Christianity

Christianity began circa 30 CE in Palestine, known today as Israel. God sent an angel to a woman named Mary that told her that she would be having a baby. While in a stable in Bethlehem, she gave birth to Jesus, who would eventually become the founder of Christianity. At the age of 30, Jesus was baptized, or welcomed by the Christian faith, by his cousin John. Jesus' followers believed that he was their "messiah," or savior, and God in human form. However, as Jesus began to spread Christianity, his popularity threatened Jewish authorities, resulting in the arrests of many Christians. Despite this, Christianity still spread throughout the world.

Jesus had twelve disciples who played a large role in the spread of Christianity. Jesus and his disciples taught others about Christianity. Often this was done by telling stories with spiritual meanings, known as parables. Jesus performed miracles, told people about God, fed crowds, and healed the sick. As a result, Christianity's popularity increased. Eventually, Christianity spread to many places, including northern Africa in the 2nd century, Russia in the 10th century, and North and South America in the 16th century. Today, people all over the world are practicing Christianity.

Another important person in the history of Christianity is a man named Saul. Saul originally hated and persecuted the Christians. However, after having a vision in which Jesus came to him, he switched his name to Paul and began believing that Christianity was the religion God wanted everyone in the world to follow. As a result, he built many churches and went on to become a very important Christian leader.

The Christian religion has many key beliefs. First, Christians are monotheistic, believing in only one god. Second, they believe in the Holy Trinity, which means that their one god has three parts. The first part is God the Father (as the creator), the second is God the Son (as Jesus), and the last is God the Holy Spirit (as his presence in the world). Other Christian beliefs include "love god" and "live lives for God's purpose." Many of these beliefs are similar to those in other religions as well.

Almost all religions have a sacred book. Christianity's book, the Bible, contains two parts. The first part, the Old Testament, tells of a covenant that Jews think God made with them through Abraham and Moses. The second part, the New Testament, was written after Jesus' death, and tells of another covenant. The Christians think this covenant was made through Jesus between God and everyone. In total, the Bible contains 66 different books, and is the foundation of Christian teaching.

Christianity's houses of worship are known as churches. Many Christians visit church every Sunday to pray. Most churches have a cross on the exterior of the building to represent Jesus' crucifixion, or death on a cross. He was killed because Jewish high priests felt threatened by his teachings. Christians believe he rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion and appeared to some of his followers. Also, churches are usually decorated with colorful stained glass windows with scenes from the Bible. Inside churches, the altar is the focal point, and the pulpit