As of 2005, Christianity is a global religion that has about 2.1 billion adherents. http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_106.asp Belief and faith in the teachings and resurrection of Christ, or Jesus of Nazareth, as revealed in the New Testament and foretold by Old Testament prophecies, are the basic underpinning themes for the religion. Another common element of Christian faith is the ancient 4th Century Nicene Creed, which is a testament of belief that the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are of one substance. http://cgi.stanford.edu/group/wais/cgi-bin/?tag=religion-petrine-christianity-and-islam

Since becoming a politically sanctioned religion in the 4th century AD by decree of the Roman Emperor Constantine, the Christian church has undergone many changes in outward structure and philosophy, and there have been many different churches that have evolved out of various disagreements with policies of the Roman Catholic Church. The first split, called the Great Schism, was in 1054 when the Orthodox Church split, mainly because it did not accept the pope's authority. http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/Modern_Greek_Studies/Events/East_and_West__Cultural_Dissonance_and_the_Great_Schism_of_1054.htm

This site contains a copy of the traditional wording of the Nicene creed, translated in 1549, a central document that established the fundamental dogma of the Church. Many other resources are provided on this site for exploring the depths and variances within the Christian church, including videos of Russian Orthodox Hermits and a theory about the astrological origin of Christianity.

Christianity is an Abrahamic religion along with Islam and Judaism, which claims that Jesus Christ was the incarnation, or "Son" of God on Earth. The central belief of Christianity involves the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion and death at the hands of the Roman authorities in Israel nearly two millennia ago. By having faith in Jesus's teachings, resurrection and divinity, it is believed that the Christians have the ability for their souls to gain entrance to heaven after death.

In the first century AD, the Christian church became established in a large part due to the missionary efforts of Paul, a zealous Greek Jew who had a vision of Jesus and wrote many letters which became a significant part of a "new testament." In the second and third century AD, Christians suffered much persecution and doctrinal debates against false teachings occurred. With the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity in the 4th century, the persecution ceased when Christianity became the official religion. A controversy over Arianism threatened the unity of his empire, so Constantine called the Council of Nicea in AD 325 to arrive at a consensus view of Christ's relationship to the Father. There was one more council meeting and another in Chalcedon in AD 451 AD before this was resolved. Differences between the Eastern and Western views of Christianity caused what was called the Great Schism in 1045 AD when the Church separated into a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox wings. The next great split came in the 16th century with the division of the Roman Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation.http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/history/overview.htm http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/christianity/history.html

• I believe in one God,
• the Father Almighty,
• maker of heaven and earth,
• and of all things visible and invisible;
• And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
• the only begotten Son of God,
• begotten of his Father before all worlds,
• God of God, Light of Light,
• very God of very God,
• begotten, not made,
• being of one substance with the Father;
• by whom all things were made;
• who for us men and for our salvation
• came down from heaven,
• and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
• of the Virgin Mary,
• and was made man;
• and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
• he suffered and was buried;
• and the third day he rose again
• according to the Scriptures,
• and ascended into heaven,
• and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
• and he shall come again, with glory,
• to judge both the quick and the dead;
• whose kingdom shall have no end.
• And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
• who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son];
• who with the Father and the Son together
• is worshipped and glorified;
• who spake by the Prophets.
• And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
• I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
• and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
• and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to The Bible
• Bible.org
• ReligiousTolerance.org: New Testament
• Wikipedia: The Bible
• EarlyChristianWritings.com

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Jesus of Nazareth
• Martin Luther
• John Calvin
• The Apostles

• JJAE Web Directory

• Religious Tolerance Org

• Maps of War