a.k.a. | Chinese Patriotic | |
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Number of Members | 20,000,000[1] | 52,000,000[2] |
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How does one get saved? | Sola fide: Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone to save you.[3] | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and be baptized.[4][5][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. |
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Can one lose his salvation? | | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. |
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Who gets baptized and why? | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[7][8] | The unsaved, typically as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, cleansing them of all sins.[4] |
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How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by sprinkling or immersion.[7] | Baptism should be by triple immersion. |
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When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | | 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.[9] | 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.[10] |
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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.[10][11] |
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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? | | Yes, Christian perfection is possible. |
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Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ.[7] | Yes, the bread and the wine change into the body and blood of Christ in an unknown way.[12][13] |
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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] |
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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. |
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How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion.[7] | The church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Eucharist, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony, and Priesthood.[15][16][17] |
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Should communion bread be leavened? | | Most believe leavened bread should be used in Holy Communion. Armenians use unleavened bread. |
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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.[3] | Sins must be privately confessed to a priest within 40 days.[18][19][20][21] |
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How should a church be structured? | Every church congregation should be governed by its members and the Chinese Communist Party. | 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.[22] | 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? | Sola scriptura: The Bible is the only infallible source of God's revelation, sufficient for all faith and practice.[23] | Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have equal authority and comprise one finished deposit of faith.[24] |
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How was the Bible written? | | Verbal plenary inspiration: The Bible was written by men who had every word supernaturaly inspired by God.[25] |
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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.[23] | Varies widely |
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Was the Bible written inerrantly? | | Yes, the Bible was written without any error.[25] |
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Who can speak with God's authority today? | | Nobody today can speak for God.[26] |
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How was the Bible preserved? | | God has preserved the meanings of the Bible, but not every word.[25] |
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How was the earth created? | | Generally 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.[27] | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[28][29][30] |
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Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[27] | 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.[31] |
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May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | | The innocent party to the adultery may remarry.[32] |
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When does a fetus become human? | | Ranges from humanity beginning at fertilization to 40 days after conception[33][34][35][36] |
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Is contraception permissible? | | Varies widely[35][37][38][39] |
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Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible.[40][41] |
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Should Christians drink alcohol? | | No, alcohol should be totally avoided aside from Eucharist.[42] |
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Should Christians fight in wars? | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars. | Yes, Christians can fight in just wars.[43] |
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Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone.[44] |
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Who can be demon-possessed? | | Demons can possess unbelievers and Christians living in sin.[45][46] |
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Do icons glorify God? | | Yes, icons are holy and should be venerated.[47][48] |
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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.[49] |
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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.[50] |
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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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