45 Interesting Facts About Christianity

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  1. Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with more than 2.4 billion adherents (over 33% world population).
  2. All the European countries have a Christian majority population except Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, and Estonia.
  3. All the countries in the Americas (North America and South America) have a Christian majority population.
  4. The USA, Brazil, and Mexico have the largest Christian populations in the world. Nearly half of all Christians live in the 10 countries in various continents. (Source)
  5. Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest population of Roman Catholic Christians worldwide.
  6. The Catholic Church established the office of the Inquisition to stop and punish heresy in Europe and South America. This practice started in the 12th Century and continued for centuries. These inquisitions resulted in the execution of numerous non-Catholic Christians, Jews, and Muslims. (Source)
  7. Most of the Christians in eastern and central Europe follow Eastern Orthodox Church. Countries with the largest population of this Christian sect are Russia, Ethiopia, and Ukraine. 
  8. Eastern Orthodox Church parted ways from Roman Catholic Church in 1054 AD, while the Protestants separated from Roman Catholics in 1517. (Source)
  9. In AD 301, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Currently, around 95% of Armenians follow this religion. (Source)
    Map of Armenia and neighboring countries
    Armenia became world's first Christian country in 301

  10. Roman Emperor Nero executed all Christians in its empire after blaming them for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. However, the Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity in 313 AD and it became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 323 AD. (Source)
  11. More than 90% of people in South America are believers in Christianity. It is the highest percentage of the Christian population in any continent.
  12. Spain and Portugal introduced Christianity to Latin America after its capture in the 16th Century. These zealous Christians use brutal tactics to convert the local population to Christianity. Today, Latin Americans comprise 40% of the total Roman Catholic population.
  13. According to a report, the fastest growth of Christianity is happening in the Muslim-majority country of Iran. There is no Church or central leadership in Iran, and the movement is secretly growing underground. (Source)
  14. Bible is the most-read book in the world based on sold copies. Around 3.9 billion copies of the Bible have been sold in the past 50 years. The second book on this list has 820 million sold copies. (Source)
  15. In Roman Catholic Christianity, Priests and Bishops must be celibate. Celibacy is also necessary for Bishops in Orthodox Christianity. Protestant Christianity apply no such condition for clergy.
  16. In the last few decades, Catholic churches from around the world faced accusations of child abuse. Different inquiries have found that thousands of clergy were involved in the sexual abuse of hundreds of thousands of (predominately) male children. These cases were reported in the USA, Australia, Ireland, Argentina, Chile, and several other countries. (Source)
  17. Christians believe that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin. All the other sins are pardonable.
  18. Jesus Christ is the central figure in Christianity, and almost all religious festivals are based on him. These include Christmas (the birthday of Christ), Easter (the resurrection of Christ), Good Friday (the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross), Maundy Thursday (the last supper of Christ), and Palm Sunday (the entry of Christ into Jerusalem).
  19. There is no authentic archaeological or physical evidence for the presence of Jesus. However, several reliable historical sources provide documentary evidence for Jesus’ existence. (Source)
  20. In western cultures, Jesus is depicted as a fair-skinned man with blue eyes and brown or blonde hair. However, many scholars think he had a darker hue and wooly hair. (Source)
  21. During the slavery period in the USA, many Christians supported this practice on religious grounds. They used verses from the Bible to justify slavery. (Source)
  22. According to a report, nearly 9,000 Irish children of unwed mothers died in 18 Church-run homes in Ireland during the 20th Century due to carelessness. These children were also part of vaccine trials. (Source)
  23. Gutenberg’s Bible was one of the initial books printed in the printing press. It was printed in 1455 in the Latin language.
  24. Jerusalem, Rome (Italy), and Santiago de Compostela (Spain) are the holiest cities in Christianity. There are Christian pilgrimage sites in these cities.
  25. Christians around the globe celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday on 25th December every year. But in fact, his actual date of birth is unknown. The date and celebrations of Christmas are considered a substitute for pagan festivals of Europe, celebrated in winter. (Source)
  26. Millions of Christians from various sects do not celebrate Christmas. These sects reject Christmas due to different reasons. (Source)
  27. Jesus Christ was born in Nazareth (Israel). Concerning this city, Christians were previously called Nazarenes by Jews.
    Jesus Christ's birth city
    Nazareth (Christ's birth place)

  28. Amish is a Christian sect found in USA and Canada. These people are known for living a simple and religious life which even includes the prohibition of modern inventions such as cars, tractors, TV, the radio, the internet, etc. (Source)
  29. Jehovah’s Witnesses is a Christian sect that rejects the Trinity and believes in the uniqueness of God (Jehovah).
  30. The Philippines and East Timor are the only two Christian-majority countries located entirely inside Asia.
  31. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Christians fought the Crusades, one of the most famous religiously motivated wars. Its primary aim was to regain Holy Land from Muslims.
  32. Adamites was a Christian sect in North Africa between the 2nd and 4th centuries. Adherents of this sect remained naked during their worship. (Source)
  33. A Christian sect, Freedomites, in Canada (originally belonging to Russia) in the 20th Century, were known for nude protests, which they also tried to justify on a religious basis.
  34. The southeastern and south-central part of the USA is known as Bible Belt. It is due to the large Church attendance in this conservative Evangelical Protestant majority area. (Source)
  35. A few areas of Canada, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Northern Island (UK) are also called Bible Belt due to the extreme religious fervor in people of these areas.
  36. Bible consists of Old Testament and New Testament. There are 66 books (39 in Old Testament or Torah and 27 in New Testament) in Bible from different authors.
  37. The original Old Testament was in Hebrew, and Jews initially translated it into Greek during the 3rd Century BC. Later, the entire Bible was translated into Greek, Latin, and other languages with time. (Source)
  38. There are four gospels in the New Testament: Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. They were written separately between 70 and 95 AD.
  39. The ten commandments have a primary place in Christianity. The initial four belong to relations between humans and God, while the remaining six describe relations among humans.
  40. There are five forms of Christian prayer. These include Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication, and Intercession, collectively known as ACTS and I.
  41.  Jesus selected twelve people for training and preaching of the religion. These are known as 12 apostles.
  42. Saint Peter, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, was the first Christian pope. Romans executed Peter when he arrived in Rome to teach Christianity.
  43. Three Archangels are mentioned by name in the Bible. These are Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. However, many Christians believe there are seven archangels.  
  44. Christian sects such as Roman Catholics, Orthodox, and Anglicans perform formal church worship known as liturgical worship. Other subgroups, like Baptists and Quakers, have informal worship practices. Many Christians also worship privately in their homes.
  45. There are several differences in the punishment, location, and other details of hell among various Christian sects. These multiple interpretations are due to unclear passages of hell in the New Testament.

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