| Number of Members | 9,240,000[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; be baptized, participate in communion, and be sealed by an apostle in faith; and don't die with any unconfessed mortal sins. | 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][5] |
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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.[6] | 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? | The unsaved, often as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, washing away their original sin. | 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 sprinkling water on the head. | Baptism should be by pouring water on the head. |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The Holy Spirit is received at Holy Sealing. | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism. |
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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. | 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? | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own.[7][6] | 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.[9][7] | 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.[10] |
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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. | 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? | 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. | Christians who die imperfectly purified must be purified through purgatory.[11] |
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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? | | Priests must be unmarried men over 25 ordained by bishops. |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has three sacraments: Baptism, Holy Communion, and Holy Sealing.[12] | The church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.[13] |
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| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | No confession is necessary.[14][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 apostle in that church district, who in turn is governed by a district apostle, who is governed by the Chief Apostle.[18] | 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? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Christians worship on Sunday. |
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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.[19][20] | 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.[21][22] | 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 Chief Apostle proclaims revelations from God as binding doctrine.[23] | The Pope speaks infallibly with God's authority when speaking ex cathedra.[24][25] |
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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. |
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| What is marriage? | | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[26] |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible. |
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| When is divorce permissible? | | Divorce is never permissible. |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | | Divorce is never permissible. |
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| When does a fetus become human? | Humanity begins at fertilization.[27][28] | Humanity begins at conception.[29] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible as long as they work before fertilization.[30] | No, contraceptives are not permissible.[31] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. |
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| Should women cover their heads? | | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes.[32] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[33] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars.[34][35] |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[36] | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[37] |
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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, souls are conscious in the realm of the dead, with the dead in Christ in proximity of God.[38][39] | Some Christians first go to purgatory to be purified when they die.[11] |
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