The Major Divisions in the Christian Religion

The Christian religion is actually made up of many religious denominations, similar in some aspects, profoundly different in others. Let’s take a look at them.

The Christian religion is one of the most widespread monotheistic religions in the world. We all know that it originated with Jesus Christ, from whom his followers took their name, “Christians.” We know that it has many elements in common with Judaism, including some books of the Holy Scriptures, but also with Islam, as all three religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—are Abrahamic religions, meaning they consider Abraham as the origin of sacred history. In particular, Christianity and Judaism share the sacred book, the Bible, of which the Jewish people recognise the books of the Old Testament but not the New Testament, which is composed of the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters, and the Book of Revelation, even though all these books confirm alignment with Jewish writings. However, the fundamental issue is that the Jews did not recognise Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Son of God promised by the prophets.

If we look around us, we quickly realise that speaking of Christianity as a single religion would not only be reductive but also entirely incorrect. The history of Christianity over the centuries has led to the creation of many religious variants, some of which have gained traction, becoming fully independent and recognised denominations. In essence, they are all Christian churches, all drawing from the life and teachings of Jesus, but each with significant differences in doctrine, traditions, and even the number of Sacraments. We have chosen to examine the three main divisions of the Christian church: Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. These three denominations, despite the differences we will explore, share the Nicene or Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which consists of a set of faith principles defined during the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, primarily based on the oneness of God, the nature of Jesus, and the Trinity.

Catholicism

It is sometimes common to see Catholicism and Christianity confused as if they were the same thing. This is, of course, a mistake. Catholicism specifically refers to the branch of Christianity that recognises the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church as its highest religious authority and the Pope as its supreme leader. Catholic Christians place great value on the figure of the Virgin Mary and venerate many Saints. They also attribute great importance to apostolic tradition, recognising the Apostle Peter as the one to whom Christ entrusted His church. For this reason, many aspects of Catholic doctrine are based not only on the Holy Scriptures—the Bible—but also on Apostolic Tradition, a Christian text written around 215 AD that contains the “tradition” (traditio) of the apostles, meaning the foundational instructions and liturgical and ecclesiastical guidelines underlying Catholic doctrine. This text is not recognised at all by Orthodox and Protestant Christians, and this is one of the reasons for the division among the three Christian denominations.

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The Catholic Christian religion recognises seven Sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist (or Communion), Confirmation, Reconciliation, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. The Holy Mass is celebrated as a precept, and during the celebration, the consecration of the Bread and Wine takes place before the assembly of the faithful, followed by the distribution of the consecrated hosts.

Orthodoxy

Regarding Orthodox Christianity, this refers to the church that emerged from the East-West Schism, which took place in 1054 AD at the height of a period of doctrinal controversies and theological debates. Orthodox Christians do not recognise a single religious authority. Each church within Orthodoxy is governed by its own bishops through local synods. Therefore, there is no figure equivalent to the Pope for Catholics, although the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised as primus inter pares (“first among equals”) by all other bishops and acts as a spiritual representative for all Orthodox Christians.

Orthodox Christians base their faith on Holy Tradition, which includes the Holy Scriptures, the teachings of the Church Fathers, and the dogmatic principles established in the seven historical ecumenical councils. The Orthodox Church, therefore, promotes and disseminates the original Christian faith, established by Jesus and handed down by the apostles, whose bishops are their direct successors.

Orthodox Christians also recognise Seven Sacraments and venerate the Virgin Mary as “Theotókos,” Mother of God. They also honour the Saints. Priests are allowed to marry, but if they do so, they cannot become bishops, nor can monks, whose communities play a fundamental role. For Orthodox Christians, humans are born pure, not tainted by the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, which they call Ancestral Sin. However, sin is an inherent part of human nature, meaning that all people are naturally predisposed to sin.

Protestantism

Protestantism, or Protestant Christianity, originated with the so-called Reformation, which was actually a series of events leading to the formation of various branches of Christianity. Notably, the English Reformation led to the creation of the Church of England, while the Imperial Diet of Speyer in 1529, also known as the Protestation at Speyer, gave rise to the term “Protestant.” The Protestant Reformation spread across 16th-century Europe, fuelled by strong opposition to the decadence of the Church of Rome and the papacy, culminating in a complete separation. Key figures of the Reformation were Martin Luther (Lutheranism) and John Calvin (Calvinism).

There are many branches of Protestantism, from Anglicanism to Adventism, from Calvinism to Lutheranism. In Italy, Protestantism is primarily represented by evangelicalism.

In general, Protestants share many principles of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed and the Apostolic Creed with Catholics and Orthodox Christians, but they differ primarily in Christology, the role of grace, the relationship between faith and works, and many aspects of church authority.

Jesus is the only means of salvation for humanity, as the living Word of God and the sole point of reference for the believer.

Humankind, by its imperfect nature, is inherently sinful, regardless of actions or efforts to remain pure and righteous. Only God can grant salvation, solely by virtue of His immense love. The Holy Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, serve to make humans aware of their own damnation, but it is within themselves that they must find faith in Salvation. Therefore, Salvation is determined by faith, not by deeds.

Only the Bible is considered the law of God, and no person can act as an intermediary between it and others to manipulate its content, except for the Church Fathers. This belief essentially eliminates any authoritative role for the clergy, as priests are no longer mediators between humans and God—only Jesus can fulfil this role. This doctrine establishes the concept of the universal priesthood, meaning that every believer is, in essence, a priest. At most, a pastor may provide interpretations of the Holy Scriptures.

Regarding the Sacraments, Protestants recognise only Baptism and the Eucharist, which symbolise God’s promise of salvation and redemption for all humanity. However, in the Eucharist, the Bread and Wine remain unchanged, as transubstantiation does not occur.

Mary is not venerated as the Mother of God and is not an object of devotion, nor are the Saints.

The Anglican Schism, which led to the creation of the Anglican Church, took place in the 16th century at the behest of King Henry VIII, who rejected papal authority and the Roman Catholic Church. Deeply influenced by Protestant doctrines from continental Europe (Calvinism and Lutheranism), the Anglican Church is based on the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and the Book of Common Prayer. Closer to Catholicism than other Protestant churches, it recognises the Archbishop of Canterbury as its spiritual leader and bases its principles on the Bible, apostolic traditions, and the writings of the Church Fathers.