Christian Beliefs

Christianity tends to take beliefs quite seriously. The early fathers and councils carefully distinguished between "orthodoxy" from "heresy" in an effort to preserve what they saw as the true Christian message. In the Middle Ages, established doctrine was carefully safeguarded, and in the 16th century, reformers called for the stripping away of superfluous doctrines and emphasized true faith as the only requirement for salvation. And Christian beliefs remain important today: the many denominations within Christianity center primarily around matters of doctrine rather than practice.

Given the great historical attention that has been devoted to it, the 2,000 years' worth of available writing on its many subjects, and its sometimes complex philosophical arguments, Christian doctrine can be an intimidating subject to tackle, especially for the beginner. The following articles therefore attempt to summarize the general consensus of Christian beliefs on everything from God to the afterlife, with historical development and denominational differences taken into account as much as possible.

	The Christian God The Christian God as portrayed in the New Testament, the early church, and today.			The Trinity Christian monotheism is Trinitarian monotheism, which holds that God is One, but made of three distinct "persons": the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
	Jesus Christ This article focuses on the Christian doctrine about who Jesus was, a topic known as "Christology."			The Holy Spirit In Christian theology, the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, co-equal with the Father and the Son as a part of the Godhead.
	The Virgin Mary Because of her humility and piety and her role as the mother of the Savior of humanity, Mary has been accorded great respect in all branches of Christianity and she is a favorite subject in art, music and literature.			Angels Angels are spiritual beings who were created by God before the world was created.
	Human Nature Fundamental to the Christian understanding of human nature is the belief that the first humans were created in the image of God (imago Dei), but that the disobedience of Adam and Eve brought negative results that endure to this day.			Devil and Demons History, sources and Christian views about devils and demons.
	The Afterlife Christian beliefs about the afterlife vary between denominations and individuals, but most Christians believe in some kind of heaven and hell.			Hell In Christianity, hell is the place or state for unrepentant sinners after this life. The traditional doctrine of hell has become increasingly controversial in recent years.
	Other Religions This article explores various answers to the questions: Is salvation found in Christ alone? Are non-Christian religions valid paths to God and salvation? Do non-Christian religions have truth in them, and can they be seen as another aspect of divine revelation?