The word “Christianity” was derived from the word “Christ,” a Greek word which literally means “Messiah” or the “anointed one.”  The core tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus, the Messiah, who was anointed by God as savior of humanity.  Christians hold that the coming of Jesus was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.  Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.  The foundation of Christian theology is expressed in the early Christian movements relating to the promotion of unity among Christian churches or denominations, which consisted of claims accepted by the followers of Christianity.

Christianity is a major influence in the shaping of Western civilization.  Christianity originated in the eastern Mediterranean as a Jewish sect and spread to Europe becoming the dominant religion within the Roman Empire.  After the Age of Discovery, Christianity also spread to America, Australia and the rest of the world.  In the beginning of the 21^st century, there were almost 2.2 billion adherents of Christianity.  Now, Christianity is the largest religion in the world and about a quarter of the world’s population are Christians.

Christianity was and is a part of the common law and is interwoven into the texture of the society.  Similarly, common law is based on Christian principles.  However, courts have never recognized the religion to be controlling in their decision making.