| a.k.a. | Friend | |
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| Number of Members | 400,000 | 22,000,000[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.[2] |
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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.[2] |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | Baptism not practiced. | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[3] |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism not practiced. | Baptism should be by immersion.[3] |
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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.[4] |
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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. |
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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, all Old Testament laws are binding on Christians except for animal sacrifices. |
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| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | Christian perfection is possible and a major goal of Quakers. | Most believe no, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life.[5] |
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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.[6] | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies.[7] |
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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. | Continuationism: All spiritual gifts are still available to believers.[8] |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church does not have any ordinances more sacred than any other practice.[9] | The church has three ordinances: Baptism, Holy Communion, and Footwashing.[10] |
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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. |
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| How should a church be structured? | Congregationalist: Every church congregation should be independent and governed by its members. | 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. | Christians should worship on Saturday. |
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| How does God's revelation come to us today? | Varies widely[11] | Sola scriptura: The Bible is the only infallible source of God's revelation, sufficient for all faith and practice.[12] |
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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.[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. |
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| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | Varies widely[14] | The Bible is infallible, but not every word is without error.[15][16] |
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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. | 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.[17] |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | Varies widely | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[18] |
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| When is divorce permissible? | | Divorce is permissible for adultery or desertion.[17][19] |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | | The innocent party to the adultery may remarry.[19] |
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| When does a fetus become human? | Most believe humanity begins sometime between conception and birth.[20] | Humanity begins at conception.[21] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible. | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[22] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible.[23] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | No, alcohol should be totally avoided.[24][25] | No, alcohol should be totally avoided.[26][27][28] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | No, Christians should never fight.[29][30] | Varies widely |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[31] |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | No established doctrine | Souls are unconscious after death until God raises them from "sleep".[32][33][34] |
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