Christianity is one of the world's major religions, based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who lived about 2,000 years ago in the Roman province of Judea (today's Israel and Palestine). Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God who came to Earth to save humanity, died on a cross, and rose from the dead three days later.

Christians follow the teachings found in the Bible, which includes both the Old Testament (shared with Judaism) and the New Testament (which tells the story of Jesus and the early Christian church). Central Christian beliefs include loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself, showing forgiveness and compassion, and the promise of eternal life after death for those who follow Christ.

Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and eventually across the entire world, becoming the largest religion globally with over two billion followers. It has three main branches: Catholicism (led by the Pope in Rome), Protestantism (which includes many different denominations like Baptists, Methodists, and Lutherans), and Eastern Orthodoxy (common in Greece, Russia, and Eastern Europe).

Christians gather in churches for worship, often on Sundays, and celebrate holidays like Christmas (Jesus's birth) and Easter (his resurrection). Christianity has profoundly shaped Western art, music, literature, law, and ethics for two millennia. Hospitals, universities, and charitable organizations around the world have been founded on Christian principles of service and caring for others.