Christianity ― When used in reference to a MetaPhysical Orientation as to Tradition, Culture or Preferred Flavour, is primarily defined, usually selfdefined by its members and/or adherents holding the doctrine of faith based on the acceptance of Jesus of Nazareth as a actual historical figure and as the Messiah and the Son of God (Yahweh/Jehovah) in accordance with the generally accepted version of the New Testament of the Abramic Bible within an Abramic concept of History as a primary or critical parameter of their Spiritual Paradigm. Christianity encompasses many sects, including for instance: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and innumerable Fundamentalist Christian sects, as well as some extremely obscure Traditions. For convenience the multitude of sects is often divided into three branches, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. We do not include, as they do not include themselves Unitarians and/or various other Traditions which arose from Christian Tradition but which focus their Traditions elsewhere than on the core concepts of Christianity. Nor do we include Traditions, such as Gnostic, which predate Chrisianity and perhaps Abramic Traditions in general, but which had, and/or attempted to have synergistic interaction with early Christianity. In fact an exact number of component sects would be impossible to determine as many of the component individuals and groups have different lists of which groups they consider legitimately included. As is perhaps inevitable in a diverse Tradition which posits a single correct doctrine as being correct, there is considerable disagreement among groups that a casual modern outside observer would assume are Christian, as to which groups are actually to be considered Christian. This varies obviously according to which group the polled individual claims membership in. This variation is noticible not only from sects considered "on the fringes of the more widely known sects, but even among the ones which would be considered very similar and within the central core of Christianity to outside observers. And that is our position, we include this entry in academic interest toward comparative religion only, it will be as accurate as we can make it.
Any phenomenon as complex as Christianity is easier to describe historically than to define logically...the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ is a feature of all the historical varieties of Christian belief and practice. Christians have not agreed in their understanding and definition of what makes Christ distinctive or unique.
• Most conservative Christians believe that the only "true Christian" is a person who has been saved, but this means different things to many of them. Probably about 30% of adult Americans are Christians by this definition.
• Public opinion polls count a person as a Christian if they identify themselves as Christian. The most accurate survey to date shows that about 76% of adult Americans are Christians in this sense.
There are many distinct definitions of the term "Christian." Are all sincerely held definitions, based on considerable thought, Some represent centuries of church tradition.
• Various people believe that a person becomes a Christian by:
           • being "saved" in their youth or adulthood, or
           • being baptized as an infant, or
           • reciting or agreeing with a creed in their youth or adulthood, or
           • trying to understand and follow Jesus' teachings.
• Each definition is different; some are mutually exclusive.
• The religious groups listed here all seem to feel that their belief agrees with the content of the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) There are many opinions, some will feel that this information is too inclusive, some too exclusive, and/or inclusive or exclusive in the wrong ways. Some, usually Protestant, Christians will say, "Roman Catholicism is a Pagan religion, and is not part of Christianity." Others may say, "Mormons are Gnostics, not Christians." Some object to the inclusion of Jehovah's Witnesses, and any other faith groups which have what they consider radical additions to the basic Christian core beliefs as Christian denominations. Some object to the inclusion of The Family, Jonestown, Koreshites and many other faith groups which arose from Christian teachings but turned out badly as Christian denominations. These Christians are saying that they devoutly and sincerely believe that people who believe differently from themselves are not really Christians. This is not a rash decision of theirs, in fact it is quite common within Christianity and is taught by many Christian sects and leaders. Many are totally convinced of the accuracy of their position after many years of Bible study, perhaps drawing on the statements of the founders of their denomination, and other theologians. One is forced to talk about the "histories" of Christianity rather than of the "history" of the religion. This is particularly true of the very early Christian movement:
• There is one history taught by religious historians which is based on the documents of the time -- including the few books that made it into the Bible and the hundreds of others that were excluded. Historians speak of many Christian faith groups teaching conflicting views of Jesus, God, morality, religious obligations, etc. Men and women led house churches. No central authority existed; the congregations were almost completely decentralized.
• The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Jesus selected Peter to be the temporal ruler of the church. Peter traveled to Rome, presumably with his wife, and reigned there as the first Pope. Una Fides, a Roman Catholic apologetics web site, claims that: "History proves that from that time [of the disciple Peter] on, both in the East and the West, the successor of Peter was acknowledged to be the supreme head of the [entire Christian] Church." Peter, Paul and the other apostles ordained bishops as their successors; those bishops, in turn, ordained their successors. Thus, the church's current bishops can trace their ordination through an unbroken line from the apostles; this is called the "apostolic succession."
• There is the conflicting view of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS; the Mormons). Their founder, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), taught a theology of restorationism: He preached that the true Christian church died out in the early 2nd century CE, and did not survive in any form until he restored it as the LDS Church, early in the 19th century.
• The "Two by Twos" church (a.k.a. Irvinites, The Jesus-Way, No-Name Church, etc) teach that their group was founded by Jesus. They claim to have intentionally maintained a very low profile since the first century CE. The "Two by Twos" church survives in the modern world with the belief that they are the only true Christian church. They feel that they have been continually persecuted by other Christian groups "which from the earliest times have diluted and perverted the true gospel."
• Many Christian denominations teach that they alone are the true church. They believe that they alone can trace their lineage directly back to the primitive, first century Christian church. They view the ten thousands of other Christian denominations as having split away from their own church at some point in history. Each of the above denominations tends to view very early Christianity as a movement that agreed on almost everything. However, historians view the early Christian movement as being composed of many faith groups that taught widely varying beliefs. Sometimes multiple Christian congregations would co-exist in a single city, and would agree on little -- much like today. The group that publishes this web site is in a lose-lose situation. No matter what we write, we are severely criticized. For example, some Roman Catholics write us eMails stating that in 1054 CE, the Eastern Orthodox churches broke away from their church. Eastern Orthodox Christians also write us; they maintain that it was the Roman Catholic Church that broke away from the Eastern Orthodoxy in the 11th century. If we write that the two wings of early Christianity simply drifted apart and finally split from each other, we are criticized by nearly everyone.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity
The oldest division in Christianity is between the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Orthodox church (which constitutes the second largest Christian denomination in the world, after Roman Catholicism) is a union of independent churches. Which one actually represents the oldest institutional Christian organization is a cause of much dispute. It is doubtful that either has much in common with the various first century congregations which actually were formed by individuals with first hand knowledge of the teachings of the Tradition. Each is autocephalous, which means that each is lead by its own head bishop. These churches share a common faith, common principles and organization, and a common liturgical tradition. The patriarch in Constantinople is analogous to the pope in that he represents the Church to the world, but he does not now nor has he ever possessed the authority of the popes. He does not have any administrative powers beyond his own territory (patriarchate) and he does not claim infallibility. Eastern Orthodox doctrine was established by seven ecumenical counils which held between 325 and 787 and amended by other councils in the late Byzantine period. The Great Schism between the West and East was a long time in coming. The pope in the West asserted primacy because it was in Rome that St. Peter was buried - an "apostolic" primacy. The patriarch in Constantiople asserted primacy based on the fact that it was there that the seat of Roman government now existed - a "pragmatic" primacy. Among the many Western beliefs that have never been accepted as part of the consensus of Orthodox teachings are included un-Biblical teachings about the transfer of guilt (from Adam to a newborn) or of merit from Christ (to a worshiper) simply by divine decree or papal indulgence. For a long time, tensions between the two were resolved in peacefully in councils - for example, the Iconoclastic Controversy. In 1014, however, irreconcilable differences arose over the word filoque, which means "and from the Son" - the standard Christian creed in the West was rendered to read "I believe ... in the Holy Spirit ... who proceeds from the Father and the Son, " which church leaders in the East regarded as heretical. The reason why the difference was irreconcilable was the different ways approached the issue: in the West the popes considered themselves the ultimate judges in matters of faith and doctrine, but in the East leaders followed the authority of councils where the local churches spoke as equals. Differences always existed between West and East in the Christian Church. The most obvious and external difference was linguistic: the West worked in Latin while the East worked in Greek. This difference came with a difference in cultures which also affected people's outlook on religion. The East was more artistic, philosophical and even mystical whereas the West was more legalistic and practical. These larger cultural differences had a profound impact upon the religious development of the two regions. In the East, for example, where a mystical orientation lead people to seek union with God, a primary concern developed with the idea that humanity's sinfulness had essentially caused them to lose their divinity. Thus, Christ's mission on earth was to restore this divinity to people and allow them achieve the union that was originally due to them. In the West, however, scholars and theologians concerned themselves with the question of sin itself and people's culpability for being sinful. Because people were guilty and deserved the punishment of Hell, Christ must have come to "pay the price" for us - originally formulated as a ransom theory. This particular difference was made manifest in the fact that while the West chose the the crucifix as its religious symbol, the East chose the resurrection instead. The actual dating of the split occurred in 1054 when patriarch Michael Cerularius and papal legates exchanged anathemas. However there was always hope that some sort of reconciliation could be achieved. Those hopes were, however, finally dashed in 1204 when soldiers in the Fourth Crusade entered and sacked Constantinople.

Roman Catholic Christianity
Diverse worldwide religious tradition that officially looks to the Pope and his predecessors/successors as God's human leader of world Christianity. Because of its size and scope-both in membership (about a billion people worldwide) and geographically, the actual beliefs held by devout Catholics are widespread and eclectic. Catholicism has been influenced by liberation theology, especially in parts of South America. In Africa, the Caribbean, and elsewhere, attempts have been made to blend Catholicism with spiritism, creating a type of Catholicism with occult elements. In addition, since the 1960s there has been a small but significant element of charismatic Catholics who have been influenced by the larger charismatic movement. A small percentage of Catholics are doctrinally evangelical, and others (such as Matthew Fox) are part of the New Age movement. As a whole, however, the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are still seen most clearly in the issues of the Reformation. The 16th century reformers distinguished themselves from Catholicism in two key ways. First, they saw the Bible as the sole foundation for authority (sola scriptura) rather than the Pope, church dogma or tradition. Second, the reformers taught salvation by "grace alone" (sola gracia). They also insisted that sola gracia could be faithfully maintained only by understanding the gospel to be the message of a free pardon and righteous standing with God through "faith alone" (sola fide) in the imputed righteousness of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church claimed (and still claims) to affirm sola gracia, but anathematized sola fide, teaching instead that grace is received and maintained by a combination of faith plus works (religious rites, sacraments, or human endeavor).

Protestant Christianity
Often used generically of all Christian churches that are neither Roman Catholic nor Orthodox, the term more specifically refers to the movement that originated in the 16th century Reformation. Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and others led efforts to correct, reform or "protest" the errors in doctrine and practice that they saw in medieval Roman Catholicism. The 16th century Protestants saw their main doctrinal differences with Catholicism to include Soli Deo Gloria ("only to God's glory," God's wisdom and glory as opposed to church/papal sovereignty); Sola Scriptura ("Scripture only," the authority of the Bible over official Papal interpretation and tradition), and Sola Gratia (salvation "by grace alone," eternal life received from God as a free gift by grace through faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ rather than by works, rituals, or sacraments).

Orthodox Christianity
Generically the term orthodox refers to traditional, conservative forms of Christianity, upholding the traditional Christian beliefs about God as a Trinity and about Jesus Christ as taught in the church's early creeds. In this sense orthodox Christianity includes conservative Roman Catholics, and Protestant, evangelical Christianity, and is opposed both to liberal Christianity within Christian denominations and to the teachings of the cults. More specifically, the term Orthodox (with a capital O; or, Eastern Orthodox) refers to the state churches of Eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean who split with Roman Catholicism of the West largely over the issue of papal authority.

The Christian Reformation
The 16th century movement initiated by Martin Luther, initially intended to correct, protest, or reform the doctrines and practices of Roman Catholicism. Luther's efforts (later joined and expanded by Zwingli, Bucer, Calvin and others) quickly developed into a complete break with Catholicism. The reformers' major doctrinal issues included a rejection of: the authority of the following: the authority of the Pope, church control of Bible translation and interpretation, a distinction in value between laity and clergy, and salvation being a product of the church and its sacraments (salvation by works). A more thorough (and in some cases unorthodox) reform occurred with the Radical Reformation-the orthodox Anabaptist movement being an example. To various degrees, virtually all Protestant denominations today share a common heritage concerning the issues of the Reformation

Fundamentalist Christianity
Generally a reference to conservative Christians who believe five "fundamentals" of Christianity: the inerrancy of Scripture, the virgin birth of Christ, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, the bodily resurrection of Christ, and the historicity of biblical miracles. More specifically, the term is identified with the conservative reaction, especially in America, to liberal Christianity in the early 20th century. Core beliefs of the movement are virtually identical with evangelical Christianity. Some fundamentalists, however, later distinguished themselves from evangelicals (or neo-evangelicals) whom they saw as too compromising and ecumenical. More recently some have given a new, negative meaning to the term "fundamentalist" using it as a synonym for narrow-minded, bigoted, anti-intellectual or divisive Christians.

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Definitions, Premisses, and Info Index by Letter

Capital A with ring aboveÅ   Capital A with macronĀ   Capital A with breveĂ   Capital A with diaeresisÄ   Capital A with circumflex   Capital A with dot aboveȦ   Capital A with inverted breveȂ   Capital A with tildeà   Capital A with ogonekĄ   Capital AE ligatureÆ   Capital AE ligature with tildeÆ̃   Capital Glottal Stop⦾   Capital Palatoalveolar Click⊛   Regular English AA   Script Capital Lℒ   Capital L with macron aboveL̅   Capital L with dot belowḶ   Capital L with stroke, Dark L Ł   Regular English LL   Capital WHω   Capital W with macron aboveW̅   Capital W with dot belowẈ   Regular English WW   Capital Slide H with reverse solidusℋ⃥   Capital H with macron aboveH̅   Capital H with dot belowḤ   Aspirate^○   Slight Pause⚫   Very Slight Pause⚬   Regular English HH   Capital S with macron aboveS̅   Capital S with dot aboveṠ   Capital SH sign∫   Capital SKΣ   Regular English SS   Hard and Deep Capital DД   High and Light Capital D∇   Regular English DD   Capital O with ring aboveO̊   Capital O with macronŌ   Capital O with breveŎ   Capital O with diaeresisÖ   Capital O with solidusØ   Capital OE ligatureŒ   Capital O with Cyrillic Round OmegaѺ   Capital OIꙔ   Capital O with ogonekǪ   Capital O with double oo topტ   Regular English OO   Capital EZJHʑ   Capital Z with macron belowẔ   Capital Z with dot aboveŻ   Regular English ZZ   Capital K with macron aboveК̅   Capital K with dot below К̣   Capital Hard KHχ   Capital KHƙ   Regular English KK   Capital V with macron aboveV̅   Capital V with dot belowṾ   Regular English VV   Capital G with macronḠ   Capital G with dot aboveĠ   Capital GNΓ   Capital GRЖ   Capital GW   Capital Uvular Voiced ImplosiveϘ   Regular English GG   Capital rolled R with macronЯ̅   Capital rolled R with dot aboveЯ̇   Capital R with macron aboveR̅   Capital R with dot above Ṙ   Capital R with ogonek R̨   Regular English RR   Capital C with cedillaÇ   Capital CHЧ   Regular English CC   Capital N with macron aboveN̅   Capital N with dot belowṆ   Capital N with tildeÑ   Capital NGŋ   Capital NG with macron aboveŋ̅   Regular English NN   Capital Y with macron above Ȳ   Capital Y with dot aboveẎ   Capital Y with yaw aboveЎ   Regular English YY   Capital J with macron aboveЈ̅   Capital J with dot belowЈ̣   Regular English JJ   Capital U with a ring aboveŮ   Capital U with macronŪ   Capital U with breveŬ   Capital U with circumflex aboveÛ   Capital U with diaeresisÜ   Regular English UU   Capital F with macron aboveF̅   Capital F with dot aboveḞ   Regular English FF   Capital Q with macron aboveQ̅   Capital Q with dot aboveQ̇   Regular English QQ   Capital B with macronB̅   Capital B with dot belowḄ   Trilled B   Regular English BB   Capital M with macronM̅   Capital M with dot belowṂ   Capital M with tilde M̃   Capital MB   Capital MGⱮ   Regular English MM   Capital X with macron aboveX̅   Capital X with dot aboveẊ   Regular English XX   Capital I with macronĪ   Capital I with breveĬ   Regular English II   Capital T with macron aboveT̅   Capital T with dot belowṬ   Capital TH voicedΘ   Capital TH voicelessÞ   Capital TSЦ   Capital TSCHЩ   Regular English TT   Capital E with macronĒ   Capital E with breveĔ   Capital E with circumflexÊ   Capital schwa Ə   Regular English EE   Capital P with macron aboveP̅   Capital P with dot aboveṖ   Capital pT   Regular English PP

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