Christianism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The Christian faith considered as a religion, doctrine, or organized system of belief and practice
2. A term for Christianity viewed as a body of teachings, beliefs, and ways of life followed by its adherents
3. The religion of Christ, understood as a set of doctrines and a worldview held by Christian believers

Etymology: "Christianism" is a plain formation: "Christian" with the suffix "-ism," which in English forms nouns naming a doctrine, system, or adherence to a set of beliefs. It was borrowed from Latin "chrīstiānismus," and the same word appears in French as "christianisme," so English took it along a route shared with several neighbouring languages rather than building it from scratch. The sense it carries is close to the older and more common "Christianity," but the two words have been used with different emphases. "Christianism" tends to put the weight on Christianity as a system of belief and practice, often in discussions that treat it as one ideology among others, and this is the note the suffix adds. The word is therefore less a separate religion-name than a way of talking about the faith as an object of analysis.

Synonyms: Christianity

Antonyms: atheism, paganism