Western Christianity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Christianity is a form of Christianity that consists of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and Protestantism. As opposed to Eastern Christianity, it developed and came to be predominant in Western Europe and the Western Hemisphere.
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 states that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son". This is considered heretical by most Eastern Christians, who use the Creed as originally promulgated by the Council of Nicaea, saying that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father" (See Filioque clause).
- The date of Easter usually differs between Western and Eastern Christianity.
Today, the geographical distinction between Western and Eastern Christianity is considerably less absolute than it formerly was, due to the great migrations of Europeans across the globe, as well as the spread of missionaries worldwide over the past five centuries.
