Christianity vs. Gnosticism

Christianity versus Gnosticism comparison chart

	Christianity	Gnosticism
Use of statues and pictures	In Catholic & Orthodox Churches.
Place of worship	Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, home bible study, personal dwellings.
Belief of God	One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.
Founder	The Lord Jesus Christ.
Clergy	Priests, bishops, ministers, monks, and nuns.
Literal Meaning	Follower Of Christ.
Place of origin	Roman province of Judea.
View of the Buddha	Christians believe that the Buddha was a false teacher, and do not adhere to anything he taught.
Followers	Christian (followers of Christ)
Scriptures	The Holy Bible
Marriage	A Holy Sacrament.
Original Language(s)	Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.
Practices	Prayer, sacraments (some branches), worship in church, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, communion.
Life after death	Eternity in Heaven or Hell, in some cases temporal Purgatory.
Population	Over two billion adherents worldwide.
Second coming of Jesus	Affirmed.
Holy Days	Christmas (celebration of the birth of Jesus), Good Friday (death of Jesus), Sunday (day of rest), Easter (resurrection of Jesus), Lent (Catholicism), saints' feast days.
Means of salvation	Through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
Human Nature	Man has inherited "original sin" from Adam. Mankind then is inherently evil and is in need of forgiveness of sin. By knowing right and wrong Christians choose their actions. Humans are a fallen, broken race in need of salvation and repair by God.
Position of Mary	Mother Of Jesus. Revered in all denominations. Degree of reverence varies from denomination.
Prophets	Prophets in the Bible are venerated.
Goal of religion	To love God and obey his commandments while creating a relationship with Jesus Christ and spreading the Gospel so that others may also be saved.
Geographical distribution and predominance	As the largest religion in the world, Christianity has adherents are all over the world. As a % of local population, Christians are in a majority in Europe, North and South America, and Australia and New Zealand.
Belief	The Ante-Nicene Creed sums up Christian belief in the Holy Trinity.
Jesus	Son Of God. Second person of the Trinity. God the Son.
Position of Abraham	Father of the faithful.
Status of Vedas	N/A.
Confessing sins	Protestants confess straight to God, Catholic confess mortal sins to a Priest, and venial sins straight to God (Orthodox have similar practice) Anglicans confess to Priests but considered optional. God always forgives sins in Jesus.
Symbols	Cross, ichthys ("Jesus fish"), Mary and baby Jesus.
Day of worship	Sunday (most denominations), Saturday (Seventh-Day Adventist, Seventh-Day Baptist)
Religious Law	Varies among denominations. Has existed among Catholics in the form of canon law.
View of other Dharmic religions	N/A.
Abrahamic Lineage	Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
About	Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity Jesus Christ. Its followers, called Christians, often believe Christ is "the Son" of the Holy Trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father").
Use of Statues	Varies by denomination. Not used in Protestant denominations; icons are used in Catholic & Orthodox denominations.
Virtue on which religion is based upon	Love and justice.
Birth of Jesus	Virgin Birth, through God.
Religion which atheists may still be adherents of	No.
God's role in salvation	Humans cannot save themselves or ascend on their own to a higher level. Only God is good and therefore only God is able to save a person. Jesus came down from Heaven to save mankind.
Branches	Roman Catholics, independent Catholics, Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans etc.), Orthodox (Greek orthodox, Russian orthodox).
Death of Jesus	Death by crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Will return.
On Clothing	Conservative Christians dress modestly; women may wear long skirts or dresses; men may wear dress clothes that do not show the chest, legs, and arms. More moderate or liberal Christians generally reject such clothing restrictions.
Identity of Jesus	The Son Of God.
Related Religions	Islam, Judaism, Baha'i faith
Promised Holy one.	Second Coming of Christ
Holy days/Official Holidays	The Lord's Day; Advent, Christmas; New Year, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, every day is dedicated to a Saint.
On Women	Equal to men. In some denominations, they may become nuns.
Goal of Philosophy	Objective reality. Worship of God who created life, the universe, and is eternal. Christianity has its own philosophy, found in the Bible. That philosophy is Salvation from sin, through the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Names of God	God, Gud, Gott, Deo, Dios. Jehovah, YHWH, Eli Elohim, (depending on language Christians are of every language and culture around the world)
Place and Time of origin	Jerusalem, approx. 33 AD.
Authority of Pope	Leader and overseer of the Catholic Church. his authority is completely rejected by Protestants, and is viewed by Orthodox as first among equals. Orthodox and Protestants reject Papal infallibility and Papal supremacy.
Status of Muhammad	N/A.
Views on other religions	Christianity is the only True Faith.
Virtue(s) in which religion is based upon	Love and justice.
View of God	One Trinity God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Rites	Seven sacraments: Baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, matrimony (Catholic and Orthodox). Anglicans: Baptism and Eucharist. Other denominations: Baptism and communion.
Promised Holy One	Second Coming Of Christ.
Views on the afterlife	Eternity in Heaven or Hell; some believe in temporal suffering in Purgatory, before admittance into Heaven.
Use of statues, images	some denominations regard It as forbidden and Idolatry. Anglicans and Lutherans allow pictures but forbid venerating them. Catholics encourage pictures and statues and venerate them. Orthodox encourage pictures and venerate them.
Status of Adam	The first man. Humanity is in a state of Original Sin, due to Adam's disobedience to God.
imams identified as	N/A.
Concept of God	One God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
sects	Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.
Ressurection of Jesus	Affirmed.
View of other Abrahamic religions	Judaism is regarded as a True religion but incomplete (without Gospel, and Messiah) Islam is regarded as a false religion, Christianity does not accept the Qur'an as true.
Offshoot religions	Rastafarianism, Universalism, Deism, Masonry and Mormonism.
Resurrection of Jesus	Affirmed
No. of Gods and Godesses	1 God
Praying to Saints, Mary, and Angel	Encouraged in the Catholic & Orthodox Churches; most Protestants only pray directly to God.
Original Language	Aramaic, Greek, and Latin
View of other Oriental religions	N/A.
Primary God(s)	A single, all-powerful god known as God that is typically thought of in "trinity" form: God, the Father; Christ, the Son; and the Holy Spirit (or Ghost).
Concept of Deity	1 God, in 3 Divine Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Original Languages	Aramaic, Common (Koine) Greek, Hebrew.
Revered People	Varies by sect/denomination. Saints, the Pope, cardinals, bishops, nuns, church pastors, or deacons.
On Food/Drink	Jesus said, "'...Whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?' (Thus he declared all foods clean.)" Mark 7:19
Most Common Sects	Catholics, Protestants, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Mormons (LDS).
Important Tenets	The Ten Commandments, The Beatitudes.
Spiritual Beings	Angels, demons, spirits.
Sacred Texts	Christian Bible (includes Old and New Testaments). What is considered canon may vary slightly by sect/denomination.
On Race	All races viewed equal in Christianity. However, Bible passages on slavery were used to support the practice in the past in the U.S. The "curse of Ham" was sometimes thought to be Black people; modern interpretations reject this.
View of Jesus	God in human form, "Son of God, " savior. Death by crucifixion. Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, was taken up into heaven, and will return during the Apocalypse.
View on Abrahamic religions	All worship the One God.
Founders and Early Leaders	Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the Apostles.
On Money	Tithing / charitable giving. "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." —Jesus in Matthew 19:24
On LGBT	Varies. Christians who believe in more literal interpretations of the Bible rarely accept homosexuality; some see it as a crime. "Do not be deceived...men who have sex with men...will not inherit the kingdom of God." —1 Corinthians 6:9-10
On Marriage/Divorce	Definition of marriage and divorce acceptance varies by sect/denomination. Bible includes examples of polygamy and monogamy and only condones divorce in cases of adultery.
View of Animistic religions	Paganism is Heathenism. Witchcraft is communication and interaction with demons, fallen evil angelic beings. These have no real interest ultimately, in helping their worshipers. Demonic possession is common.
On Atheism	Atheists will go to hell because they do not believe in God, while some think that there will be a chance for repentance at the end.
Prophet	Moses, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, etc., as well as both Johns in the New Testament too.
Belief of deities	One God three forms: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Legislation	Varies through denomination.
Direction of Prayer	Catholics and Orthodox usually face the Tabernacle in their prayers but it is not considered necessary, but recommended. God is present everywhere recent reforms have prompted many Christians to not face anywhere in their prayers.
Praying to Saints,Mary, and Angel	Affirmed, in Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, & Anglican(Episcopalian)Christianity; most Protestants do not.
Purgatory	Believed in by various denominations. It is debated in Christianity.
Marriage and Divorce	Explained by Jesus in Mathew 19:3-9 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore what God has put together let man not seperate.'
Saints	Catholics and Orthodox venerate very Holy people as Saints. Most Protestants do not do this, however they do look at them as inspirational figures.
Virtues in which religion is based upon	Love, charity, and mercy.
Status of Elohim	God
Views about other religions	No other religion leads to God. Judaism being a unique exception, Jews viewed as ignorant of the Messiah.
Three Jewels/Trinity	The Blessed Trinity: In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit
What is it?	Christianity is the religion founded by Christ, to which He is central to.
War between two churches/ major sects	Catholics & Protestants used to be at war in Northern Ireland; In USA, many fundamentalist Protestants vehemently deny Catholics are Christian.
Days of worship	Sunday.
Year Formed	28-33 CE.
Influenced By	Hellenistic Judaism, Jewish folklore, Greco-Roman paganism, monotheistic Zoroastrianism.
On Other Religions	Many Christians believe all other religions are false. Moderates believe this as well. "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." —Exodus 23:13
Number of Adherents	An estimated 2.1 billion, largest religion in the world.
On Afterlife	Eternal life in heaven (paradise) or hell (torment). Some Catholics believe in purgatory (limbo, temporary punishment).
On Apocalypse	Christians believe Christ will return during an apocalypse that includes famine, war, and plague.
Significance of Eucharist	It Is Christ Himself.
Presence of Christ in Eucharist	Literally Present in Catholicism and in Orthodoxy.
Holy day(s)	Sunday, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints' Day, various Saints' Days throughout the year.
Clothes	While there is no specific form of religious dress, people are encouraged to dress conservatively, rather than provocatively.
Introduction (from Wikipedia)		Gnosticism describes a collection of ancient religions whose adherents shunned the material world - which they viewed as created by the demiurge - and embraced the spiritual world.

Add content for Christianity vs. Gnosticism or review and improve the comparison table above.