| a.k.a. | Episcopal | |
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| Number of Members | 80,000,000[1] | 8,687,000[2] |
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| How does one get saved? | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to save you, be baptized, and participate in the Eucharist. | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to save you, be baptized, and do good works for the rest of your life. The 144,000 most faithful Christians will go to heaven; the rest will live on earth. |
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| Who gets saved? | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved. | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved. |
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| Can one lose his salvation? | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | The unsaved, typically as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, cleansing them of all sins. | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[3] |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by pouring water on the head. | Baptism should be by immersion.[3] |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism. | God's holy spirit is received after one prays for it, learns God's Word, and lives in line with it.[4][5] |
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| What is the trinity? | The Trinity is God existing as one god in three equal, eternal, cosubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. | There is no Trinity. Jesus is God's first creation, and the Holy Spirit is not a person. |
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| What is the human nature? | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own. | Human nature is corrupt and naturally inclined to evil. |
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| Are we guilty of Adam's original sin? | No, we are not guilty of Adam's sin, but we did inherit the consequences and a corrupt human nature from him, causing us all to sin. | No, we are not guilty of Adam's sin, but we did inherit the consequences and a corrupt human nature from him, causing us all to sin. |
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| Are Christians required to keep the Old Testament ceremonial laws? | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. |
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| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | No, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life. | No, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life. |
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| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | Consubstantiation: No, the elements do not become the body and blood of Christ, but Christ's body and blood are present alongside them. | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ.[6] |
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| Can one be baptized of behalf of someone who has died? | No, the dead cannot be baptized. | No, the dead cannot be baptized. |
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| What happens if a saved person dies without being perfect? | There is no purgatory, but Christians may need to be purified after death in some way.[7][8] | Death itself is the full and complete punishment for sin.[9] |
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| Did Mary ever sin? | No established doctrine | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. |
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| What spiritual gifts are available today? | Continuationism: All spiritual gifts are still available to believers.[10][11] | |
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| What framework has God used in dealing with man? | Covenant theology: God acts either within the covenant of works or the covenant of grace. | |
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| What is the gift of tongues? | Varies widely | |
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| What are the requirements for clergy? | Priests must be unmarried men over 25 ordained by bishops. | No clergy is employed. All members are ministers, but only men who have been ministerial servants may be elders. |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.[12] | The church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion.[6][13] |
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| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | General sinfulness should be confessed to a priest. This is usually done as a group during a service.[14] | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins.[15] |
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| How should a church be structured? | Episcopal: Churches should be governed by the bishop in that diocese, who in turn is governed by a primate of an autonomous province. The Archbishop of Canterbury is first among equals and is appointed by the King of England. | |
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| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Jehovah's Witnesses meet on any two days of the week. |
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| How does God's revelation come to us today? | Prima scriptura: There are many sources of God's revelation, although none can contradict the Bible. | The Bible, as interpreted by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, is the only infallible source of God's revelation. |
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| How was the Bible written? | Dynamic inspiration: God inspired the thoughts of the human authors, but the words were chosen by the authors. | |
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| How many books are in the Bible? | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books, but the Apocrypha is regularly used for examples of life and instruction of manners. | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books.[16] |
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| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | No, the Bible is not inerrant in any respect.[17] | |
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| Who can speak with God's authority today? | | The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is God's "faithful and discreet slave" and "spokesman", although it does so imperfectly. |
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| How was the earth created? | The earth was formed by gravity pulling dust together, which ultimately came from the Big Bang. | The earth was formed by gravity pulling dust together, which ultimately came from the Big Bang.[18] |
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| What is marriage? | Varies widely | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman. |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | Varies widely | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[19] |
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| When is divorce permissible? | Most believe divorce is only permissible for adultery.[20] | Divorce is only permissible for adultery.[21] |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | Yes, a Christian may freely remarry after divorce.[22][23][24] | Yes, a Christian may remarry after divorce if the divorce was for a valid reason.[25] |
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| When does a fetus become human? | Humanity begins at conception.[26] | Humanity begins at conception.[27] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[28][29] | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[30] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | No, blood transfusions are not permissible.[31] |
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| Should women cover their heads? | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes. | Women should cover their heads when praying or teaching when a man normally would.[32][33] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[34] | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[35] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | Most believe that yes, Christians should fight in just wars.[36][37][38] | No, Christians should never fight.[39] |
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| How should Christians musically worship God? | Any style of worship music is acceptable. | |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | Varies widely[40][41] | God's holy spirit comes from God alone. |
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| Who can be demon-possessed? | Generally that demons can possess anyone.[42][43][44][45] | |
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| Do icons glorify God? | Yes, icons can be an aid to worship, but they are not used in liturgy.[46][47] | |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | No established doctrine[8] | After death, one's existence ceases until and unless God resurrects him.[48] |
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| When does the Tribulation happen? | Preterism: The Tribulation happened in the 7th decade during the First Jewish–Roman War. | |
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| When will the church be raptured? | The church will not be raptured at any point. | |
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| When is the millennial reign of Christ happen? | Amillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ is an indefinite period of time beginning on the day of Pentecost and ending at His Second Coming. | |
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