| |
Founding |
Writings |
Who
is God? |
Who
is Jesus? |
Holy
Spirit |
To
be Saved |
After
Death |
Other |
| Biblical Christianity |
30-33CE by Jesus Christ in Judean province of Palestine under Roman Empire |
The Bible, orig. in Hebrew
and Aramaic (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) |
One God in 3 persons,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit; a spirit, personal and involved, eternal,
loving and perfect. |
God the Son; begotten of the
Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; only way to Father and
salvation; died on cross as payment for man's sins, rose from the dead,
then seen by over 500 eyewitnesses; will come again at the end of the
world. |
God the Holy Spirit; a
person, not a force or energy field. |
Salvation is by God's grace,
not by good works; must be received by faith that Jesus died for their
sins and physically rose again. |
All await final judgment;
all are resurrected, those saved live with Jesus in Heaven; those lost
suffer separation from God (Hell). |
Group worship in churches;
no secret rites; Baptism; Communion; Jesus said His followers would be
known by their love for one another. |
| Hinduism |
1800-1000BCE
in India |
Vedas,
Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita and many others |
God is
"Absolute" universal spirit; everyone is part of God (Brahman)
like drops in the sea. |
Jesus was
a teacher (guru) or an avatar (an incarnation of Vishnu); his death does
not atone for sins. |
Not part
of this belief. |
Release
from the cycles of reincarnation; achieved through meditation; final
salvation is union with Brahman. |
Reincarnation
into a better status (good karma) if person has behaved well. |
Worship
many gods and goddesses that are manifestations of Brahman. |
| Buddhism |
525BCE by
Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) in India; offshoot of Hinduism. |
The
Tripitaka (three baskets) with over 100 volumes. |
Mostly
atheistic; Buddha is a universal enlightened consciousness or god. |
Not part
of this belief, although generally viewed as an enlightened man. |
Not part
of this belief. |
Goal of
life is nirvana, to eliminate all desires/cravings and in this way
escape suffering. |
People do
not have a soul/spirit, but one's feelings can be reincarnated; no heaven
or hell. |
Eightfold
path... right knowledge, intentions, speech, conduct, livelihood,
effort, mindfulness and meditation. |
| Judaism |
ca.
2000BCE by Abraham in the middle east |
The Tanakh
(Old Testament) and Torah (first 5 books of OT), Talmud (explanation of
Tanakh), writings of sages. |
God is
spirit; to Orthodox Jews, God is personal and compassionate; to other
Jews, God is impersonal. |
Jesus seen
as either an extremist false messiah or a good but martyred teacher.
Orthodox Jews await the Messiah. |
Another
name for God's activity on Earth. |
Some Jews
believe that prayer, repentance and obeying the Law are necessary for
salvation. |
There will
be a physical resurrection; obedient will live forever with God and
unrighteous will suffer. |
Sabbath is
Friday eve to Saturday eve; circumcision; many holy days; Jerusalem is
holy city. |
| Islam |
610CE by
Muhammad (570-632) in Mecca and Medina. |
Koran in
Arabic; Hadith (Muhammads's words and deeds); certain Biblical works
accepted but considered corrupted. |
God
(Allah) is one; revealed the Koran to Muhammad through Gabriel; God is a
severe judge (sometimes merciful) and is not depicted as loving. |
Jesus is
one of 124,000 prophets; born of a virgin but not Son of God; was sinless;
ascended to heaven without dying (not crucified); a messiah and
ayatollah (sign of God). |
See the
angel Gabriel as the Holy Spirit. |
Humans
basically good; balance between good and bad deeds determines eternal
destiny in paradise or hell; God's mercy is arbitrary and uncertain. |
Resurrection
of bodies; final reckoning; eternal hell for infidels, those who reject
Islam. |
Five
pillars... one God with Muhammad as prophet, pray 5 times daily, give
money (alms), fast during month of Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca. |
| Baha'i World Faith |
1844CE by Mizra Ali Muhammed
(the Bab) and Mizra Husayn Ali (Baha'u'llah, glory of Allah) in Iran; HQ in
Haifa, Israel. |
Writings of founders;
Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan; The Bible |
God is an unknowable divine
revealed thru 9 manifestations, including Moses, Buddha, Confucius,
Jesus, Muhammad and Haha'u'llah. |
One of many manifestations
of God; is not God and did not rise from the dead; not the only way to
God; returned to Earth in the form of Baha'u'llah. |
Divine energy from God. |
Faith in the manifestation(s)
of God; knowing and living by Baha'u'llah's principles and teachings. |
Personal immortality based
on good works; heaven and hell are conditions not places. |
Originated as Islamic sect;
teaches that all religions have the same source, principles and aims. |
Mormonism
(Latter-day Saints) |
1830CE by Joseph Smith, Jr.
(1805-1844) in western NY; HQ in Salt Lake City |
The Bible (King James
version); Book of Mormon; Doctrine and Covenants; Pearl of Great Price |
God the Father (Elohim) was
once man but became God; he has a physical body and a wife; no
trinity, 3 separate gods; worthy men may one day become gods
themselves. |
Separate from Elohim;
created by sexual union of Elohim and Mary; Jesus was married; death on
cross does not provide full atonement for all sin, but does provide all
with resurrection. |
Separate from Father and
Son; an electricity-like emanation from God. |
Resurrected by grace, but
saved (exalted to godhood) by works, incl. faithfulness to church,
baptism, tithing, marriage and rituals; no eternal life without Mormon
membership. |
Three separate kingdoms
(heavens) with some achieving godhood; apostates (heathens) and
murderers go to outer darkness. |
No alcohol, tobacco, or
caffeine; near-mandatory 2-year mission; secret temple rituals
members only; extensive social work; Blacks not granted full access to
priesthood and privileges until 1978. |
| Jehovah's Witnesses
(Watchtower) |
1879CE by Charles Russell
(1852-1916) in Pennsylvania, later Joseph Rutherford; HQ Brooklyn, NY. |
The Bible (New World only);
Watchtower publications |
One-person God, Jehovah; no
trinity. |
First creation of Jehovah;
Jesus is not God; before coming to Earth, was Michael the archangel; Jehovah
made the universe thru Michael; died on a stake, was resurrected as a
spirit; returned visibly in 1914; very soon he and the angels will
destroy all non-Jehovah's Witnesses (Armageddon). |
Impersonal Holy Spirit not
God, but invisible force from Jehovah. |
Baptism as JW; must earn
everlasting life on Earth by door-to-door work; salvation in heaven
limited to 144,000 anointed ones. |
The 144,000 (already
reached) live as spirits in heaven; rest must live on Earth for 1000
years or be annihilated. |
Anointed ones may take part
in yearly Lord's Evening Meal; do not observe holidays or birthdays; do
not vote, salute flag, work in military, or accept blood transfusions. |
| Unification Church
(Sun Myung Moon) |
1954CE by Moon in South
Korea; HQ in NYC. |
Divine Principle by Moon
considered the Completed Testament, Outline of the Principle, and The
Bible; believe Bible is a textbook teaching truth, but not truth itself. |
God is both positive and
negative; the universe is God's "body"; God does not know the
future, is suffering and needs man to make Him happy. |
Jesus was a perfect man, not
God; the son of Zechariah, not born a virgin; mission (failed) was to
unite Jews and form perfect family; did not rise from the dead; second
coming of Christ is Moon, who is superior to Jesus. |
A feminine spirit who leads
people to Moon. |
Obedience to the True
Parents (Moon and wife) eliminates sins. |
Spirit world; no
resurrection; members advance by convincing others to follow Moon;
everyone will be saved, even Satan. |
Mass marriages; contact with
spirits of the dead. |
| Unity School of
Christianity |
1889CD by Charles and Myrtle
Fillmore in Kansas City; HQ in Unity Village, Missouri. |
Unity magazine, Lessons of
Truth, Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, the Bible with interpretation of
"hidden" meanings |
Invisible impersonal power;
interchangeable with Principle, law, being, mind, spirit. |
Jesus was a man, not the
Christ; Christ is a state of perfection in every person. |
The law of God in action. |
No evil, no devil, no sin;
reincarnation until he learns truths and becomes "perfect". |
Death is result of wrong
thinking; reincarnation until enlightenment; no literal heaven or hell. |
Prayer ministry by phone and
mail. |
| Christian Science |
1875CE by Mary Baker Eddy in
Massachusetts; HQ in Boston. |
Science and Health, With Key
to the Scriptures, Manual of the Mother Church, Christian Science
Journal and Sentinel; the Bible (not as reliable). |
Impersonal principle of
life, truth, love, intelligence and spirit; God is all that truly
exists, matter is an illusion. |
Jesus was not the Christ,
but a man who displayed the Christ idea (perfection). |
Impersonal power. |
Humanity is already
eternally saved; sin, evil, sickness and death are not real. |
Death is not real; heaven
and hell are states of mind; the way to reach heaven is by attaining
harmony (oneness with God). |
Members use Christian
Science practitioners instead of doctors; healing comes from realizing
one cannot be sick or die. |
| Scientology |
1954 by L. Ron Hubbard in
California. HQ in LA. |
Dianetics: The Modern
Science of Mental Health and others by Hubbard; The Way to Happiness. |
Does not define God;
everyone is a "thetan", an immortal spirit. |
Not a part of this belief. |
Not a part of this belief. |
No sin or need to repent;
salvation is freedom from reincarnation; one must work with an
"auditor" on his "engrams" (hang-ups) to achieve the
state of "clear" then progress up the "bridge to total
freedom". |
Hell is a myth; people who
get clear of engrams become operating thetans. |
Observe birth of Hubbard;
much controversy follows this faith. |
