CHRISTIANITY
Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Old and New Testaments. Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and in the existence of the Holy Trinity; God the Father, the creator of the world; God the Son, the redeemer of the world; and God the Holy Spirit. Christians try to live their lives according to the message of unity and love proposed by Jesus in the New Testament. Christianity is a worldwide religion with around 1,800,000,000 followers organised in many different traditions and structures. Christianity is usually represented as being divided into three main branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Christianity (including Orthodox churches), and Protestantism (including Church of Ireland, Anglicans, and several others). Catholicism is also the main religion in Ireland in terms of numbers. The larger Christian churches have experienced a continuing decline in their active memberships and also significant population movements partly due to the civil unrest of recent decades. However some of the smaller evangelical Protestant denominations have grown numerically during the same period.
Diet
At one time Roman Catholics would not eat meat on a Friday. More recently this restriction has been lifted. However, restrictions regarding eating meat are still adhered to by some Roman Catholics on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Although restrictions on the diet of Roman Catholics on Friday have been relaxed, it is important to consider that possibly some Roman Catholics may still wish to adhere strictly to these rules. It would be usual for some to eat fish on a Friday. Fish is also a suitable alternative to meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Visiting a Home or Dealing with Death
It is very important for Roman Catholics to be given their last rites. Gardaí controlling accident or incident scenes should consider this if approached by a Roman Catholic priest. Christians believe that Jesus will return to earth to rule forever and that the dead will be resurrected to join in His glory. Because of this conviction, in the past, most Christians believed that they should be buried and not cremated. Nowadays, however, cremation is acceptable to Protestants, Anglicans and Roman Catholics.