Since there seemed to be some lack of knowledge about the sacraments in Christian churches (obviously even strong followers don't know exactly what it is in their own church), I'd like to give here some general information and specific links.
source: Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service, 18 May 2005, <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=67512>.
Quote:SacramentThe notion of sacrament is particularly important to the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, the latter which sees itself as a "sacramental agent." This means that sacraments are administered under its authority and care. Sacraments often mirror important life passages and should be seen as the spiritual and sacred reflection of their social/human counterparts. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches fix the number of sacraments at seven: Baptism, the rite of conversion into the church, sometimes in infancy; Confirmation, the renewal of one's belief as an adult along with the reaffirmation of a person's membership in the church; marriage or Holy Matrimony; Holy Orders or Ordination, when someone enters a permanent office of the church (e.g., as a deacon, priest, or bishop); the Sacrament of the Sick, or extreme unction, when one nears the end of life; Confession, or Reconciliation, where a person confesses their sins; and Mass--also known as Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist or the Lord's Supper--which symbolizes the formal forgiveness of confessed sins. Protestant Churches have different positions on the sacraments, from adoption of all or some of them to the denial of the idea of sacrament altogether (even when they practice some of the rites themselves).
source:
Official Christianity Glossary for Introduction to Religion [University of Wyoming]
Catholic Church:
The Seven Catholic Sacraments
(Same for the 22 Eastern churches in the Catholic communion.)
Anglican Church (Province of America): Our Lord instituted two sacraments as "generally necessary unto salvation": Baptism and the Eucharist
Anglican Church (The Church of England): Two sacraments ordained by Christ himself - Baptism and the Supper of the Lord
The understaning of sacraments may vary in various (Anglican)
churches not in the Holy Communion
Protestant churches: the number and importance of sacraments variies in the many Protestant churches (e.g. Lutheran, Episcopalian, Baptist, Presbyterian Churches, the Seventh Day Adventists etc).
The
Evangelical Church in Germany is the ecclesial communion of Lutheran, Reformed, and United Churches (Landeskirchen) and names the two sacraments.
Orthodox Church(es):
Contemporary Orthodox catechisms and textbooks all affirm that the church recognizes seven mysteria, or "sacraments"
Sacraments: A Confirmation Scene
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): sacraments
Finally,
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Sacraments, which gives some more references (and sources).
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