| a.k.a. | Latter-Day Saint | |
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| Number of Members | 16,800,000[1] | 8,687,000[2] |
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| How does one get saved? | There is no singular salvation for Mormons: Exaltation, or going to the highest of the three degrees of glory and becoming a god, is achieved by getting baptized, confirmed, ordained in the Melchizedek priesthood (if a man), endowed, and married and then by keeping the covenants for the rest of one's life. | 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, the promise of exaltation can be lost by breaking one's covenants, except for a select few couples who are chosen for a second anointing which guarantees exaltation unless one sins against the Holy Ghost or commits murder. | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | Understanding persons get baptized as the first ordinance, 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 immersion. | Baptism should be by immersion.[3] |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The gift of the Holy Ghost is received at confirmation. | 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 Godhead comprises three separate gods—God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. | 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? | Humans are neither inherently good nor inherently evil. | Human nature is corrupt and naturally inclined to evil. |
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| Are we guilty of Adam's original sin? | No, "men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." | 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? | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ. | 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? | Yes, a living person can be a proxy for the dead to be baptized, who then can accept or reject it in the afterlife. | No, the dead cannot be baptized. |
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| What happens if a saved person dies without being perfect? | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies. | Death itself is the full and complete punishment for sin.[7] |
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| Did Mary ever sin? | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. | 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.[8] | |
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| What framework has God used in dealing with man? | God has different periods of history where he has at least one authorized servant on earth.[9][10] | |
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| What is the gift of tongues? | Speaking in tongues is sometimes unintelligible and sometimes foreign human languages.[11] | |
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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. |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The Church has five saving ordinances: Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (for men), the Temple Endowment, and the Marriage Sealing. There are roughly a dozen other ordinances important for comfort.[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? | Confession should be made directly to God unless the church might discipline for such sin, in which case it must be confessed to the bishop.[14][15] | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins.[16] |
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| How should a church be structured? | Wards should be governed by the president in that stake, who in turn is governed by the seventies, who are governed by the Twelve, who are governed by the President of the Church.[17][18] | |
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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? | There are many sources of God's revelation. | 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 many books are in the Bible? | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible—39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books—and three other canonical books: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books.[19] |
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| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | No, the Bible is not inerrant in any respect.[20][21] | |
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| Who can speak with God's authority today? | The President of the Church and the Twelve Apostles are prophets, seers, and revelators who speak for God and whose prophecies shall all be fulfilled.[22][23] | 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 created by God organizing matter which has existed eternally.[24] | The earth was formed by gravity pulling dust together, which ultimately came from the Big Bang.[25] |
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| What is marriage? | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[26] | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman. |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[26] | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[27] |
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| When is divorce permissible? | Divorce is permissible for any reason allowed by law.[28] | Divorce is only permissible for adultery.[29] |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | Yes, a Christian may freely remarry after divorce.[30] | Yes, a Christian may remarry after divorce if the divorce was for a valid reason.[31] |
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| When does a fetus become human? | No established doctrine, but the church opposes elective abortions.[32][33] | Humanity begins at conception.[34] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[35] | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[36] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | No, blood transfusions are not permissible.[37] |
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| Should women cover their heads? | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes.[38] | Women should cover their heads when praying or teaching when a man normally would.[39][40] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | No, alcohol should be totally avoided. | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[41] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars.[42][43] | No, Christians should never fight.[44] |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | The Holy Spirit is a separate god. | God's holy spirit comes from God alone. |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | The righteous await the resurrection in Paradise, part of the spirit world.[45][46] | After death, one's existence ceases until and unless God resurrects him.[47] |
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