Christianity and Protestant Christianity

1 billion people in the world follow Christianity.  It is thought to be the largest religion in the world


Christians believe that a man, Jesus, is the Son of God.  Jesus was called Christ by his followers, which means "anointed one"


The key teachings of Jesus were:
-  Obey God's laws, which are the commandments given by God to Moses
-  People should repent their sins and make a new start
-  Love and serving others was more important than following laws
Jesus taught by telling stories (called Parables)


The Sacred Text of Christianity is the Bible.  
The Bible is divided into 2 sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Christians believe that the Bible provides them with guidelines for living their life.


In the 11th century, many Christians were unhappy with the Roman Catholic Church.  They created a "reformed" church, known as the Protestant Church


The founders of Protestantism were Martin Luther, who wrote a list of 95 ways that the Catholic Church could be reformed, and John Calvin, who organized the Protestant Church based on Luther's ideas


The main beliefs of Christianity are:
1.  The universe was created by God
2.  It is wrong to act against God's laws
3.  That there will be a Day of Judgement
4.  There is a Heaven and Hell for life after death


The forms of Protestantism and some of their major beliefs are:
-  Luther's original Protestant Church did not grant indulgences (forgiveness of sins) in return for money, and believed that an individual's personal faith was more important than Church rituals (practiced by Roman Catholics)
-  The Church of England is headed by the King of England, and is a compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism
-  Puritanism, which believes in a simple worship and Church building, as opposed to the grand buildings of Catholics and the Church of England
-  Ecumenical Christians, who seek to unit all Christian groups into one single and universal church


Some Protestant customs are as follows:
-  Regular prayer
-  Baptism, to welcome people into the church
-  Confirmation, a ceremony to become an adult member of the church
-  Marriage
-  Last Rights (a death ceremony)


Protestants worship at Churches.  Most Protestants attend mass on Sundays, which involves hearing readings from the Bible, listening to sermons from priests or ministers, praising God, and asking for God's help


The spiritual leaders of Christans are monks and nuns - men and women who have taken vows to dedicate their lives to working for God