Beliefs about God and Jesus
- Christians believe in one God, who is three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. This is called the Trinity.
- Christians believe God created the world, is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient) and all-loving (omnibenevolent).
- Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God, who became human (the incarnation). He was crucified, and Christians believe he rose from the dead (the resurrection), making it possible for people to be forgiven and saved.
The Bible and teachings
- The Bible has two parts: the Old Testament (shared with Judaism) and the New Testament, including the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) about Jesus' life.
- Key teachings: love God and "love your neighbour as yourself"; the Golden Rule (treat others as you want to be treated); forgiveness. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches that everyone is our neighbour.
- Agape is selfless, unconditional love.
Worship and festivals
- Christians worship in churches, often on Sundays. Worship includes prayer (such as the Lord's Prayer), hymns, Bible readings and Holy Communion (also called the Eucharist or Mass), remembering Jesus' Last Supper.
- Baptism welcomes people into the Church.
- Festivals: Christmas (Jesus' birth), Lent (40 days of preparation), Easter (the resurrection) and Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit).
- The main groups (denominations) are Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant, which includes Anglican and Methodist churches.
Key terms
- Trinity
- The belief that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Incarnation
- The belief that God became human in Jesus.
- Resurrection
- Jesus rising from the dead.
- Gospels
- The four books about Jesus' life: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
- Holy Communion
- A service remembering the Last Supper, with bread and wine.
- Agape
- Selfless, unconditional love.
- Denomination
- A group within Christianity, such as Catholic or Methodist.