Christianity was traditionally understood to be founded by
             Jesus of Nazareth. Paul of Tarsus, after his conversion on
             the road to Damascus, worked tirelessly to establish
             Christianity among both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles of the
             Diaspora. Clues in the New Testament indicate that there was
             a significant rift between Paul and the Jewish leadership
             early in the history of the Church. It is primarily Paul's
             writings which has most influenced the Church today.
             Christians span the globe and are present on all the
             inhabited continents and in most of the world's societies.
             As Christianity is a universalizing religion, it embraces
             Most Christian denominations and sects teach that man is
             sinful and can never inherit eternal life in the presence of
             God as a result of the sins of our first parents, Adam and
             Eve,as well as our own personal sin. It thus became
             necessary for God to become man in the person of Jesus
             Christ who as the Son of God was sinless and unblemished.
             His purpose was to suffer and die in atonement for the sins
             of all who accept his sacrifice for sin. Individual
             salvation is dependent upon the acceptance of this
             atonement. The Church is the Bride of Christ whose purpose
             is to spread this message, "the Gospel", to all people
             before Christ's return to the earth to rule all nations as
             the heir to the throne of David. This is primary message of
             most Christians. Other sects will have variations on this
             message, and may include many other doctrines they find
             necessary to their own message or purpose.
             Scriptures and Other Significant Writings:
             The New Testament together with the Jewish Bible make up the
             canon of Christianity. The Roman Catholic and the Eastern
             Orthodox branches of Christianity also include books in
             their canons that many Protestants do not, called "the
             Apocrypha" or the "Deuterocanonicals". Also important are
             the writings of the early church father...