importantly the saviour of humanity who suffered, died, and was resurrected in order to bring about salvation from sin. Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to his followers. Christians describe the New Testament account of Jesus' ministry as the Gospel, or "good news".

In the Bible, the word "Christian" is first mentioned in Acts 11:26: "For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch Jesus' disciples were first called Christians" (Gr. χριστιανοί, from Christ Gr. Χριστός, which means "the anointed"). (Verses within the Bible are cited by the book the verse is from, followed by the chapter, a colon, and the verse number itself. Acts 11:26 refers to the book of Acts, chapter eleven, verse twenty-six.)

As a result of various disagreements including the East-West Schism and the Protestant Reformation, Christianity has become divided into many bodies of faith or communions, whose beliefs and practices may vary greatly. The largest are the Roman Catholic Church (both the Latin and the Eastern Rites) and the Eastern Orthodox Church, but the body of Christians includes many other groups such as the other Eastern churches such as Oriental Orthodoxy, the various Protestant denominations and the African Initiated churches. There are also various distinct churches separating themselves from traditional Christianity but claiming Jesus, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Quakers, Christian Science and other groups. Collectively, the various denominations and groups form the largest religion on Earth.

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List of popes buried in St. Peter's Basilica.
List of popes buried in St. Peter's Basilica.

The list of popes records those who have served as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. In this capacity, the Pope acts as the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and head of state of Vatican City.

There is no official list of popes of the Roman Catholic Church, although the Annuario Pontificio, published every year by the Vatican, contains a list that is generally considered to be the most authoritative. Its list is the one used in Wikipedia. The Annuario Pontificio list gives the current pope, Benedict XVI as the 265th pope; Saint Peter is listed as the first.

Several changes have been made in the list during the 20th century. Antipope Christopher was considered legitimate for a long time. Pope-elect Stephen was considered legitimate under the name Stephen II until the 1961 edition and erased then. Although these changes are no longer controversial, a number of modern lists still include this "first Pope Stephen II". It is probable that this is because they are based on the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopaedia, which is in the public domain.

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Three crosses against the azure sky is a classic type of outdoor Christian art.

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Did you know?

...that ecclesiastical Latin remains the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and is thus also the official language of Vatican City?
...that although raised as a Christian, C. S. Lewis spent most of his youth being an atheist until discussions with close friends such as J. R. R. Tolkien gradually persuaded him to reconvert?
...that The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come, a Christian allegorical novel written in 1675 by John Bunyan while imprisoned in England, is regarded as one of the greatest classics of literature and has been widely translated into more than 100 languages other than its original English text?
...that the Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists, found primarily in the United States and Canada, who do not vote, join the military, pay or draw Social Security, or accept any form of assistance from the government?

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Selected biography

The early life of Joseph Smith, Jr. covers the period from his birth on December 23, 1805, to the end of 1827, when Latter Day Saints believe Smith located a set of Golden Plates engraved with ancient Christian scriptures, buried in a hill near his home in Manchester, New York.

Joseph Smith, Jr. was the principal founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, which gave rise to Mormonism, and includes such denominations as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ. Smith's followers believe he was a latter-day prophet.

This early period of Smith's life is significant within Mormonism because it represents the time when Smith is said to have first acted as a prophet, had a theophany (called by his followers the First Vision), and to have obtained the Golden Plates, the source material for the Book of Mormon, a Latter Day Saint sacred text. During this period, Smith was influenced by numerous religious and cultural trends in early United States history. The nation at the time was undergoing a cultural reaction against the secularism of the Age of Enlightenment, called the Second Great Awakening. In addition, Americans' widespread acceptance of folk religion up until the 1830s and a growing interest in forming separate religious communities created ripe conditions for a young man such as Smith to successfully build a religion based on the appearance of angels and the miraculous translation of ancient records. Latter Day Saints view the events in Smith's early life as evidencing his calling as a prophet and as providing the basis for organizing the Church of Christ.

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Jesus Christ
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The CHRISTIANITY PORTAL
Main   Indices   Projects
edit  

Showcased Christianity content

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers, in which context he is known as the Christ (or Messiah). It shares with Judaism the Hebrew Scriptures (called the Old Testament by Christians), and is referred to as an Abrahamic religion, along with Judaism and Islam. Christianity has an estimated 2.1 billion adherents, or about one-third of the total world population.

Its followers, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is the son of God and is also the Messiah (or Christ) who was prophesied in the Old Testament (the part of scripture common to Christianity and Judaism). To Christians, Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a virtuous life, the revealer of God, and most importantly the saviour of humanity who suffered, died, and was resurrected in order to bring about salvation from sin. Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to his followers. Christians describe the New Testament account of Jesus' ministry as the Gospel, or "good news".

In the Bible, the word "Christian" is first mentioned in Acts 11:26: "For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch Jesus' disciples were first called Christians" (Gr. χριστιανοί, from Christ Gr. Χριστός, which means "the anointed"). (Verses within the Bible are cited by the book the verse is from, followed by the chapter, a colon, and the verse number itself. Acts 11:26 refers to the book of Acts, chapter eleven, verse twenty-six.)

As a result of various disagreements including the East-West Schism and the Protestant Reformation, Christianity has become divided into many bodies of faith or communions, whose beliefs and practices may vary greatly. The largest are the Roman Catholic Church (both the Latin and the Eastern Rites) and the Eastern Orthodox Church, but the body of Christians includes many other groups such as the other Eastern churches such as Oriental Orthodoxy, the various Protestant denominations and the African Initiated churches. There are also various distinct churches separating themselves from traditional Christianity but claiming Jesus, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Quakers, Christian Science and other groups. Collectively, the various denominations and groups form the largest religion on Earth.

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Selected article

List of popes buried in St. Peter's Basilica.
List of popes buried in St. Peter's Basilica.

The list of popes records those who have served as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. In this capacity, the Pope acts as the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and head of state of Vatican City.

There is no official list of popes of the Roman Catholic Church, although the Annuario Pontificio, published every year by the Vatican, contains a list that is generally considered to be the most authoritative. Its list is the one used in Wikipedia. The Annuario Pontificio list gives the current pope, Benedict XVI as the 265th pope; Saint Peter is listed as the first.

Several changes have been made in the list during the 20th century. Antipope Christopher was considered legitimate for a long time. Pope-elect Stephen was considered legitimate under the name Stephen II until the 1961 edition and erased then. Although these changes are no longer controversial, a number of modern lists still include this "first Pope Stephen II". It is probable that this is because they are based on the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopaedia, which is in the public domain.

edit  

Selected picture


Three crosses against the azure sky is a classic type of outdoor Christian art.

edit  

In the news

edit  

Did you know?

...that ecclesiastical Latin remains the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and is thus also the official language of Vatican City?
...that although raised as a Christian, C. S. Lewis spent most of his youth being an atheist until discussions with close friends such as J. R. R. Tolkien gradually persuaded him to reconvert?
...that The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come, a Christian allegorical novel written in 1675 by John Bunyan while imprisoned in England, is regarded as one of the greatest classics of literature and has been widely translated into more than 100 languages other than its original English text?
...that the Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists, found primarily in the United States and Canada, who do not vote, join the military, pay or draw Social Security, or accept any form of assistance from the government?

edit  

Selected biography

The early life of Joseph Smith, Jr. covers the period from his birth on December 23, 1805, to the end of 1827, when Latter Day Saints believe Smith located a set of Golden Plates engraved with ancient Christian scriptures, buried in a hill near his home in Manchester, New York.

Joseph Smith, Jr. was the principal founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, which gave rise to Mormonism, and includes such denominations as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ. Smith's followers believe he was a latter-day prophet.

This early period of Smith's life is significant within Mormonism because it represents the time when Smith is said to have first acted as a prophet, had a theophany (called by his followers the First Vision), and to have obtained the Golden Plates, the source material for the Book of Mormon, a Latter Day Saint sacred text. During this period, Smith was influenced by numerous religious and cultural trends in early United States history. The nation at the time was undergoing a cultural reaction against the secularism of the Age of Enlightenment, called the Second Great Awakening. In addition, Americans' widespread acceptance of folk religion up until the 1830s and a growing interest in forming separate religious communities created ripe conditions for a young man such as Smith to successfully build a religion based on the appearance of angels and the miraculous translation of ancient records. Latter Day Saints view the events in Smith's early life as evidencing his calling as a prophet and as providing the basis for organizing the Church of Christ.

(more)

edit  

Selected scripture

edit  

Topics

v • d • e
Christianity topics
Jesus Christ
Foundations
Bible
Theology
History & Denominations
Miscellaneous Topics
Comparisons
edit  

Associated Wikimedia


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