| a.k.a. | Friend | |
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| Number of Members | 400,000 | 350,000[1] |
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| How does one get saved? | Varies widely | Sola fide: Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone to save you. |
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| Who gets saved? | No established doctrine | 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. | Eternal security: No, once a Christian is saved, he is always saved. |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | Baptism not practiced. | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives. |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism not practiced. | Baptism should be by immersion. |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | There is "that of God in everyone". | The Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation. |
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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. | Most believe 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? | There is "that of God in everyone", making humans inherently good. | Humans have a יֵצֶר הַרַע (yetzer hara)—an inclination to do evil—and, upon reaching 12 for girls and 13 for boys, develop a יֵצֶר הַטוֹב (yetzer hatov)—a weaker inclination to do good. |
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| Are we guilty of Adam's original sin? | No established doctrine | 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. | Yes, Messianic Jews should follow the Torah, although Gentile Christians are not required to. |
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| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | Christian perfection is possible and a major goal of Quakers. | 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? | Communion not practiced. | 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? | Perfection must take place during life, not after death.[2] | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies. |
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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. | |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church does not have any ordinances more sacred than any other practice.[3] | Messianic Jews should practice Immersion.[4][5][6][7][8] |
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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. | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins.[9][10] |
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| How should a church be structured? | Congregationalist: Every church congregation should be independent and governed by its members. | Congregationalist: Every church congregation should be independent and governed by its members. |
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| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Messianic Jews observe Shabbat on Saturday. |
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| How does God's revelation come to us today? | Varies widely[11] | Prima scriptura: There are many sources of God's revelation, although none can contradict the Bible.[12] |
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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. | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. |
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| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | Varies widely[13] | |
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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? | Varies widely | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[14] |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | Varies widely | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[15] |
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| When is divorce permissible? | | Divorce is permissible for adultery, abuse, or abandonment.[16] |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | | Yes, a Messianic Jew may freely remarry after a divorce which was for a valid reason.[16] |
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| When does a fetus become human? | Most believe humanity begins sometime between conception and birth.[17] | Humanity begins at conception.[18][19] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible. | Yes, contraceptives are permissible as long as the couple eventually have at least two children.[20] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible.[21][22] |
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| Should women cover their heads? | | Varies widely[23][24][25] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | No, alcohol should be totally avoided.[26][27] | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[28] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | No, Christians should never fight.[29][30] | |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | No established doctrine | |
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