a.k.a. | Friend | |
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Number of Members | 400,000 | 52,000,000[1] |
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How does one get saved? | Varies widely | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and be baptized.[2][3][4] |
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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. | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. |
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Who gets baptized and why? | Baptism not practiced. | The believing but unsaved get baptized as part of their salvation. |
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How should baptism be done? | Baptism not practiced. | Baptism should be by triple 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 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? | There is "that of God in everyone", making humans inherently good. | Human nature is corrupt and naturally inclined to evil.[5] |
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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.[5][6] |
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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, all Old Testament laws are binding on Christians. |
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Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | Christian perfection is possible and a major goal of Quakers. | Yes, Christian perfection is possible. |
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Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | Communion not practiced. | Yes, the bread and the wine change into the body and blood of Christ in an unknown way.[7][8] |
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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.[9] | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies.[10] |
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Did Mary ever sin? | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. | Mary was prone to sin like anyone else, but no, through her own free will she still never did. |
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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.[11] | The church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Eucharist, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony, and Priesthood.[12][13][14] |
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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. | Sins must be privately confessed to a priest within 40 days.[15][16][17][18] |
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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 bishop in that eparchy, who in turn is governed by a patriarch of an autocephalous church. |
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What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Christians worship on Sunday, although the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday. |
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How does God's revelation come to us today? | Varies widely[19] | Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have equal authority and comprise one finished deposit of faith.[20] |
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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. | Varies widely |
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Was the Bible written inerrantly? | Varies widely[21] | |
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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. | Generally creationism: The earth was spoken into existence by God. |
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What is marriage? | Varies widely | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[22][23][24] |
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Is sex permissible outside marriage? | Varies widely | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible. |
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When is divorce permissible? | | Divorce is seldomly permissible upon investigation by a clergical committee, usually instigated by infidelity.[25] |
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May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | | The innocent party to the adultery may remarry.[26] |
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When does a fetus become human? | Most believe humanity begins sometime between conception and birth.[27] | Ranges from humanity beginning at fertilization to 40 days after conception[28][29][30][31] |
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Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible. | Varies widely[30][32][33][34] |
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Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible.[35][36] |
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Should Christians drink alcohol? | No, alcohol should be totally avoided.[37][38] | No, alcohol should be totally avoided aside from Eucharist.[39] |
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Should Christians fight in wars? | No, Christians should never fight.[40][41] | Yes, Christians can fight in just wars.[42] |
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Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone.[43] |
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Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | No established doctrine | After death, souls sit conscious in an Intermediate State, with Christians being with Christ.[44] |
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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.[45] |
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When is the millennial reign of Christ happen? | | Amillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ is an indefinite period of time beginning on the day of Pentecost and ending at His Second Coming. |
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