| Number of Members | 8,687,000[1] | 1,360,000,000[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 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. | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to save you, be baptized, participate in the Eucharist, and don't die with any unconfessed mortal sins.[3][4] |
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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 or by committing a mortal sin. |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[5] | The unsaved, typically as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, cleansing them of all sins. |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by immersion.[5] | Baptism should be by pouring water on the head. |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | God's holy spirit is received after one prays for it, learns God's Word, and lives in line with it.[6][7] | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism. |
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| What is the trinity? | There is no Trinity. Jesus is God's first creation, and the Holy Spirit is not a person. | 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. |
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| What is the human nature? | Human nature is corrupt and naturally inclined to evil. | Human nature is not totally corrupt but is wounded and inclined to evil.[8] |
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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.[9] |
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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. | "Christian perfection" is attainable in this life, but this does not mean one is sinless, as one will always commit minor "venial sins". |
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| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ.[10] | Transubstantiation: Yes, the bread and the wine change into the body and blood of Christ. |
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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? | Death itself is the full and complete punishment for sin.[11] | Christians who die imperfectly purified must be purified through purgatory.[12] |
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| Did Mary ever sin? | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. | Immaculate conception: No, Mary was free of original sin and remained sinless throughout her life. |
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| What spiritual gifts are available today? | | Most believe that all spiritual gifts are still available to believers. |
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| What are the requirements for clergy? | No clergy is employed. All members are ministers, but only men who have been ministerial servants may be elders. | Priests must be unmarried men over 25 ordained by bishops. |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion.[10][13] | The church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.[14] |
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| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins.[15] | Mortal sins must be privately confessed to a priest at least annually.[16][17] |
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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 an archbishop, who is governed by the Pope. |
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| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Jehovah's Witnesses meet on any two days of the week. | Christians worship on Sunday. |
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| How does God's revelation come to us today? | The Bible, as interpreted by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, is the only infallible source of God's revelation. | Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have equal authority and comprise one finished deposit of faith. |
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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.[18] | There are 73 canonical books of the Bible: 39 protocanonical books, 7 deuterocanonical books, and 27 New Testament books. |
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| Is the Bible inerrant? | | No, the Bible was written inerrantly on matters of salvation but may contain errors in other matters. |
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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. | The Pope speaks infallibly with God's authority when speaking ex cathedra.[19][20] |
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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.[21] | The earth was formed by gravity pulling dust together, which ultimately came from the Big Bang. |
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| What is marriage? | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman. | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[22] |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[23] | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible. |
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| When is divorce permissible? | Divorce is only permissible for adultery.[24] | Divorce is never permissible. |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | Yes, a Christian may remarry after divorce if the divorce was for a valid reason.[25] | Divorce is never permissible. |
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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] | No, contraceptives are not permissible.[29] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | No, blood transfusions are not permissible.[30] | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. |
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| Should women cover their heads? | Women should cover their heads when praying or teaching when a man normally would.[31][32] | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes.[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? | No, Christians should never fight.[36] | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars.[37][38] |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | God's holy spirit comes from God alone. | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[39] |
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| Do icons glorify God? | | Yes, icons are holy and should be venerated. |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | After death, one's existence ceases until and unless God resurrects him.[40] | Some Christians first go to purgatory to be purified when they die.[12] |
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