Christianity began in the 1st century, by followers of Jesus who believed him to Christ the son of God. Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem in Jerusalem around 6BC. He is believed by Christians to have been sent by God to bring his message to the world. Most Christians believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, performed miracles, was crucified and rose from the dead. They also believe that he will return.
The First Followers of Christ
Christianity was founded by Jesus and his followers. He had twelve followers called disciples, Peter, Simon, James the great, James the lesser, Andrew, Luke, John, Judas, Bartholomew, Mathew, Thaddeus and Thomas. These were students of Jesus and they followed him, and he thought them Gods message. Jesus also had four Apostles, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. These were senior followers of Jesus whom he appointed to go forth and spread the word of God. These senior followers also wrote the Gospels, which are an account or a record of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The word Gospel is derived from an old English word Godspel which means good news. The Gospels feature in the first testament of the bible.
Christianity Today
There are several religions which follow Christian beliefs, however The Catholic Church believe that they are the only true followers of Jesus, they don’t accept that any other church or religion can have Christian beliefs, and don’t consider themselves a denomination. There are however several denominations with Christian beliefs, the Catholic Church have the largest following of approximately one billion. The other main denominations are the Protestant Church and the Easton Orthodox Church.
The Future for Christianity
Currently approximately one third of the world’s population have Christian beliefs. To be a Christian is to believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God. Many have this belief without being part of a structured or formal religion; therefore it is very difficult to calculate exactly how many people are of Christian faith. Christianity continues to grow, however Catholicism, one of the biggest religions in the world is having a lot of problems, and the credibility of the religion and their beliefs are in severe danger. Many believe that major reforms of the Catholic Church and their structure are required to restore faith in the Catholic Church.
Picture: Wikimedia: Carl Bloch – The Sermon On the Mount