Christianity
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Christianity
A monotheistic world religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The followers of this religion are called Christians, and their holy book is the Bible.
Das Christentum ist eine der größten Religionen der Welt.
Christianity is one of the largest religions in the world.
The ending '-tum' forms abstract nouns that often refer to a whole, a state, or a field. 'Christentum' (Christianity) is derived from 'der Christ' (the Christian) and describes the whole body of Christians and their religion.
Das Judentum, das Christentum und der Islam sind monotheistische Religionen.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions.
The word belongs to a family: 'der Christ' or 'die Christin' is the person, 'christlich' (Christian) is the adjective, and 'das Christentum' (Christianity) is the religion as a whole. Recognizing this family helps with understanding.
Sie feiert viele christliche Feste.
She celebrates many Christian holidays.
Common phrases are 'zum Christentum konvertieren' (to convert to Christianity) or 'zum Christentum übertreten' (to convert to Christianity). If someone is part of the religion, you say that he or she 'gehört dem Christentum an' (belongs to Christianity).
Er hat viel über die Geschichte des Christentums gelesen.
He has read a lot about the history of Christianity.
church
'die Kirche' and 'das Christentum' both belong to the Christian faith, but they do not mean the same thing. 'die Kirche' can be a building where Christians pray, or the organization of Christians, for example the Catholic Church. 'das Christentum' means the religion itself, that is, the faith that refers to Jesus. Learners may confuse the words because both are in the religious area. When you mean a building or a specific organization, 'Kirche' fits. When you mean the religion as a whole, 'Christentum' fits.
Im Kurs sprechen wir über das Christentum und seine Geschichte.
In the course, we talk about Christianity and its history.
Am Sonntag besuchen viele Menschen die Kirche im Zentrum.
On Sundays, many people visit the church in the center of town.