The Decline of European Christianity Europe has long been considered the center of Christianity, and European missionaries and believers have introduced people from all other continents to the faith. Initially the Catholic faith represented the Christian belief until the split in the 16th century. Christianity then developed under two umbrellas which have now split into many other denominations, although professing the Christian faith. However, the last two centuries have seen a decline in European Christianity. Beginning in the 17th century, many Europeans ceased to associate with Christ, experiencing extreme vulgarity among many of his followers. One of the reasons for the decline of Christianity in European countries is the split of the church that occurred around the 16th century. century. Before then, Catholicism was the dominant religion, but protests over leadership and doctrines led to the formation of the Protestants, with individuals such as Martin Luther leading the reform process. During this time, many believers could not question the authenticity or correctness of the teachings. They had been forced to believe everything they were told by the priests and church leaders. During the reform process, people were made aware of controversies in the church and inconsistencies in the teachings of the Christian faith. As different teachings emerged, individuals began to have independent interpretations and thoughts regarding the Christian faith. From this point on, doubts and assumptions began to emerge among believers, and within several years the strict adherence to Christianity began to fade.... middle of paper... first number of followers. Faithful Christians have dwindled and the few remaining are partial or affiliated in terms of family or baptismal names. Works Cited Arthura, James, “Religious and spiritual markers in community engagement,” British Journal of Religious Education 33, no. 3 (2011): 299-312. Kalu, Ogbu, and Alaine M. Low. Interpreting contemporary Christianity: global processes and local identities. Cambridge, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2008.McGrath, Alister E. The Future of Christianity. Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2002. McLeod, Hugh and Werner Ustorf. The Decline of Christianity in Western Europe, 1750-2000. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2003. Spohn, Willfried, “Europeanisation, religion and collective identities in an enlarged Europe A Multiple Modernities Perspective”, European Journal of Social Theory 12, n.. 3 (2009): 358-374.