Religions and Denominations

An in-depth analysis of various religions around the world, viewed and interpreted from a Christian perspective, offering insights into their beliefs and practices.

Symbol	Religion	Denom	Core
	Christianity / Christians	Protestants Adventists - Conservatives Apostolic Pentecostals Baptists - Conservatives Presbyterian - Conservatives Anglicanism Heresies - Branches Prosperity Gospel Radical Adventists Liberal Presbyterian Calvinism Unitarians Jehova Witnesses	Central Text: The Bible, consisting of the Old Testament and New Testament. Monotheism: Belief in one God. Jesus Christ: Belief in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Savior of humanity. Salvation: Achieved through faith in Jesus Christ, His death, and resurrection. Trinity: God exists as three persons in one essence: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Key Practices: Prayer, sacraments (e.g., baptism, Eucharist), worship, and reading of the Bible.
		Branch - Denomination	Core
	Heresy	Prosperity Gospel	Wealth and Success as Divine Favor: Belief that financial prosperity and physical well-being are signs of God's favor, often linked to faith and positive confession. Seed-Faith Giving: Encourages followers to donate money as a "seed" to receive God's blessings in return, emphasizing the idea that giving leads to financial and material rewards. Health and Wealth Theology: Promotes the idea that faith can lead to miraculous healing and wealth, with an emphasis on the power of spoken words and positive thinking to manifest these outcomes.
		Branch - Denomination	Core
	Heresy	Radical Adventists	Strict Sabbatarianism: Emphasizes Saturday as the only valid Sabbath, with rigorous observance. Prophetic Authority: Gives significant authority to the writings of specific prophetic figures, sometimes over Scripture. End-Time Focus: Strong emphasis on detailed end-time prophecies and imminent apocalyptic events.
		Branch - Denomination	Core
	Heresy	Liberal Presbyterians	Biblical Interpretation: They view the Bible as a historical document with evolving truths, rather than as inerrant and literal. Social and Moral Issues: They support progressive views on issues like LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality, contrasting with more conservative stances. Authority: They emphasize reason and historical context over strict biblical literalism.
		Branch - Denomination	Core
	Heresy	Calvinists	Total Depravity: Calvinism teaches that humans are completely incapable of seeking God without divine intervention, while Biblical Christians believe people can choose to seek God. Unconditional Election: Calvinism holds that God's choice to save individuals is based solely on His will, not on any actions or merits of the individuals. Biblical Christians believe God’s choice is influenced by a person's response to Him. Limited Atonement: Calvinism asserts that Jesus' atonement is specifically for the elect, not for everyone. Biblical Christians believe Jesus’ sacrifice is for all people, with the potential for everyone to be saved.
		Branch - Denomination	Core
	Heresy	Unitarians - and Unicitarians	Jesus' Name Baptism: They emphasize baptism in the name of Jesus Christ only, rather than the Trinitarian formula ("in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"). Unity of God: Belief in one, indivisible God, rejecting the Trinity. Non-Trinitarian: Unitarians Pentecostals adhere to Oneness theology, which rejects the traditional doctrine of the Trinity. They believe in the absolute oneness of God, who manifests Himself in various ways, including as Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit.
		Branch - Denomination	Core
	Heresy	Jehova Witnesses	Jehovah's Witnesses: Reject the Trinity; believe God (Jehovah) is a single entity. Jesus is a created being, and the Holy Spirit is God's active force. Reformed Christians: Believe in the Trinity—Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit as co-equal and co-eternal.. Jesus Christ: View Jesus as a created being (Archangel Michael) who died on a stake and was resurrected as a spirit. Salvation: Combine faith, works, and adherence to their teachings; believe only 144,000 go to heaven, with others living eternally on earth.
		Branch - Denomination	Core
	Heresy	Mormons Latter-day Saints	Additional Scriptures: LDS beliefs include the Book of Mormon and other texts alongside the Bible, while mainstream Christianity relies solely on the Bible. Godhead Concept: LDS teaches that the Godhead consists of three separate beings—God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost—whereas mainstream Christianity believes in the Trinity, a single essence in three persons. Eternal Progression: LDS doctrine holds that humans can become gods through eternal progression, a concept not found in mainstream Christianity. Book of Mormon's Translation: Moroni is believed to have appeared to Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS Church, as an angel to guide him in translating the Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates. LDS Temple Practices: In LDS temples, a statue of Moroni is often placed on top of the spire as a symbol of the restored gospel and the spreading of its message.
	Messianic Judaism / Messianic Jews	Not Applied	Central Text: The Bible (Old and New Testaments), including the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament. Belief in God: Belief in one God, the God of Israel, who is the creator and sustainer of the universe. Messiah: Belief in Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah, the promised Savior, who has come to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and bring salvation. Salvation: Observance of traditional Jewish practices such as Shabbat (Sabbath) and festivals, combined with belief in Yeshua. This includes prayer, worship, and reading of the Bible, with emphasis on both Old and New Testament teachings. Differences: Unlike mainstream Judaism, Messianic Judaism incorporates the belief in Yeshua as the Messiah and integrates Christian beliefs such as the New Testament, while maintaining traditional Jewish practices and celebrating Jewish holidays.
FALSE RELIGIONS
Any Belief, Religion, Movement, Philosophy or Ecumenical concept that do not have: Only YAHWEH, Only YAHshúa, Only The Holy Spirit and Only The Holy Bible are False; and any image wordshiper (Exodus 20:4) is also false.
	Catholicism / Catholics	Latin Church Eastern Catholic Churches	Central Text: The Bible (Old and New Testaments), Catechism of the Catholic Church, and writings of Church Fathers and saints. Belief in the Trinity: The central doctrine of one God in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. Sacraments: Seven sacraments as means of grace: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Papal Authority: The Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, is the supreme spiritual leader and has authority over the global Catholic Church.. Differences: Catholicism’s belief in the authority of the Pope, the veneration of saints, and the doctrine of transubstantiation in the Eucharist distinguish it from other Christian denominations like Protestantism.
	Estern Christian Orthodox	Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Greek Orthodox Church	Central Text: The Bible (Old and New Testaments), the writings of the Church Fathers, and the various Ecumenical Councils' decrees. Belief in the Trinity: The doctrine of one God in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit, similar to other Christian traditions. Sacraments: The Eastern Orthodox Church recognizes seven sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), Eucharist, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. Conciliar Authority: Authority is exercised through Ecumenical Councils and the collective leadership of bishops, with no single figure like the Pope holding supreme authority. Differences: Eastern Orthodoxy emphasizes the continuity of Holy Tradition and the role of the Ecumenical Councils, and it differs from Catholicism in its rejection of Papal supremacy and the doctrine of Purgatory.
	Islam / Muslim	Sunni Shia Sufism	Central Text: Quran, divided into 114 chapters called surahs, which are further divided into verses known as ayahs. Monotheism: Strict belief in one God (Allah). Prophethood: Muhammad is the final prophet, with previous prophets like Jesus recognized but not seen as divine. Five Pillars: Declaration of faith, prayer, fasting during Ramadan, almsgiving, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Differences: Islam does not recognize Jesus as the Son of God or the concept of the Trinity.
	Judaism / Jews	Orthodox Judaism Conservative Judaism Reform Judaism	Judaism: The Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, consists of three parts: the Torah (Law), the Nevi'im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings). The Talmud is a central text of Rabbinic Judaism and comprises the Mishnah (oral laws) and the Gemara (commentary and analysis of the Mishnah). Monotheism:Belief in one God (Yahweh). Covenant:The special relationship between God and the Jewish people. Messiah: Awaiting a future Messiah who will restore Israel. Differences: Judaism does not accept Jesus as the Messiah or divine, and it does not recognize the New Testament.
	Hinduism / Hindus	Shaivism Vaishnavism Shaktism	Central Texts: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and other scriptures. They cover hymns, rituals, and philosophical teachings. Polytheism: Belief in multiple deities. Karma and Reincarnation: Belief in the cycle of rebirth influenced by one's actions. Moksha: Liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Differences: Hinduism's polytheistic and pantheistic elements differ significantly from Christianity’s monotheism and concept of salvation through Christ.
	Buddhism / Budist	Theravada Mahayana Vajrayana	Central Texts: Tripitaka, Sutras (teachings of the Buddha). Four Noble Truths: Addressing the nature of suffering and the path to its cessation. Noble Eightfold Path: The path to enlightenment. Nirvana: State of enlightenment to free oneself from suffering. Differences: Buddhism does not focus on a creator God and offers a path to enlightenment rather than salvation through a savior.
	Taoism / Tao	Religious Taoism (Daojiao) Philosophical Taoism (Daojia) Complete Reality Taoism (Quanzhen Taoism)	Central Texts: Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi. Tao: The ultimate reality and way of the universe. Wu Wei: Non-action or effortless action in harmony with the Tao. Yin and Yang: Balance of opposites in the natural world. Differences: Taoism's emphasis on harmony with the natural order and its non-theistic approach contrast with Christian monotheism and personal relationship with God.
	Confucianism / Confucians	Classical Confucianism Neo-Confucianism	Central Texts: Analects, Five Classics. Humaneness (Ren): Compassion and moral integrity. Filial Piety: Respect for one's parents and ancestors. Social Harmony: Importance of proper conduct and relationships. Differences: Confucianism focuses on social ethics and proper behavior rather than theology and divine salvation.
	Paganism / Pagan	Ancient Paganism Neo-Paganism	Central Texts: Various mythologies and ancient writings (e.g., Greek myths, Norse sagas). Polytheism: Worship of multiple deities. Nature Worship: Veneration of nature and natural cycles. Animism: Belief that natural objects have spiritual essence. Differences: Paganism’s polytheistic and nature-centered beliefs differ from Christianity's monotheism and worship of one God.
	Bahal / Bahai	The Covenant The Administrative Order	Central Texts: Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, and `Abdu'l-Bahá. Unity of God: One God who has revealed Himself through various prophets. Unity of Religion: All major religions are seen as part of a single, progressive revelation from God. Unity of Humanity: Emphasis on global peace and unity. Differences: Bahá'í teachings on progressive revelation and the unity of all religions are distinct from Christianity’s exclusive claim to salvation through Jesus Christ.
	Sikhism	Khalsa (Mainstream Sikhism) Nanakpanthi Sikhs	Central Texts: Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, and `Abdu'l-Bahá. Unity of God: One God who has revealed Himself through various prophets. Unity of Religion: All major religions are seen as part of a single, progressive revelation from God. Unity of Humanity: Emphasis on global peace and unity. Differences: Bahá'í teachings on progressive revelation and the unity of all religions are distinct from Christianity’s exclusive claim to salvation through Jesus Christ.
	Jainism	Śvētāmbara (White-Clad) Digambara (Sky-Clad)	Central Texts: The Āgamas (for Śvētāmbaras) and Shatkhandāgama along with the writings of Kundakunda (for Digambaras). Non-Violence (Ahimsa): Absolute commitment to non-violence in thought, word, and deed is the central tenet of Jainism. Pluralism (Anekantavada): Emphasis on the multiplicity of viewpoints, recognizing that truth and reality are complex and can be perceived differently from various perspectives. Karma and Rebirth: Belief in the law of karma, which dictates the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and the potential for liberation (moksha) through right conduct, knowledge, and faith. Differences: Jainism’s strict adherence to non-violence and asceticism, along with its belief in the eternal nature of the soul, distinguishes it from other religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism.