Which Churches Believe in the Trinity and Virgin Birth?
- The Roman Catholic church formed shortly after the time of Christ and continues to draw followers today. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the official teachings of the Church and the Pope are infallible. From its earliest days, the Catholic Church declared the doctrines of the Trinity and of the virgin birth. Catholic prayers are often spoken in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church considers belief in the Trinity and the virgin birth to be central to the faith, and there is no disagreement among the clergy about this point. Roman Catholicism was the first Christian denomination to formalize belief in these two doctrines.
- The Eastern Catholic Church, otherwise known as the Orthodox Church, is a denomination of Christianity widespread throughout much of Eastern Europe and Russia. The Orthodox Church names Mary Theotokos, or the Bearer of God, and veneration of Mary is a central component of the Church's traditions and rituals; the doctrine of the virgin birth is considered unquestionable. The Orthodox Church, which, in the first centuries after the Jesus's death, was one and the same with the Roman Catholic Church, also believes in a three-personed God. However, Orthodox doctrine teaches that the Holy Spirit flows from the Father alone, while Western Catholics teach that the Holy Spirit arises from the Father and the Son.
- The Anglican Communion, made up of a worldwide community of churches under the Church of England, began when the Church of England dissolved its ties with Rome in 1534. In the 39 Articles of Religion, fundamental Anglican doctrine is clearly spelled out. In the Articles, Mary is described as a "blessed virgin" and God is described as having "three Persons." The Anglican community of churches consider the Trinity and the virgin birth to be scripturally absolute.
- The Protestant denomination, formed when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door, also believes in the Trinity and virgin birth. The earliest Protestants, like Luther and John Calvin, did not question these doctrines, and they kept them at the core of their Christian denomination. Today, Protestants the world over continue to believe in a single God with three divine Persons and in the virginal conception of Jesus by Mary.