orm of Protestant Christianity
because it claims additional revealed Christian scriptures after the
Hebrew Bible and New Testament. The Book of Mormon maintains there was
an appearance of Jesus in the New World following the Christian account
of his resurrection, and that the Americas are uniquely blessed
continents. Mormonism believes earlier Christian traditions, such as
the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant reform faiths, are
apostasies and that Joseph Smith's revelation of the Book of Mormon is
a restoration of true Christianity. Mormons have a hierarchical
religious leadership structure, and actively proselytize their faith;
they are located primarily in the Americas and in a number of other
Western countries.

Orthodox Christianity: The oldest established eastern form of
Christianity, the Holy Orthodox Church, has a ceremonial head in the
Bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), also known as a Patriarch, but its
various regional forms (e.g., Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian
Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox) are autocephalous (independent of
Constantinople's authority, and have their own Patriarchs). Orthodox
churches are highly nationalist and ethnic. The Orthodox Christian
faith shares many theological tenets with the Roman Catholic Church,
but diverges on some key premises and does not recognize the governing
authority of the Pope.

Protestant Christianity: Protestant Christianity originated in the
16th century as an attempt to reform Roman Catholicism's practices,
dogma, and theology. It encompasses several forms or denominations
which are extremely varied in structure, beliefs, relationship to
state, clergy, and governance. Many protestant theologies emphasize the
primary role of scripture in their faith, advocating individual
interpretation of Christian texts without the mediation of a final
religious authority such as the Roman Pope. The oldest Protestant
Christianities include Lutheranism, Calvinism (Presbyterians), and
Anglican Christianity (Episcopalians), which have established
liturgies, governing structure, and formal clergy. Other variants on
Protestant Christianity, including Pentecostal movements and
independent churches, may lack one or more of these elements, and their
leadership and beliefs are individualized and dynamic.

Hinduism - Originating in the Vedic civilization of India (second and
first millennium B.C.), Hinduism is an extremely diverse set of beliefs
and practices w