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== Main Christian groups ==

== Main Christian groups ==

The three largest self-governing bodies of Christians are:

To Non-Christians, Christianity is most easily explained as falling into four groupings:

* the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (approx. 1.1 billion baptized members) traces their roots back to [[Saint Peter]] who they believed established the Church and the succession of the [[Pope]]s as the spiritual authority of the Christian body of believers.  

* the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (approx. 1.1 billion baptized members) traces their roots back to [[Saint Peter]] who they believed established the Church and the succession of the [[Pope]]s as the spiritual authority of the Christian body of believers.  

* the [[Orthodox Church]]es (approx. 300 million baptized members) also trace their roots back to the beginnings of Christianity, but do not believe in the primary of the Pope.  Different theological perspectives led to the [[Great Schism]] between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches in A.D. 1054.  

* the [[Orthodox Church]]es (approx. 300 million baptized members) also trace their roots back to the beginnings of Christianity, and four of the original five Patriarchal Sees of the undivided church, (Rome being the fifth).  Different theological perspectives led to the [[Great Schism]] between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches in A.D. 1054.  

* [[Protestantism]], the largest Communion being the Anglicans (approx. 77 million baptized members). Protestantism has its origins in the European Reformation. It first broke away from the Roman Catholic Church under [[Martin Luther]] when differences over the nature of faith and works in the role of [[Christianity#salvation|salvation]] could not be adequately reconciled as well as other practices that Luther saw in the Catholic Church at that time that he did not agree with. Other preachers and movements then followed Luther's example and also left the Catholic fold.

* [[Protestantism]], the largest Communion being the Anglicans (approx. 77 million baptized members). Protestantism has its origins in the European Reformation. It first broke away from the Roman Catholic Church under [[Martin Luther]] when differences over the nature of faith and works in the role of [[Christianity#salvation|salvation]] could not be adequately reconciled as well as other practices that Luther saw in the Catholic Church at that time that he did not agree with. Other preachers and movements then followed Luther's example and also left the Catholic fold.

== Christian beliefs ==

== Christian beliefs ==