What is Christianity?

Christianity fast facts:

• Deity: God
• Holy book: The Bible
• Approximate worldwide followers: 2.3 billion people, or 31.2% of the world population
• Denominations (examples of): Roman Catholics, Church of England, Baptists, Adventist, Evangelical
• Countries that are predominately Christian (examples of): Britain, America, Australia, Mexico, Italy, Russia, Philippines

What is a Christian?

Basically, anyone who believes that Jesus was also Christ, is a Christian. There are many denominations of Christians, meaning followers have the same fundamental beliefs but celebrate them in different ways.

For a more in-depth look at the Christian denominations, read our Teachers’ Wiki here.

In this video, James talks about what children learn about Christianity at school:

Will my child study Christianity at school?

Religion is not part of the national curriculum in England, however, The Religion Education Council of England and Wales states that ‘every child and young person who goes to school is entitled to an experience of religious education (RE) that is both academically challenging and personally inspiring.’

Because of this, your child is likely to explore the beliefs of Christianity in some form during their primary schooling. The amount they are exposed to this and other religions will depend upon the school itself. For a more detailed look at how your child’s school may approach religious education, we’ve put together some parent guides for different age groups:

• Ages 5 - 7
• Ages 7 - 11

How can I help at home?

Like any religion, Christianity is full of complex ideas and ideals which can be tricky for young children to grasp. A great place to start would with this Christian Beliefs teaching pack which should give a good basic understanding of the belief system. If you can, a great practical lesson could be a visit to your local church. You could attend a service or just explore the grounds and see what types of Christian imagery you can see.