As a child I  always wanted to know the difference between religions and denominations. Since my mom's family is mostly Methodist and African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) and my dad's family is mostly Baptist, I attended services for all three denominations frequently. Yet, by the time I was in school learning about the Reformation, I still couldn't define the difference in the three denominations. This only strengthened my curiosity in the difference between the denominations. Some differences in practices are purely the observance of man made traditions (such as the order of service), while others are the result of different interpretations of the Bible. If you are a believer, it is important to know not only what these differences in interpretation are, but also to read, pray, and determine where you stand. If you aren't a believer, it is also important to know that these differences exists, because perhaps one of these differences is affecting your belief (or rather lack thereof).

Denominations of Christianity

Estimates suggest there are 45,000 Christian denominations in the world.[21] In reality, most fall under one family or branch, which is used to to group similar denominations (for example Baptist, as opposed to Missionary, Freewill, and Southern Baptist). In this post, I will focus on the families of denominations. Below, I have highlighted a few doctrines and ideals that differ from church to church. You will also find a series of graphs below for a visual overview of these differences and similarities. Furthermore, I have provided a few sources for further reading on specific denominations and/or views in case you want to know more (there is way too much to place in this one post). Over time, I will likely discuss each topic in more depth eventually, but this post is merely an overview.

Disclaimers

Since there are several sub denominations within the denominations I have outlined, there may be variance on topics within a denomination. Also, individuals who profess a particular denomination may have differing beliefs than the official beliefs of their denomination.[20] If you notice incorrect information about a denomination leave a comment or use the contact page to notify me and I will get it sorted out.

Doctrinal Differences

🔑 Key

Apocrypha

How many books are there in the Bible? Most Protestants will tell you 66, but those who consider the Apocrypha (or Deuterocanonical books) part of the canon (along with the Old and New Testaments) will give you a number far higher. The Apocrypha contains books which some churches recognize as canon (divinely inspired by God), some churches recognize as peripheral, and others reject entirely. External arguments for why it should not be included, can be found here. External arguments for why it why it should can be found here. Interestingly, this topic was never mentioned in church when I was growing up (probably because neither Methodists nor Baptists acknowledge consider the Apocrypha to be divinely inspired). I list this difference first because before deciding what you believe, you should probably decide which books you believe in...

Affirmation of the Apocrypha?

Belief in the Trinity?

Trinity

How is it that Christianity is considered a monotheistic religion? Most Christians will tell you there is God the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6), God the Son (John 10 ), and God the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6-8 ). The Trinity is a doctrine that most denominations hold, which states that there are three divine beings (God the Father,  Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit) that co-exist in one Godhead.[22] However, not all denominations believe this.

There are actually a few beliefs among Non-Trinitarians. Non-Trinitarians generally believe that there are three separate beings, with some believing that all three beings are one in purpose, while others demote one or more from the status of God.  Because the Trinity doctrine is so widely accepted, this is a topic generally brushed over as a given, however, it is one of the major ideas that separates denominations and thus worthy of deep consideration before deciding which you believe. For more on about the differing beliefs about this doctrine, see this list of Non-Trinitarian views and this articleon Trinitarian views.

Day of Worship

Most people automatically think Sunday when someone mentions the Sabbath, however the Sabbath is actually Saturday, which is a point of contention amongst denominations as well. The question of whether to worship on the true Sabbath (Saturday) or on Sunday is one that may seem minor in the general scheme of things, but could be more important than most think. Verses such as Exodus 31:17  refer to keeping the Sabbath as a sign between God and His children. Some (myself included) believe this sign is part of the Seal of God mentioned in Revelation. An in depth discussion of this belief can be found here.

Of the denominational families I have covered in this post, only the Seventh Day Adventist Church affirms the true Sabbath. However, there are Seventh Day Baptists as well as Seventh Day Pentecostals. In addition, there are denominations such as Messianic Jews (and other Hebraic movements) that observe the Seventh Day.[23]

Creeds

A creed is a brief statement of belief.[15] The most popular creeds in Christianity are the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed.

Some churches require belief in these creeds for membership to the church, while some merely recite them during service and many never recite them at all. The Methodist and African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E) churches I attended growing up did recite creeds during church, though I don't think they are required for membership.[16] The Baptist church I attended never recited creeds.

Belief in Creeds?

Salvation by Faith Alone?

Salvation (Sola Fide)

John 3:16 says whoever believes in Jesus is rewarded by eternal life, but some denominations preach heavy emphases on good works are needed, furthermore declaring that salvation can be lost by evil deeds or lack of repentance. The Protestant movement is based on sola fide,[19] which means “by faith alone.” Tangled up in the differing beliefs on salvation is the "once saved always saved" doctrine as well. Once saved always saved is most popular among Baptists. The road to salvation should definitely be at the top of the list for topics you should not just take for granted but actually study and affirm for yourself.

Predestination

Speaking of salvation, the choice to believe in and accept Jesus belongs to us—or does it? Some churches believe that people are #TeamHeaven or #TeamHell (I couldn't resist doing that) from the start. The root of this belief, for many, is in Jeremiah 1:5. Some cite the 144,000 of Revelation as evidence of predestination, while other churches believe that you alone are responsible for your salvation. Whether you are a believer in predestination or not will probably affect the rest of your views as well.

Predestination?

Hell is Eternal?

Purgatory & Hell

Purgatory, according to Catholics, is a place where those who believed, but were impure go to be purified before ascending to Heaven. Most other denominations reject the idea of purgatory—it’s never mentioned in the Bible. Hell on the other hand is something almost all denominations agree on. However there are some (including myself) that reject the idea of hell being a place of eternal torment (see this wikipedia article on Annihilationism). In this view, the punishment of death by fire is final (eternal), but it doesn’t mean you burn for all eternity.

Diet & Image

Dietary Restrictions and/or Beliefs on Image

Another thing denominations can't agree on is what we should and should not consume or how we should or should not behave.

Some denominations preach complete abstinence from alcohol, while others allow real wine during communion. Denominations like the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) believe you should abstain from foods that contain caffeine as well. Some churches suggest vegetarianism. In determining what you believe in regards to diet (among most of the other topics mentioned), I would suggest looking at Jesus’ example—after all He is our perfect example of how to live. (Note: some people question whether the word wine in John 2  refers to the alcoholic beverage or grape juice, as Daniel 1:8  suggests consuming wine is to defile one's self, though it could be defiling because it was offered to a pagan god first).

In addition to diet, many denominations disagree on the attire/image of a believer. Some image related customs that are forbidden or frowned upon by certain denominations are as follows: wearing of jewelry, tattoos, women wearing pants, tight and/or revealing clothes, etc.

References

1. "Compare Christian Denominations: Beliefs and Theology". Religion Facts. March 5, 2005
2. "Trinity". Religion Facts. March 17, 2004
3. Mary Fairchild. "Compare the Beliefs of Christian Denominations". ThoughtCo; visited April 2015
4. "Official Denominational Web Sites". Hartford Institute for Religion Research; visited April 2015
5. "Anglicanism". Religion Facts. March 17, 2015
6. "Pentecostalism". Religion Facts. March 17, 2015
7. "Mormonism". Religion Facts. March 17, 2004
8. "Seventh Day Adventists". Religion Facts. March 17, 2015
9. "Quakers (Society of Friends)". Religion Facts. March 17, 2015
10. "Jehovah's Witness". Religion Facts. June 7, 2004
11. AllTimeJeff. " Jehovah's Witnesses and Calvinistic Predestination". Jehovah's Witness; visited April 2015
12. Ryan Turner. "Reasons why the Apocrypha does not belong in the Bible". Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. October 13, 2009
13. "Refuting an Attack on the Deuterocanonicals". Catholic Apologetics; visited April 2015
14. "Books of the Apocrphya". King James Bible Online; visited April 2015
15. "Creed". Merriam Webster; visited December 2017
16. Richard Peck. "Why Do We Say Creeds". United Methodist Church. September 1999
17. Penny Hammond. "Religious dietary guidelines and restrictions". Chewfo.com. June 23, 2012
18. Traci Schumacher. "5 Beliefs That Set Jehovah's Witnesses Apart From Other Christians". News Max. April 2, 2015
19. "Solda Fide". Wikipedia; visited April December 2017
20. Personally, I would not claim a denomination if I don’t believe all of its doctrine, however, I understand that in many cases people claim a particular denomination because its the closest to what they believe, or its simply to identify the affiliation of congregation they belong to, or they aren’t aware of the official positions of their denomination.
21. Donavyn Coffey. “Why does Christianity have so many denominations?”. Live Science. February 27, 2021; visited September 2022
22. “Trinity”. Merriam-Webster Dictionary; visited September 2022
23. “List of Sabbath Keeping Churches”. Wikipedia; visited September 2022