| a.k.a. | | |
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| Number of Members | 52,000,000[1] | 22,000,000[2] |
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| How does one get saved? | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and be baptized.[3][4][5] | Sola fide: Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone to save you.[6] |
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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.[6] |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | The believing but unsaved get baptized as part of their salvation. | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[7] |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by triple immersion. | Baptism should be by immersion.[7] |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism. | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism.[8] |
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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? | Human nature is corrupt and naturally inclined to evil.[9] | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own. |
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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][10] | 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? | Yes, all Old Testament laws are binding on Christians. | Yes, all Old Testament laws are binding on Christians except for animal sacrifices. |
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| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | Yes, Christian perfection is possible. | Most believe no, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life.[11] |
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| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | Yes, the bread and the wine change into the body and blood of Christ in an unknown way.[12][13] | No, the elements merely symbolically represent 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? | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies.[14] | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies.[15] |
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| Did Mary ever sin? | Mary was prone to sin like anyone else, but no, through her own free will she still never did. | 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.[16] |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Eucharist, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony, and Priesthood.[17][18][19] | The church has three ordinances: Baptism, Holy Communion, and Footwashing.[20] |
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| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | Sins must be privately confessed to a priest within 40 days.[21][22][23][24] | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins. |
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| How should a church be structured? | Episcopal: Churches should be governed by the bishop in that eparchy, who in turn is governed by a patriarch of an autocephalous church. | Church congregations should be governed by a local conference which its congregation elects a representative to, and conferences elect representatives to higher conferences governing them. |
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| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday, although the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday. | Christians should worship on Saturday. |
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| How does God's revelation come to us today? | Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have equal authority and comprise one finished deposit of faith.[25] | Sola scriptura: The Bible is the only infallible source of God's revelation, sufficient for all faith and practice.[26] |
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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.[27] |
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| How many books are in the Bible? | Varies widely | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. |
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| Is the Bible inerrant? | | The Bible is infallible, but not every word is without error.[28][29] |
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| How was the earth created? | | Creationism: The earth was spoken into existence by God. |
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| What is marriage? | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[30][31][32] | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[33] |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible. | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[34] |
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| When is divorce permissible? | Divorce is seldomly permissible upon investigation by a clergical committee, usually instigated by infidelity.[35] | Divorce is permissible for adultery or desertion.[33][36] |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | The innocent party to the adultery may remarry.[37] | The innocent party to the adultery may remarry.[36] |
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| When does a fetus become human? | Ranges from humanity beginning at fertilization to 40 days after conception[38][39][40][41] | Humanity begins at conception.[42] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Varies widely[40][43][44][45] | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[46] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | No, alcohol should be totally avoided aside from Eucharist.[47] | No, alcohol should be totally avoided.[48][49][50] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | Yes, Christians can fight in just wars.[51] | Varies widely |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone.[52] | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[53] |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | After death, souls sit conscious in an Intermediate State, with Christians being with Christ.[54] | Souls are unconscious after death until God raises them from "sleep".[55][56][57] |
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