Christianity at a glance

 Christianity at a glance

Gothic stone facade of Westminster Abbey, a Christian place of worship

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 practising.

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 on 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