Born in Bethlehem, to Mary and Joseph (who was a carpenter), Jesus spread love and mercy to all. In the environment of the Roman Empire, his message acquired a unique force of its own. He spread the word of God until he was betrayed by one of his 12 disciples, Judas Iscariot, and was crucified. But he rose from his tomb and this Resurrection gave new strength to his other followers, who went on spreading his message.

The Christians believe in a trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Their Holy Scripture, the Bible, is a collection of 73 books dating from about 9th century BC to the end of the 1st century AD, and is divided into two sections: the Old Testament which corresponds to the Bible of Judaism and the New Testament which is based on Christ's messages.

Although there are many sects and denominations of Christians, the two primary divisions are Roman Catholics and Protestants. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope at Vatican City in Rome. The Christian calendar calculates years from Christ's death - ten years before Christ's death is 10 BC and ten years after is AD 10.

St Thomas the Apostle is said to have arrived in India in AD 54. Later, with the advent of the Portuguese, the French, and the British in India, there was further Christian influence. In India, Christians are basically converts, although there are descendants of European settlers and Anglo-Indians. In Goa, which had been long a Portuguese domain, and the north-eastern states Mizoram and Nagaland, which had been under missionary influence, Christians form the majority of the population.

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