Christianity

Christianity
Links: Pages on Christianity, Other Religions
God(s)	Atheist / Monotheist / Polytheist / Other
Adherent	Christian
Adherents	Christians
Texts	The Bible
Afterlife	Heaven or hell
Founding
Heritage	Judaism1 and paganism2
Area of Origin	Roman Empire
When	1st-3rd centuryCE
Founder	By multiple Greek writers, including St Paul
Numbers in the UK (Census results)
2001	42.08 million	2011	33.2 million
Christians Worldwide (Pew & WM)
World: 33.2%. Timor-Leste (East Timor) (99%), Papua New Guinea (99%), Romania (99%), Tokelau (99%), Vatican City (99%), Tonga (98.9%), Armenia (98.5%), American Samoa (98.3%), Faroe Islands (98%), Zambia (97.6%) 3

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus and the stories of the Hebrew Scriptures, as preserved in the Bible. Christianity is counted as one of the great world religions_4,5,6.

1. Main Pages on Christianity
   1. Moral Issues
   2. Sexuality, Gender and Family
   3. Universalism
   4. Jesus
   5. United Kingdom
   6. Other Pages
2. Numbers of Christians Around the World, by Country
3. Calendar (2024)
4. Denominations
5. Links

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1. Main Pages on Christianity

• The Unforgiveable Sin of Christianity (2017)

• Pentecostal Protestant Christianity (2017)

• The Second Coming of Jesus and the End of the World in the Bible (2017)

• Jehovah's Witnesses: A Return to Early Christianity (2017)

• Review of 'The Jesus Mysteries' by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy (2003)

Mirrored or copied files:

• YAHWEH - God of the Hebrews, the formation, through Moses, of the single God concept that launched Judaism and ultimately Christianity.

Minor pages:

• Response to the AI proof of God and a Self Esteem Theodicy by Bill Edelen

2. Numbers of Christians Around the World, by Country

#religion

Pos.		Pew Forum (2010)7	Worldmapper (2005)8
1	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	99.0%	84.2%
2	Papua New Guinea	99.0%	94.8%
3	Romania	99.0%	95.8%
4	Tokelau	99.0%
5	Vatican City	99.0%	100.0%
6	Tonga	98.9%	92.7%
7	Armenia	98.5%	83.4%
8	American Samoa	98.3%
9	Faroe Islands	98.0%
10	Zambia	97.6%	83.7%
11	Namibia	97.5%	90.9%
12	Marshall Islands	97.5%	96.0%
13	Solomon Islands	97.4%	95.2%
14	Wallis & Futuna	97.4%
15	Moldova	97.4%	71.5%
16	Kiribati	97.0%	94.3%
17	Malta	97.0%	98.1%
18	Paraguay	96.9%	95.5%
19	Samoa	96.8%	96.4%
20	Lesotho	96.8%	91.7%
21	Puerto Rico	96.7%	96.7%
22	Tuvalu	96.7%	89.1%
23	Grenada	96.6%	96.6%
24	St Helena	96.5%
25	Martinique	96.5%
26	Niue	96.4%	96.8%
27	Greenland	96.1%	96.1%
28	Cook Islands	96.0%	96.6%
29	Bahamas	96.0%	92.0%
30	Guadeloupe	95.9%
31	Congo, DR	95.8%	95.4%
32	Peru	95.5%	96.4%
33	Micronesia	95.3%	93.2%
34	Barbados	95.2%	95.5%
35	Guatemala	95.2%	97.4%
36	Mexico	95.1%	95.9%
37	Iceland	95.0%	95.8%
38	US Virgin Islands	94.8%
39	St Pierre & Miquelon	94.7%
40	St Kitts & Nevis	94.6%	94.6%
q=232.

The population of 161 countries are half (or mostly) Christian (2011)₃. Comparing those 161 country(ies) to the rest of the world:

• Christian countries' average life expectancy at birth (71.5yrs) is close to the global average (71.3yrs).₉

• Christian countries' average fertility rate is 2.71, compared with the global average of 2.81. Values above 2.1 cause population growth, putting further strain on the Earth's resources. See: The Population of the Earth.₁₀

• Christian countries are of average wealth compared to the global average with an average Gross National Income (GNI; per capita) of $21 539. This compares to the global average of $20 136.₁₁

• Christian countries' scoring on the UN's Gender Inequality Index (0.33) is close to the global average (0.36).₁₂. See Religion Versus Womankind.

• When it comes to tolerance of homosexuality and LGBT rights, Christians' countries are better than the global average, scoring 23.8 on the Social and Moral Development Index LGBT component compared with the global average of 12.6.

3. Calendar (2024)

#religious_calendars

Date	Event	Notes
Jan 1st Monday (fixed)	The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ	Catholics have started celebrating this on the 3rd of Jan.
Jan 6th Saturday (fixed)	Theophany / Baptism of Jesus Christ	(Orthodox). By John the Baptist.
Jan 6th Saturday (fixed)	The Epiphany	(Anglican & Roman Catholic). In some countries, celebrated on the first Sunday after Jan 1st. The magi visit baby Jesus bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh
Jan 7th Sunday (always on a Sun)	The Baptism of Jesus	(Roman Catholic). The Sunday after the Feast of the Epiphany By John the Baptist.
Jan 7th Sunday (fixed)	Christmas Day	(Orthodox, Rastafarian). Historically developed from: Q4 Solstice (Yuletide)
Jan 18th Thursday (7 days) (fixed)	Week of Prayer for Christian Unity	In the global south, celebrated between Ascension Day and Pentecost.
Jan 19th Friday (fixed)	The Epiphany	(Orthodox). For the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, according to the Orthodox Julian calendar.
Jan 30th Tuesday (fixed)	The Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs	Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Celebrated together to end a long period of disruptive competition between growing sects of followers of each one individually in 11th-12th century.
Feb 2nd Friday (fixed)	The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple / Candlemas
Feb 13rd Tuesday (always on a Tue)	Shrove Tuesday	(Western Churches). Although it relates to absolution from sin, this day was pinned to an ancient day of feasting and consumption.
Feb 14th Wednesday (always on a Wed)	First day of Lent / Ash Wednesday	(Western churches). The first day of lent, enacted as Ash Wednesday in Catholic and some Anglican churches.
Mar 1st Friday (fixed)	St David's Day	in the UK (Wales). A day declared to be the anniversary of St David's death.
Mar 1st Friday (always on a Fri)	Christian Women's World Day of Prayer	in Suriname.
Mar 9th Saturday (fixed)	The Feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
Mar 17th Sunday (fixed)	St Patrick's Day	in the UK. Almost completely secular, but celebrated by Christians as the mythologized day a saint went from Britain to Ireland to convert them to Christianity.
Mar 21st Thursday (fixed)	St Joseph's Day	Honouring Joseph, Jesus' father.
Mar 24th Sunday (7 days)	Holy Week	(Western Churches). Marking the week of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Mar 24th Sunday (always on a Sun)	Passion Sunday / Palm Sunday	(Western Churches). The first day of Christian Holy Week.
Mar 25th Monday (fixed)	Annunciation of the Theotokos	The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she will have God's son.
Mar 28th Thursday (always on a Thu)	Maundy Thursday	(Western Churches). For the Last Supper.
Mar 29th Friday (always on a Fri)	Good Friday	(Western Churches). About the crucifixion of Jesus.
Mar 30th Saturday (always on a Sat)	Holy Saturday	(Western Churches). The last day of Lent.
Mar 31st Sunday	Easter Day	(Western churches). For the resurrection of Jesus.
Apr 23rd Tuesday (fixed)	St George's Day	in the UK. Patron Saint of England.
Apr 28th Sunday (always on a Sun)	Palm Sunday	(Orthodox). Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
May 5th Sunday	Easter Day (Julian)	(Orthodox & Rastafarian). For the resurrection of Jesus.
May 10th Friday	Ascension Day	(Western Churches). 40th day after Easter. Jesus' resurrection on the 3rd day saw him float up into heaven.
May 19th Sunday (always on a Sun)	Whit Sunday	(Western churches). 49th day after Easter.
May 20th Monday (always on a Sun)	Pentecost	(Western Churches). 50th day after Easter.
May 21st Tuesday (fixed)	The Feast of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen	(Orthodox, most Anglican, Lutheran). There are lots of variations on dates for these days, depending on location & denomination.
Jun 14th Friday	Ascension Day	(Orthodox churches). 40th day after Easter.
Jun 19th Wednesday (fixed)	New Church Day	(Swenborgian). Celebration of the principal text that codified the Swenborgian movement.
Jun 23rd Sunday (always on a Sun)	Trinity Sunday	(Orthodox Churches). About the mystery of God and how to make sense of the Trinity.
Jun 24th Monday (fixed)	The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Jun 29th Saturday (fixed)	The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
Jul 20th Saturday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint Elijah the Prophet	(Western Churches).
Jul 24th Wednesday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint Christina of Bolsena the Great Martyr
Jul 26th Friday (fixed)	The Feast of the Conception of Mary by Saints Joachim and Anne
Aug 6th Tuesday (fixed)	Transfiguration of Jesus	Jesus clothes became dazzling white and his face changed, and he talks to spirits of Moses and Elijah.
Aug 6th Tuesday (fixed)	Transfiguration of Jesus	(Western).
Aug 15th Thursday (fixed)	Dormition of the Theotokos / Assumption of Mary	(Orthodox).
Aug 29th Thursday (fixed)	The Beheading of St. John the Baptist	(Western churches).
Sep 8th Sunday (fixed)	Nativity of the Theotokos	Birth of Mary, Mother of Jese.
Sep 11st Wednesday (fixed)	The Beheading of St. John the Baptist	(Orthodox churches).
Sep 14th Saturday (fixed)	Elevation of the Cross	One of the feasts of the cross.
Sep 29th Sunday (fixed)	The Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel	(Western Churches). In Catholicism, is the feast of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and in Anglican Churches is the 'Feast of All Angels'.
Oct 1st Tuesday (fixed)	Christian Harvest Festival	Harvests are laid out in church.
Oct 1st Tuesday (fixed)	The Protection of the Mother of God	(Russian Orthodox).
Oct 23rd Wednesday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint James the Just
Oct 26th Saturday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki
Nov 1st Friday (fixed)	All Saints' Day	For all the Saints that don't have their own day.
Nov 2nd Saturday (fixed)	All Souls' Day	For remembering the dead.
Nov 8th Friday (fixed)	The Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel	(Orthodox Churches). In Catholicism, is the feast of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and in Anglican Churches is the 'Feast of All Angels'.
Nov 21st Thursday (fixed)	Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple / Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dec 6th Friday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Lycia	(Western Churches).
Dec 8th Sunday (fixed)	Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary	(Catholic). The annual declaration by Catholics that Jesus' mother was herself born free from Original Sin.
Dec 14th Saturday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint Spiridon	(Western Churches).
Dec 15th Sunday (always on a Sun)	Advent Sunday	(Western churches). Four Sundays before Christmas. Candles are lit each Sunday for the end of the period of the sun's weakness. Historically developed from: Q4 Solstice (Yuletide)
Dec 19th Thursday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Lycia	(Orthodox Churches).
Dec 25th Wednesday (fixed)	Nativity / Christmas Day	Previously celebrated in spring, the birth of Jesus was moved in the 4th century to merge it with popular pagan celebrations on the 25th.
Dec 26th Thursday (fixed)	The Feast of Saint Stephen the Deacon

4. Denominations

#amish #anthrocentrism #astronomy #australia #branch_davidians #catholicism #christian_apostolic_church_in_zion #christianity #christianity_historical #concerned_christians #copernicus #czechia #dami_xuanjiao #earth #ebionites #france #galileo #germany #gravity #greece #hookers_for_jesus #hungary #islam #israel #jamaica #jehovah's_witnesses #kepler #laplace #lithuania #marcionites #mormonism #nasorean_mandaeans #nasorean_mandaeans_(sabians) #netherlands #newton #order_of_the_solar_temple #palestine #pentecostalism #people's_temple #physics #poland #protestantism #ptolemy #rastafarian #science #south_korea #sweden #switzerland #UK #unification_church #unitarianism #USA

'Christianity' is not a single religion dating from 2,000 years ago. A long series of varied different religions, flowing on from one another, have all called themselves "Christian". Rightly so. The beliefs and form have changed so much from time to time that it is best to consider the word "Christianity" an umbrella term for multiple faiths all of which have the same name but different beliefs. Some historical forms of Christianity have made more sense, and some have made less sense, than the Christian mythology that is common today. Modern archaeology has uncovered many of these early forms of Christianity, and no longer can we say that modern-day Christianity in its various forms represents early Christianity. It hardly does. Christianity now is quite varied, but in history the varieties were much more exotic.

For more, see:

• "Types of Christianity in History: Who Were the First Christians?" by Vexen Crabtree (2003).

• Marcionites [Link]. Founded in Rome in the 2nd century by Marcion. The Old Testament God is evil, but the NT god is good.

• Nasorean Mandaeans (Sabians) [Link]. Founded in Judea (Palestine) in the 1st century BCE/very early CE by John the Baptist. Pacifists who hold that baptism is the most meaningful ritual, and that Jesus wasn't the one foretold by John the Baptist. The Nasoreans were founded in the 1st century BCE as followers of John the Baptist, speaking Aramaic. They are often called Mandaeans by scholars (which in Aramaic means 'Gnostics')₁₃. In Muslim countries, they are called Sabians, where they have been heavily and violently persecuted₁₄. The largest communities are 10,000 - 20,000 in Sweden and about half that in Australia. They are pacifists₁₄, emphasize baptism as the most meaningful ritual, hold that John the Baptist remains the last true prophet and that their religion stems directly from that of Adam and Noah. They were never convinced in the 1st century by early Christians that Jesus was a replacement for John the Baptist. The earliest Gospel texts support the Nasorean view.₁₅

• Ebionites [Link]. Founded in Judea (now Israel) in the 1st century. Possibly the earliest form of Christianity to exist.

• Catholicism. Founded in Roman Empire in the 4th century. The form of Christianity backed by Roman power from the 4th century, it violently displaced the original forms of Christianity.

• Moravians (Unitas Fratrum) [Link]. Founded in Bohemia (now Czech Republic) in 1457CE by Jan (John) Hus. Founded as they rejected the authority of the Pope in Rome, so, later became known as a Protestant denomination.

• Unitarianism. Founded in Poland, Lithuania, Hungary in the 16th century. A liberal and non-Trinitarian Christian church.

• Protestantism. Founded in 1517CE by Martin Luther. A schism caused by widespread rejection of Catholic church power-mongering and horrendous social abuses.

• Calvinism. Founded in Switzerland in 1519CE by Huldrych Zwingli. A collection of early Protestant movements with more defined answers to several theological problems.

• Lutheranism. Founded in Germany in 1521CE by Martin Luther. Formed in order to make Christianity more Biblically-based.

• Baptist. Founded in UK or Europe in the 1525 or 17th century anabaptists or 17th Century English separatists. Baptism is only for consenting adults who have chosen it, and not to be forced on children.

• Anglicanism. Founded in UK in 1534CE by King Henry VIII. Created to reduce the amount of tax being sent to Rome and so that King Henry VIII could remarry.

• Mennonite [Link]. Founded in Netherlands in 1632CE by Menno Simons. A Protestant Christian denomination.

• Amish [Link]. Founded in Switzerland in 1693CE by Jakob Ammann and his followers split from the Anabaptists. Peaceful Christian fundamentalist group famous for its rejection of technology and strict adherence to OT and NT laws. The VCCM_Tag="Amish"--> are a peaceful Christian fundamentalist group famous for its rejection of technology and strict adherence to OT and NT laws. They are named after a 17th century Mennonite bishop, and "remain a very insular and conservative community of people who shun modern living styles"₁₆.

• Methodism. Founded in UK in the 18th century by John Wesley, George Whitefield and Charles Wesley. Split due to a rejection of predeterminism in favour of a free-will and faith-based theory of salvation.

• Swenborgian / New Church. Founded in Sweden in 1770CE by Emanuel Swedenborg. Scripture must be interpreted spiritually, not literally, and Baptism and the Last Supper are the two sacraments.

• Mormonism [Link]. Founded in USA in 1830₁₇ by Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith (1805-44) created Mormonism by phrasing the symbols, magical ideas and other elements from the occult scene of his own upbringing in terms of Christian history. In his Book of Mormon, he claims that tribes of Israelites migrated to the USA in the 6th century BCE and founded a successful civilisation, which lasted one thousand years and was visited by Jesus during his life._18,19. This historical myth-making is widely ridiculed on account of the genetic, archaeological and historical evidence against it₁₈.

  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are the largest Mormon denomination.

• Plymouth Brethren. Founded in UK in 1831CE. A fundamentalist sola-scripture (Bible alone) movement.

• Christadelphians. Founded in USA in the 1840s by Dr John Thomas. Bible-based Christianity.

• Salvation Army. Founded in UK in 1865CE by Methodist minister William Booth. Christian organisation of evangelists organised along military lines, famous for charity work.

• Jehovah's Witnesses [Link]. Founded in USA in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell. A 140-year-old Christian fundamentalist/literalist organisation famous for preaching that the world is about to end (nowadays - because of the existence of the United Nations). The Jehovah's Witnesses are a growing Christian Church with some interesting beliefs, who retain the ability to change their beliefs (as they have done on their opposition to vaccinations). They are distinctive for their energetic, persistent yet friendly door-to-door evangelism. They are Biblical fundamentalists with strong anti-science views, world-rejecting ideas, and a long-lasting belief in the imminent end of the world as we know it. Their Church is highly centralized. They attract criticism on grounds of their totalitarianism, cultish behaviour, heavy indoctrination of their members by their internal society, their extremist sectarianism and intolerance of views they deem incorrect, and of their history of doctrine reversals. But their ability to change is a positive thing: an inability to change is widely held to be the greatest weakness of religion overall. They commendably proclaim some now-unfashionable Christian beliefs which have been forgotten or amended by nearly all modern Christian churches, such as a unitarian rather than a trinitarian god, and that the saved are carnally reincarnated as there is no eternal soul.

• Christian Scientists. Founded in USA in 1879CE by Mary Baker Eddy. Jesus didn't die, and, all illness is an illusion if only you believe it enough.

  “The main teaching of Christian Scientists is that all physical aspects of life, especially illness, are illusory and that all one requires to be rid of them is to understand this. They reject belief in Christ's death on the cross. Their founder was Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) whose book Science and Healing with a Key to the Scriptures is read alongside the Bible at meetings. There are about 3,000 Christian Science churches and organizations in more than 50 countries.”

  "Religions of the World" by Breuilly, O'Brien & Palmer (1997)₃₆

  They are not the only Christian branch to believe that Jesus surivived; see Arguments That Jesus Survived the Crucifixion.

• Christian Apostolic Church in Zion [Link]. Founded in USA in 1895CE by John Alexander Dowie. Fundamentalist Anti-science flat-earth Christian cult, who also predicted the End of the World would occur 4 different times. Copernicus (1473-1543)_20,21, Kepler (1571-1630), Galileo (1564-1642)_22,23,24, Newton (1643-1727)₂₅ and Laplace (1749-1827)₂₆ all fought battles against the Church when they published scientific papers that enraged the Church by writing that the Earth might orbit the sun, rather than the idea that it sat at a central position in the Universe. These and other scientists suffered torture, imprisonment, forced recantations and death at the hands of Christians_24,27. The source of the Church's confidence was the Bible. Joshua 10:12-13, 2 Kings 20:11, Psalms 93:1, 104:5, Ecclesiastes 1:5, Isaiah 30:26, Isaiah 38:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and Habakkuk 3:10-11 all contradicted the astronomers. It was not until 1979 that the Vatican "officially concede[d] that the Earth revolved around the Sun, and not vica-versa"₂₃.

  Without interference from theists, science would have been a thousand years more advanced than it is now. Aristarchus of Samos taught that the earth moves, in the 3rd century BCE₂₀. But Greek astronomical knowledge was condemned and hidden by Christians (Ptolemy et al) in the second century. The Ionians discovered the truth about the Sun, the Earth and the stars₂₈, but their era ended when their last great scientist, Hypatia, was attacked by a mob of Christians and burnt in 415CE. The center of science, the Alexandrian Library, was also burnt and destroyed. Although the Church did eventually lose the battle against astronomy, it still went on to violently impose dogmatic errors in other arenas of knowledge, such as biology. Thankfully, today, most mainstream Christians accept scientific facts in many matters and Christian organisations have much reduced power to hinder research.

• Pentecostalism [Link]. Founded in USA in the 20th century by Charles Fox Parham. A fundamentalist Protestant 'Charismatic' movement with an emphasis on baptism and direct experiences of God, evidenced by 'talking in tongues'. Pentecostal Christianity is a division of Protestant Christianity stemming from the 20th century, influenced by Evangelical Christianity₂₉. There are 300-500 million Pentecostals worldwide, mostly in Latin America, Africa, East Asia, and the Pacific Oceania₃₀ (i.e, the "global South")₃₁. It is less focused on the Bible and more on personal zeal and emotion, and is popularist rather than doctrinal - i.e., it follows what its mass of believers want, rather than obsessing over minute biblical details - the spirit of the law, rather than the letter. The movement has self-help potential, and prohibits gambling, drugs and alcohol (but also prohibits dancing)₂₉ and emphasizes individual responsibilities in life₃₂. There is an emphasis on tithing, which suits its community leaders very well. Most new Pentecostal churches are popular amongst the poor and the displaced₂₉, and its messages are sometimes heavy on anti-intellectualism and anti-science. But with popularity comes greater influence, and over time these facets tend to soften as the churches become more "upwardly mobile". At that point, many poor members tend to become disillusionsed and move on to other churches; perhaps back to their original ones.₂₉. Pentecostalism has a problem with gender equality: although in Latin American 2/3rds of its congregation is female, "formal leadership positions are monopolized by men"₃₃. Pentecostalism is home of the infamous "Prosperity Theology" movement, which has embraced the amassing of wealth as evidence of being in God's favour₃₄ and Hefner (2011) reports in an understated manner that "the expensive cars and clothing flaunted by some prosperity pastors disturb Catholics"₃₅. The church has developed problems and a long series of scandals has seen prominent Pentecostals mired in corruption, sexual intrigues, paedophilia, tax evasion and fraud.

• Rastafarian [Link]. Founded in Jamaica in the 1930s. God (called Jah) fathered a black Jesus; marijuana use in rituals.

• Branch Davidians [Link]. Founded in USA in 1930CE by Benjamin Roden. Apocalyptic suicide cult famed for its dramatic armed fight against authorities in the town of Waco, USA, in 1993.

• Unification Church [Link]. Founded in South Korea in 1954CE by Sun Myung Moon. Sun Myung Moon embodied the Second Coming of Christ, and his commercialist church runs a media empire. "Founded in 1954 by the Korean businessman Sun Myung Moon, known as the Reverend Moon to his followers, this church claims that God has constantly sought to create the perfect family but has been thwarted by Satan. The core book is Moon's The Divine Principle"₃₆.

• People's Temple [Link]. Founded in USA in the 1960s by Rev. James (Jim) Warren Jones. Apocalyptic suicide cult that imploded, resulting in the deaths of over 600 adults and 276 children.

• Hookers for Jesus / The Family of God [Link]. Founded in USA in 1968CE by David Berg. Sexually promiscuous group who fell foul of police suspicion. As is often the case, increasing pressure from outside resulted in the group retreating even further into insanity, and they became The Family, predicting the end of the world.

• Dami Xuanjiao [Link]. Founded in South Korea in the 1980s. A millenarian cult based on the belief that Jesus would return to judge survivors in 1999. Suspected of being on the verge of mass suicide after predictions of the end of the world failed in year 2000.

• Concerned Christians [Link]. Founded in USA in the 1980s by Monte Kim Miller. Fundamentalist Christians active in the USA, Israel and Greece who expected the end of the world in year 2000, starting with a nuclear attack on the USA, which they appeared to be trying to instigate themselves.

• Order of the Solar Temple [Link]. Founded in France in 1984CE by Joseph Di Mambro & Luc Jouret. Apocalyptic suicide cult, with mass suicides in Switzerland, France and Quebec, in preparation for Jesus' second coming.