Western Christianity

Western Christianity refers to Catholicism, Protestantism, and Anglicanism. As opposed to Eastern Christianity, it developed and came to be predominant in Western Europe, hence the name.

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 says the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son". That is considered heretical by most Eastern Christians, who use the Creed as originally promulgated by the Council of Nicea, saying that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father".

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, and the spread of missionaries worldwide, over the past five centuries.