Christianity is one of the most widespread religious movements in the world; it has at least 2 billion followers. It has three main areas: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism.
Instruction manual
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The split of Christianity into Orthodoxy and Catholicism occurred in the V century during the collapse of the Roman Empire. Since then, differences between the Roman and Constantinople churches have gradually grown. He provoked a division of the debate about the origin of the holy spirit: only from God the father or from God the son as well. The Orthodox believed that the holy spirit comes only from God the Father. Representatives of the three branches of Christianity have different understanding of the Bible. The main criterion for understanding Catholics is the word of the pope, Protestants - the views of the founder of this denomination or the personal opinion of a believer, Orthodox - Holy Tradition. Holy tradition is a transmitted tradition of spiritual life. The central idea of Christianity is to save man from all evil. Salvation was revealed by Jesus Christ, and you can be saved by believing in him. But this fact is interpreted differently in each of the branches.
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The Orthodox Church is distinguished by the fact that it maintains the tradition of polycentrism. Several Orthodox churches are allowed, at present - fifteen. The creed in Orthodoxy is common Christian, including 12 dogmas and 7 sacraments. Orthodoxy recognizes the existence of a single God, represented by three equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ and in the fact of the original sin of the first people, in the immortality of the soul. After death, souls go to hell or to paradise. Orthodoxy has its own cult system. Orthodox sacraments: baptism, communion, repentance, anointing, marriage, unholy, priesthood. Various cult actions are also practiced: prayers and worship of the cross, icons, relics, relics.
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The head of the Catholic Church is the pope, bishops began to call themselves so since the V century. It is taken for the canonical of many biblical books that the Orthodox Church does not recognize. Catholics acknowledge the existence of purgatory - an intermediate place between heaven and hell. In purgatory, the soul of a sinner can be cleansed by burning sacred fire. There are some differences in Catholic rites and sacraments. For example, baptism is performed by dousing, and the sign of the cross is performed from left to right.
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Protestantism includes many different churches and sects, while believers share many views of Catholicism and Christianity. At the same time, the duty of believers is to independently read and interpret the Holy Scripture, the only source of creed. In Catholicism, Bible study is only possible under the guidance of a priest. In Protestantism, it is believed that everyone can communicate with God, and not just the clergy. Holy tradition is not recognized; salvation is attainable through personal faith. The church hierarchy is denied, the equal sinfulness of all people before God is recognized. Protestants worship only the triune god, without the cult of saints and the Mother of God. They also believe in purgatory. Prayers do not take place in Latin, but in the native believing language. Cults in Protestantism are simplified, there is no external luxury, they are accessible to every person.
