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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Supreme Being
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One personal/supreme God
who is Creator & Lord of everything that exists. He eternally exists as
Triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Gen. 1; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19. |
One God, properly called
Jehovah. His Holy Spirit is an impersonal force. Reject the doctrine of
Trinity. |
God, (Heavenly Father) is
an exalted man with a physical body of flesh & bone. Was a man in a
preexistence. |
An impersonal but
omnipotent being who is Principle, Life, Truth, Love, & Mind. |
Impersonal principle,
universal intelligence, & Love. |
A Supreme Being, but his
exact nature is determined by each person. |
One person only, with dual
characteristics (positive/negative, male/female). |
God is one eternal spirit.
There is no Trinity. Holy Spirit is a designation for God; "holy
spirit" is the power conferred at Pentecost. |
One God, who reveals
Himself as Person; as Father, Son, Holy Spirit. (This group minimizes
the role of the Holy Spirit. |
Same as historic
Christianity |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Key Figures in History
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Jesus, the Christ,
eternally one with the Father and incarnated supernaturally through the
Virgin Mary. John 1:1-12; Matt 1:18-25 |
Charles Taze Russell
(1852-1916) |
Joseph Smith Jr.
(1805-1844) |
Mary Baker Eddy
(1821-1910) |
Charles (1854-1948) &
Myrtle (1845-1931) Fillmore |
L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986) |
Sun Myung Moon (b.Jan. 6,
1920) |
Victor Paul Wierville
(1916-1985) |
Kip McKean (b. May 13,
1954) |
Ellen G. White, who
possessed a modern "spirit of prophecy" (1827-1915) |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Person of Jesus
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One divine Person, eternal,
with two natures-human & divine. Born on earth as a fully human being.
Supreme example of God's character & His love for humanity. Full and
final revelation of God and His love. John 1:1-13 |
A created being with stages
of existence: 1. Archangel Michael or the Word. 2. Jesus, perfect man,
became Messiah at his baptism; 3. After his spiritual resurrection,
became Michael again but retains the name Jesus. |
Jesus is the spiritual &
physical offspring of God by procreation. Had a preexistence as God's
spirit child and brother of Lucifer. |
Jesus, separate from
Christ, a human being who more than any other shows the "Christ-ideal." |
Jesus was a man inhabited
by the Christ-principle spirit. |
A great teacher who fully
realized his personal divinity as a "clear." |
A perfect man who was
faithful to God & attained deity; not equal to God. |
Not coequal with God; did
not preexist before his earthly life. Son of God, but not God the Son.
A perfect man, but not divine. |
Same as historic
Christianity. |
Same as historic
Christianity. |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Work of Jesus Christ
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Jesus was born, lived, &
died in a given time & place as a unique historical event. He lived a
sinless life & willingly died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins
of humanity. He is Messiah (Christ), Lord and Savior. John 1:14-18;
3:16 |
Christ's ransom sacrifice
on a "stake" made salvation possible. |
His death guarantees
immortality to all regardless of their faith, but one's exaltation must
be completed by works. Suffered in Gethsemane for Adam's original sin. |
Jesus is a "Way-shower" &
Healer. |
Jesus was a way-shower
whose crucifixion was not sacrificial, but released grace
(inspiration). |
One Savior among many who
teach people how to be "clear" of engrams (empressions of past
experiences). |
He was to restore original
relationship between God & humanity by marriage. His mission was
incomplete because he was crucified before marriage. He is a spiritual,
not physical savior. |
His ransom death was a
legal transaction making salvation possible. |
Same as historic
Christianity. |
Lived a sinless life, died
on the cross as atonement, & rose again. Entered "heavenly sanctuary"
in 1844 to initiate "investigative judgment" of those claiming to be
Christians |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Sources of Authority
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Bible (Old & New
Testaments). Unique, revealed, factual, accurate, & inspired Word of
God. Sole authority for faith & practice. 2 Tim. 3:16-17. |
Bible ( New World
Translation of Holy Scriptures) as interpreted by Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society. |
Bible (except the
"errors"); The Book of Mormon; Doctrine and Covenants; Pearl of
Great Price; revelations of the Mormon prophets. |
Bible, as interpreted
metaphysically by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health with Key to
the Scriptures |
Bible as interpreted by the
Fillmores. It has an outer (literal) meaning & an inner (metaphysical)
meaning. Other sacred writings also valued. |
Selected writings of
Hubbard, particularly Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental
Health. |
Bible, as interpreted in
Divine Principle (Moon's basic teachings). |
Bible (King James Version)
as "worked" (studied & explained) by writings of Wierwille (the "keys"
to the Bible). |
The Bible as interpreted by
elders & evangelists & taught in "Bible talk" sessions. |
The Bible as explained to
White in her visions & interpreted in her books. |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Doctrine of Humanity
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Humanity is part of
creation, but distinct from the rest of creation & from God. Human
beings are created in God's image. Every person is a unique, precious
being of dignity & worth. Gen. 1:26-28. |
Created in Jehovah's image;
a soul, not immortal; capable of responding to Jehovah. |
Preexistent spiritual
offspring of God; basically good; gods in embryo. |
People exist in God's image
& likeness, therefore are divine. People are spirit, not matter (which
is unreal). |
All people possess the
Christ-spirit within. |
Each person is an immortal,
divine soul, basically good, in three parts: soul (thetan), mind (the
accumulation of all past experiences), & body (physical). |
Created in the image of God
(duality: male & female). |
Each person is body, soul,
& spirit, but not immortal. |
Human beings are created in
the image of God. Every person is born innocent. |
Same as historic
Christianity. |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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The Basic Human Problem
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Sin: By their free will,
human beings have chosen to sin against God, rejecting His nature, &
pursuing a course of life that is opposed to His essential character &
revealed law. Gen.3; Rom. 3:23. |
Sin: willful rebellion
against Jehovah. |
Sin: disobedience to God's
laws. Adam's fall, in God's plan, caused loss of immortality. Each
person responsible for his or her own sin. |
The illusion that matter is
real. (Matter, sin, evil, sickness, & death are not real.) |
Failure to realize & live
up to one's divine potential. |
Engrams (learned behavior
or conflicts from one's past, including previous lifetimes & prenatal
experiences) prevent individuals from realizing their own divinity. |
Human beings broke
relationship with God through disobedience & misuse of love & are now
related to Satan as result of sexual sin in the Fall. |
Adam's fall caused loss of
human spirit & broken relationship with God. Little emphasis on
individual sins. |
Sin: By their free will,
human beings have chosen to sin against God, rejecting His nature &
disobeying His laws. |
Sin: People willingly
refect commandments of God such as the Ten Commandments, especially
violation of eternal seventh-day Sabbath law. |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Solution to the Basic Human Problem
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Salvation-release from the
guilt & power of sin - is God's gift of grace through Christ's
atonement, received through personal faith in Christ. Eph. 2:8-9 |
Allegiance to Jehovah plus
works (baptism, faithfulness in Kingdom Hall work; those ignorant of
Jehovah given a chance to believe during millennium). |
Exaltation or godhood
through obedience to Mormon teachings: repentance, faith, baptism,
endowments, celestial marriage, tithing. Baptism for the dead saves
some non-Mormons posthumously |
Casting out illusions of
reality of matter, sin, evil sickness, & death in favor of the
"all-reality" of spirit. |
Through conscious union
with Jesus, people can overcome lower human impulses & transform their
bodies to make them perpetually healthy, therefore immortal, attaining
eternal life (unity with God). |
Dianetic counseling
(auditing) leads a person to become "clear" of engrams, attain full
human potential, & become fully aware of personal divinity. |
Accept Jesus Christ for
spiritual salvation & the Lord of the Second Advent (Moon) for physical
salvation. Pay personal indemnity (works) for self, ancestors, & the
world. |
Human spirit regained
through faith in Jesus Christ. Spiritual maturity, manifested in
tongue-speaking, comes through renewed mind. Sinless perfection
attainable in this life. |
Admittance of sin,
repentance, becoming a disciple, & baptism by immersion in water for
remission of sin by the ICOC. |
Repentance, faith in Christ
as Savior, baptism by immersion, & keeping of commandments. |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Ethics (Value System)
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Ultimate values for
humanity are based on God's character and His Ten Commandments. Human
beings are potentially good, but not inevitably good. They always need
God's grace to renew their characters. |
Those not loyal to Jehovah
are unrighteous; all earthly organizations controlled by Satan;
Jehovah's Witnesses required to obey Jehovah's laws as explained by
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. |
People are to obey the laws
of God; Mormons expected to observe the "Word of Wisdom" (rules for
conduct). |
Christian Scientists
"solemnly promise" to watch & pray for "the mind of Christ," to obey
the Golden Rule, & to be merciful, just, & pure. |
The kingdom of heaven or
harmony is within people, who are to establish the law & order existing
in Divine Mind (God). The Golden Rule should be the standard of action
among people. |
Individuals must be able to
put knowledge to use to help themselves & others. The final test: "Did
the data and the use of it in life actually improve conditions or
didn't it?" |
Good society can be
achieved only through a peaceful revolution of the heart. People must
be transformed from selfishness to unselfishness, centered on the love
of God. |
The soul/mind (sinful
nature) that controls each person can only be "renewed" by proper
study. The sign of a renewed mind is speaking in tongues-a sign of
sinless perfection. |
Jesus commanded total
obedience to a discipler. Not to have such a partner is "to be
rebellious to God." |
Christians expected to keep
specific comandments of Fod, avoid unhealthy foods & lifestyles, & keep
seventh-day Sabbath. |
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Elements of Faith
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Unity School of Christianity
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Unification Church
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The Way International
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International Church of Christ
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Seventh-Day Adventist Church
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Life After Death
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Eternal communion with God
(heaven) or eternal separation from God (hell). Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20-22 |
144,000 "elect" to reign
with Christ in Kingdom of God (heaven). Other Jehovah's Witnesses to
live on glorified paradise earth. Annihilation for all who reject
Jehovah. |
One of three kingdoms: 1.
Celestial-renewed earth, where men become gods or angels; 2.
Terrestrial-planet for righteous non-Mormons; 3. Telestial-planet for
the wicked. Perdition is reserved for Satan and most wicked. |
Since there is no death,
individuals move into another plane toward fulfillment in love, light,
& truth. |
If people live well in this
present life, they will also live well in whatever life will follow.
People progress through many lifetimes (reincarnation) to ultimate
union (unity) with an impersonal God. |
Reincarnation of soul (thetan)
until it attains the state of spiritual awareness & liberation from
matter, energy, space, & time (MEST) |
All humans will become
divine in an earthly kingdom of God & a perfect relationship with God
will be restored. |
Soul sleep for all between
death & resurrection; finally, heaven (for those whose minds are
renewed) or hell (for all others). |
Eternal communion with God
(heaven) for faithful disciples or eternal separation from God (hell)
for those unfaithful. |
Eternal communion is
heaven for faithful remnant or annihilation for wicked (no eternal
hell). |