Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who is believed by Christians to be the Son of God and the Savior of humanity. Christianity emerged in the 1st century CE as a Jewish sect and spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, becoming the dominant religion in Europe by the 4th century. Christianity has many branches and traditions, but the three main ones are Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. All of these branches coexist in Oceanyka, though the largest denomination is the Anglican Church of Australia, which is Protestant.
Christians share some common beliefs, such as the Trinity (the doctrine that God is one in essence but three in persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the incarnation (the belief that Jesus became human and lived among us), the atonement (the belief that Jesus died on the cross to reconcile humanity with God), the resurrection (the belief that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven), and the eschatology (the belief that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead and establish God’s kingdom on earth). Christians also practice some common rituals, such as baptism (the initiation into the Christian community by water), communion (the sharing of bread and wine as a symbol of Christ’s body and blood), prayer (the communication with God), and worship (the expression of praise and gratitude to God).
Christianity has had a profound influence on Western culture, shaping its art, literature, music, philosophy, ethics, law, politics, science, and education. It has also been a source of inspiration for social movements, such as abolitionism, feminism, pacifism, human rights, and democracy. At its heart, it is a cosmopolitan religion which makes no distinction between race or nation, granting it an enormous advantage against other faiths when it comes to conversion. However, it has also faced criticism, persecution, and apologetics from various perspectives throughout history.
Beginning in 1788 with the arrival of the First Fleet, Oceanyka became colonised by the British Empire. One of their many imports was Christianity, which was the faith of nearly all Europeans, but there was also an organised effort to convert as many native Oceanykans as possible into this religion. Over more than a century of colonial rule Christianity became well entrenched, especially within its Australians population.