Western Christianity

From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.

Western Christianity refers collectively to Catholicism and Protestantism, especially when speaking more about what they share in common than about the ways they differ. As opposed to Eastern Christianity, these groups of Christianity dominated mostly and were historically developed in the western part of Europe, hence the name.

Some of the principal respects in which Western Christianity differs from Eastern Christianity are:

• Western Christianity's doctrine of original sin. Some people attribute Western Christianity's holding this doctrine to the influence of St. Augustine.

• Most Western Christians use an amended version of the Nicene Creed that says the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son". That is considered heretical by most Eastern Christians, who use the Creed as originally promulgated by the Council of Nicea, saying that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father".

Today, the geographical distinction between Western and Eastern Christianity is not nearly as absolute, especially after the spread of missionaries.