Christianity
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Distinctions
The content for Distinctions is from a book called "Religions of the World - The illustrated guide to origins, beliefs, traditions and festivals". You can purchase a copy here: Amazon
Summary
"The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (I Timothy 1:15)
Christians believe in one God, who created the universe and created human beings to have a special relationship with him.
Through human wilfulness, exemplified in the story of Adam and Eve, this relationship was broken. God showed his love for all humanity by sending his son Jesus to bring humanity back to a personal relationship with God. Christians take their name fro the title given to Jesus: the Christ, meaning the anointed one of God." After three years of teaching, Jesus was executed by crucifixon but brought to life again, showing God's power over death and suffereing and that death is not the end.
Christians believe that they are called to be like Christ in the world.
Symbol
Jesus died on the cross, the normal method of execution in the Roman Empire at that time. It was a shameful and painful death, but Chrisians believe that through it God showed his power over shame, pain and death.
Worldwide Numbers
Christians number over 2 billion worldwide. The largest branch (denominations) of Christianity is Catholicism, with almost 1 billion followers. Other major branches are Orthodox and Protestant.
Holy Places
There are hundreds of lCHristian pilgrimage sites around the world. Israel is important because of its links with Jesus. Rome is the seat of the pope, spiritual leader of the Catholics.
Holy Writings
The Bible consists of the Old Testament, written in Hebrew, and the New Testament, written in Greek. It contains accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus, and letters from early Christians. The Bible has been translated into many languages.
Key Links
Additional in-depth information here on Wikipedia.