| a.k.a. | Friend | |
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| Number of Members | 400,000 | 9,240,000[1] |
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| How does one get saved? | Varies widely | 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. |
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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.[2] |
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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. |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | Baptism not practiced. | The unsaved, often as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, washing away their original sin. |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism not practiced. | Baptism should be by sprinkling water on the head. |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | There is "that of God in everyone". | The Holy Spirit is received at Holy Sealing. |
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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? | There is "that of God in everyone", making humans inherently good. | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own.[3][2] |
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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.[4][3] |
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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? | 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. | Yes, a living person can be a proxy for the dead to be baptized, who then can accept or reject it in the afterlife. |
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| What happens if a saved person dies without being perfect? | Perfection must take place during life, not after death.[5] | 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.[6] | The church has three sacraments: Baptism, Holy Communion, and Holy Sealing.[7] |
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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. | No confession is necessary.[8][9] |
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| How should a church be structured? | Congregationalist: Every church congregation should be independent and governed by its members. | 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.[10] |
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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? | Varies widely[11] | Prima scriptura: There are many sources of God's revelation, although none can contradict the Bible.[12][13] |
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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.[14][15] |
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| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | Varies widely[16] | |
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| Who can speak with God's authority today? | | The Chief Apostle proclaims revelations from God as binding doctrine.[17] |
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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 | |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | Varies widely | |
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| When does a fetus become human? | Most believe humanity begins sometime between conception and birth.[18] | Humanity begins at fertilization.[19][20] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible. | Yes, contraceptives are permissible as long as they work before fertilization.[21] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible.[22] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | No, alcohol should be totally avoided.[23][24] | |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | No, Christians should never fight.[25][26] | |
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| How should Christians musically worship God? | | Any style of worship music is acceptable.[27][28] |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[29] |
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| Who can be demon-possessed? | | The extent to which demons can possess humans is a mystery.[30] |
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| Do icons glorify God? | | No, icons violate the First Commandment against graven images.[31] |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | No established doctrine | After death, souls are conscious in the realm of the dead, with the dead in Christ in proximity of God.[32][33] |
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| When does the Tribulation happen? | | Futurism: The Tribulation will happen at a time in the future which no man knows the time of. |
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| When will the church be raptured? | | Partial pretribulationism rapture: An unknown part of the church known as the "bridal congregation" will be raptured sometime before the Tribulation.[34][35][36] |
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| When is the millennial reign of Christ happen? | | Premillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ will be a long period immediately after the Tribulation.[37] |
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