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I will try to present each Church as fairly as possible, but I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian and will answer from that point of view. I’ll try to give a brief history and a few distinguishing beliefs and practices, but won’t be able to include everything. If someone feels I have misrepresented something or left something important out, please let me know in the comments.Eastern Orthodox Church - Approximately 200 million membersFounded: Pentecost 33 ADThe early Church spread rapidly, but was severely persecuted by Roman emperors and many Christians died as martyrs. Since persecution required secrecy and since the Church was still young and working out the details of doctrine and practice, various strange teachings sprung up. When Constantine legalized Christianity, the Church was able to start dealing with these questions at Ecumenical (“Universal” Councils) of all the bishops as well as at smaller councils such as the Council of Carthage where the books of the Bible were codified (the list of books was first identified by St. Athanasius). Also as a result of the end of persecution, more people became “eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake” (Matthew 19:12)—that is, they took on a life of virginity and asceticism seeking to become “bloodless martyrs” and monasticism was born.Since those early times, the Church has continued to grow and continued to undergo severe persecutions. The most recent persecution was under Stalin who put many Orthodox Christians in concentration camps, destroyed churches, and sought to remove God from Soviet society. Orthodox Christians had to escape to Catacomb Churches or leave the country, becoming what is known as the diaspora. This made it impossible to support recent missionary efforts in America, and as a result, Orthodoxy is almost unknown in the U.S., yet very common elsewhere in the world, particularly Eastern Europe. Russia and Greece are most well-known for being Orthodox, but Orthodoxy has spread to all 7 continents (including Antarctica), the only Church to do so.The Orthodox Church is very mystical and believes that the main goal of the Christian life is to come into communion with God, requiring purification of the soul through repentance, asceticism, and prayer—most notably the Jesus prayer. We adopted the name Orthodox, meaning “right” or “true” “teaching” or “belief”, to distinguish ourselves from the Roman Catholic Church as we believe we have maintained the faith of the Apostles in fullness and purity. We believe that the Mysteries (sacraments) do bestow grace and say simply that this bread and this wine are the Body and Blood of Christ just as we say that this man Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We venerate (not worship) icons an the relics of Saints, who we believe act as intercessors for us.Eastern Orthodox ChurchOriental Orthodox Church - Approximately 60 million membersSeparated: 451 ADAt the Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon, it was determined that Jesus Christ has two natures: human and divine. Some Churches, however, rejected this saying that Jesus Christ united human nature and divine nature into one human-divine nature. This view is often called Monophysitism or Miaphytism, “one nature”. They therefore accept the first three Ecumenical Councils but not the following ones and are called “Non-Chalcedonian”. Some have said that this is merely a matter of language, but the rift has still not been healed in nearly 1600 years.The Oriental Orthodox Churches have Popes, though they are not considered infallible or supreme. They are chosen by lots that a child pulls from. The Oriental Churches believe that St. Mark was the first Pope of Alexandria. Largely, Oriental Orthodoxy is very similar to Eastern Orthodoxy, differing in small ways such as the number of feasts and in songs and other specific practices. Currently they are made up of six Churches: the Syrian, Ethiopian, Coptic, Eritrean, Armenian, and Malankara.Orthodox churches (Oriental)Roman Catholic Church - Approximately 1.2 billion membersSeparated: Began diverging in 800’s, Great Schism 1054, communion continued for a while after that.The Roman Bishop maintained a Primacy of Honor from an early time, having been founded by the chief apostles St. Paul and St. Peter and having been the center of the Roman empire. Beliefs and practices between East and West began to slowly and subtly diverge, and Roman Christian thought was highly shaped by the early “Doctors“ of the Church” such as St. Ambrose and St. Augustine (there have been more “Doctors” since then for a total of 33). The main difference came when the Latins introduced the filioque (“and the Son”) into the Nicene Creed. This sparked the controversy that culminated in the Great Schism of 1054 and was really an attempt by the Pope of Rome to exert authority over the other bishops. When the other Patriarchs did not consent to the change, the Churches slowly split.The Roman Church began to be shaped by scholasticism with people like Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury. New practices were introduced such as baptism by infusion (pouring) rather than immersion; separating the sacraments of baptism, first communion, and confirmation; and celibate priests. At Vatican I, the teaching of papal infallibility—that the pope can speak without error ex cathedra, “from the throne”—was established. Vatican II made liturgical reforms in an attempt to modernize the Catholic Mass.Catholics believe that the Pope is the successor to St. Peter and is the vicar of Christ on earth. They also pray to Saints and hold an extremely high honor for Mother Mary. They believe that sins are separated into two categories: venial and mortal. Venial sins can be expiated through temporal punishments. Anyone who goes to heaven must be objectively holy, so they must experience these punishments either in the present life or in Purgatory. Some of these punishments can be removed through indulgences. Mortal sins cause a person to go to hell if not repented of. They also believe in the grace of the sacraments and describe the transformation of the bread and the wine of the Eucharist as transubstantiation. They also have monks and nuns organized into different traditions called Orders.The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Orthodox Church has valid sacraments and clergy, though it lacks complete grace because it remains in schism. A few popes have described the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church as “two lungs”, both necessary for survival. They therefore would allow an Orthodox Christian to take Communion in a Catholic church and have a small group of Eastern Rite Catholics, Uniates, who look, believe, and act like Orthodox Christians, but commemorate the Pope of Rome.Roman Catholic ChurchLutheranism - 65–90 million membersFounded: 1517Lutheranism was founded when Martin Luther famously posted his 95 Theses to the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. His list of grievances launched the Protestant Reformation that fought against the Roman Catholic practice of indulgences and sought to reform the Church in opposition to Roman authority. Lutheranism quickly spread through Germany and Scandinavia.In 1452 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable type and printed 200 Gutenberg Bibles in Mainz, Germany. By 1500, 2500 cities had printing presses and Martin Luther had a new source of authority to oppose Rome with: Holy Scripture. People no longer had to go to church to hear the Gospel, they could read it at home.Lutheranism is centered around three axioms: Sola Gratis (Grace Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), and Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). They believe that individuals can do nothing to earn salvation and are instead justified by grace. They believe that Scripture is the infallible word of God and is the foundation of their doctrines. They accept the Athanasian, Nicean, and Apostle’s Creeds and the Book of Concords, a collection of writings from Luther and others. They believe in the physical presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.Belief and PracticeCalvinism - Approximately 80 million adherentsFormed: 1536Calvinism is actually more of a tradition or theology that several denominations hold to—primarily Presbyterianism and the Reformed churches. It originated with John Calvin who published Institutes of Christian Religion in 1536. It is similar to Lutheranism but emphasizes predestination and is often contrasted with Arminianism, the belief that Jesus died for all men. John Knox was also important to this movement and led the Reformation in Scotland.The summary of Calvinist doctrine is most famously summed up by TULIP: Total depravity—man is incapable of returning to God on his own merits; Unconditional election—God has already elected or predestined who would be saved; Limited atonement—Christ died only for these elect; Irresistible grace—God calls the elect by His grace and they cannot help but respond; and Perseverance of the Saints—all the elect are necessarily saved. John Calvin believed in the spiritual, but not physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist.Presbyterians (the name is based on the Greek word for “elder”: “presbyter”) believe that they were started by Martin Luther and refined by John Calvin. They are governed by Elders who convene during a “Kirk Session”. Most accept the Calvinistic Westminster Confession of Faith and support infant baptism, singing the Psalms exclusively (accompanied by instruments), a common communion cup, and male Elders. However, there have been splits such as when the Northern and Southern Presbyterians split during the Civil War and were not reunited until 1983, so there is a slight diversity of beliefs.Reformed Churches believe that the Roman Catholic Church needed to be reformed because of corrupt clergy, the torture of heretics, prayer to the Saints, and indulgences. They also emphasize the sovereignty of God, justification by faith, and Scripture over tradition. Reformed Churches were also heavily influenced by Huldrych Zwingli and worship is often focused primarily on preaching.Calvinism | Denominations | A Study of DenominationsPresbyterian | TheopediaWhat is Reformed?Anglicanism/Episcopalianism/Church of England - Approximately 85 million membersFounded: 1536The Anglican Church started in 1536, shortly after Lutheranism began, when King Henry VIII challenged the authority of the Pope on several issues including the Pope’s refusal to grant him a divorce. The Church was further defined when Thomas Cramner published The Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and when Queen Elizabeth I gave the Church more formal structute in 1562. They sought to be the via media, “middle way”, between Catholicism and Protestantism.They believe the Scriptures are the foundation for doctrine, but believe that reason and tradition are important for interpretation. Like the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, they believe that Apostolic Succession is important and that the Eucharist and other sacraments have real grace, though some variance in this teaching is allowed. They do not have a centralized canon, so each Church in the Anglican Communion has its own variation of the liturgy on a spectrum from High Church to Low Church.AnglicanismBaptists - Approximately 40 million membersFounded: 1609In 1609, John Smyth, a minister from the Church of England scandalously baptized himself in Holland, and then baptized fellow reformer Thomas Helwys and others in his congregation. They had three main principles: The Bible and no other tradition or creed was the source of doctrine and practice, the congregation should only be made up of believers (believers’ baptism), and the congregation should be governed by normal members—not priests or bishops. Baptists were separated into either General (Arminian) or Particular (Calvinist), but these two groups were unified in the General Missionary Convention in 1814. The Baptist movement grew primarily in America and helped shape American politics in regards to both religious freedom and slavery.Baptists reject infant baptism and only practice baptism by full immersion of believing adults who proclaim Jesus Christ as their personal savior. They also believe in the the priesthood of all believers and emphasize that all people are responsible before God. Ministers have special responsibilities, but are otherwise normal and equal members of the congregation. Each Congregation is self-governing and autonomous. Worship spaces tend to be very bare, with any images considered a distraction from God. Services typically consist of singing songs along with a band and a sermon from the minister. In addition to baptism, members eat bread and drink wine or grape juice, but see both baptism and communion as purely symbolic acts.Baptist churchesMethodists - 30-80 million membersFormed: Movement began 1739, Church formed in 1784Methodism was a movement within the Church of England started by John and Charles Wesley in order to fight perceived Anglican apathy. Their three main principles were: avoid evil deeds by all means, perform acts of kindness as much as possible, and follow the commandments of God such as prayer, Bible reading, worship, and the Lord’s Supper. In 1784, John Wesley provided American Methodists with The Articles of Religion, taken from Anglicanism and edited, and are now the basis for Methodist belief in North America. By 1820, Methodism was the largest denomination in America. Methodism also has high church and low church worship with either a liturgy based on the Book of Common Prayer or an informal preaching service.Methodists also preach justification by grace and the total depravity of man while still using tradition to interpret Scripture. Most believe in Arminianism, but others—most notably George Whitefield—are Calvinist. They also recognize the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist and affirm the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds.Methodism | religionPentecostalism - 250+ million membersFormed: 1901Pentecostalism got its start when one of Charles Parham’s students Agnes Ozman started speaking in tongues. This ignited a spiritual revival under Parham in Texas that was followed by the Asuza Street Revival in Los Angeles led by African-American preacher William Joseph Seymour. This brought more exposure to the movement and Pentecostalism began to spread. ItPentecostalism is based on the idea of a continuing “Pentecost”, that is, the Holy Spirit continues to descend on believers, granting them gifts. They have several baptisms including the dedication into the Church, baptism by water, and baptism by the Holy Spirit. They also emphasize gifts of the spirit, especially glossolalia, speaking in unknown languages. In addition, some members claim to perform miracles and some practice handling snakes. Some Pentecostals who are also Non-Trinitarian are called Oneness Pentecostals.BBC - Religions - Christianity: PentecostalismMormonism - Approximately 15 million membersFounded: 1830In 1830 Joseph Smith began to receive revelation, then through golden plates that no one else was allowed to see and that only Joseph Smith was able to translate with the help of special stones. He translated these plates and read them aloud to his wife from across a curtain who wrote everything down, and this became the Book of Mormon. This book tells the story of the ancient people of America when Jesus Christ visited them, sometime shortly after His appearances to the Apostles. After Smith was killed by a mob in Nauvoo, IL (a city Mormons had founded), Brigham Young led the community west to Utah. Mormons were persecuted for not keeping slaves, for having plural marriages, and for being a potential political threat.Mormons emphasize the importance of continuous revelation through prophets and claim that the age of prophecy in the rest of Christianity after a few centuries. They believe that God the Father (Elohim) was once a man but attained immortality perfection on another planet. He created the known world through Jesus (Jehovah), Who is also a perfected man and the first spirit-child of the Father, by manipulating existing matter. The Holy Spirit is only spirit though he looks like a man, and these three make up the Godhead.Each person is a spirit-child of the Father and a Heavenly Mother. They exist and then are born for a time of purgatory on Earth. After death, they go to live eternally with the Father. The idea of the family is therefore essential to Mormonism and marriage is held as the highest calling. Mormons have children in order to give pre-mortal spirits the opportunity to live on earth and endure tests that will prepare them for eternal life. They believe Christ will return to rule the earth for 1000 years.Communal worship services are led by lay-people. Sacrament Meetings are led by a bishop with two counselors and consist of communion, hymns, prayers, and sermons. Services in a Mormon temple are secret and can only be attended by humble and worthy Mormons. Male missionaries take on a two-year commitment and are called Elders; female missionaries take on an 18-month commitment and are called Sisters. They have very limited contact with family and friends and follow strict rules. They generally go from door to door handing out copies of the Book of Mormon and talking to people about their faith. The Church has discontinued the practice of polygamy for over 100 years now.BBC - Religion: MormonismSeventh Day Adventist Church - 14–19 million membersFounded: 1863The Seventh-day Adventist movement was started by William Miller who predicted that Jesus would return sometime in March 1843-March 1844. When that didn’t happen, he changed the date to October 22, 1844. When that didn’t happen, his followers still kept his teachings as core beliefs, but used his examples to show that no one knows the time of Jesus’s coming. One follower, Ellen White officially founded the Church and wrote over 40 books and 50,000 articles.Seventh-day Adventist are named for their belief that the Sabbath should be held on Saturday (from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday), not Sunday. They also believe that Christ went up to the heavenly sanctuary to cleans it and afterwards He will return to cleanse the earth. All people remain unconscious after death until Christ’s return and those who are resurrected will have immortal life. The righteous will go to heaven with Christ, leaving the earth to Satan and the demons, but will return after 1000 years to destroy sin and sinners.On the Sabbath, they participate in a foot washing ceremony and then take the Lord’s Supper, which is also open to Christian non-members. They emphasize health and nutrition, recommending a vegetarian diet, though meat is allowed as long as it follows Jewish clean/unclean rules. On Saturday they also rest from secular activities to respect the Sabbath.Seventh-day AdventistsJehovah’s Witness - Approximately 7 million membersFormed: Late 1870’sIn 1875 Charles Taze Russell came to the belief that Jesus Christ had returned to earth the year prior. He started publishing Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence in 1879. The movement grew, but when Joseph F. Rutherford took over after Russell’s death in 1916, he made changes to the structure and doctrines that led to some splits. In 1931 the group took on the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were persecuted in WWI for the pacifism and persecuted in WWII by the Nazis. In 1966, they predicted that the world would end in 1975, but when that didn’t happen the group suffered another setback.Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God, Who they call Jehovah, is the one true God, and that Jesus was created by God as His firstborn Son before anything else was made. Jesus came to earth as the Messiah and died on a pole, not a cross, and then had a spiritual resurrection, not a bodily one. The Holy Spirit is God’s active power and not a person. (They believe that the Trinity is a pagan concept and un-biblical.) When people die, their existence completely stops. Those who are saved will be resurrected to live in paradise on earth, but 144,000 anointed ones will rule the earth from heaven with God.Jehovah's WitnessesMost of these denomination have smaller schismatic groups connected to them. In addition to these denomination, there are a few smaller separate traditions such as the Church of the East and the Anabaptists. Within each denomination there are often multiple Churches, which are either in communion or out of communion with one another. In response to these many divisions, Non-denominational Churches have begun to form. These are often local Churches that have very minimal formal doctrine, emphasize living a life according to the Bible, and most resemble Pentecostal or Baptist Churches. Please forgive me and let me know if I have anywhere misspoken.

Evan Rodick's answer to What are the most common strands of Christianity and a brief explanation of each?I will try to present each Church as fairly as possible, but I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian and will answer from that point of view. I’ll try to give a brief history and a few distinguishing beliefs and practices, but won’t be able to include everything. If someone feels I have misrepresented something or left something important out, please let me know in the comments.Eastern Orthodox Church - Approximately 200 million membersFounded: Pentecost 33 ADThe early Church spread rapidly, but was severely persecuted by Roman emperors and many Christians died as martyrs. Since persecution required secrecy and since the Church was still young and working out the details of doctrine and practice, various strange teachings sprung up. When Constantine legalized Christianity, the Church was able to start dealing with these questions at Ecumenical (“Universal” Councils) of all the bishops as well as at smaller councils such as the Council of Carthage where the books of the Bible were codified (the list of books was first identified by St. Athanasius). Also as a result of the end of persecution, more people became “eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake” (Matthew 19:12)—that is, they took on a life of virginity and asceticism seeking to become “bloodless martyrs” and monasticism was born.Since those early times, the Church has continued to grow and continued to undergo severe persecutions. The most recent persecution was under Stalin who put many Orthodox Christians in concentration camps, destroyed churches, and sought to remove God from Soviet society. Orthodox Christians had to escape to Catacomb Churches or leave the country, becoming what is known as the diaspora. This made it impossible to support recent missionary efforts in America, and as a result, Orthodoxy is almost unknown in the U.S., yet very common elsewhere in the world, particularly Eastern Europe. Russia and Greece are most well-known for being Orthodox, but Orthodoxy has spread to all 7 continents (including Antarctica), the only Church to do so.The Orthodox Church is very mystical and believes that the main goal of the Christian life is to come into communion with God, requiring purification of the soul through repentance, asceticism, and prayer—most notably the Jesus prayer. We adopted the name Orthodox, meaning “right” or “true” “teaching” or “belief”, to distinguish ourselves from the Roman Catholic Church as we believe we have maintained the faith of the Apostles in fullness and purity. We believe that the Mysteries (sacraments) do bestow grace and say simply that this bread and this wine are the Body and Blood of Chrst just as we say that this man Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We venerate (not worship) icons an the relics of Saints, who we believe act as intercessors for us.Eastern Orthodox ChurchOriental Orthodox Church - Approximately 60 million membersSeparated: 451 ADAt the Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon, it was determined that Jesus Christ has two natures: human and divine. Some Churches, however, rejected this saying that Jesus Christ united human nature and divine nature into one human-divine nature. This view is often called Monophysitism or Miaphytism, “one nature”. They therefore accept the first three Ecumenical Councils but not the following ones and are called “Non-Chalcedonian”. Some have said that this is merely a matter of language, but the rift has still not been healed in nearly 1600 years.The Oriental Orthodox Churches have Popes, though they are not considered infallible or supreme. They are chosen by lots that a child pulls from. The Oriental Churches believe that St. Mark was the first Pope of Alexandria. Largely, Oriental Orthodoxy is very similar to Eastern Orthodoxy, differing in small ways such as the number of feasts and in songs and other specific practices. Currently they are made up of six Churches: the Syrian, Ethiopian, Coptic, Eritrean, Armenian, and Malankara.Orthodox churches (Oriental)Roman Catholic Church - Approximately 1.2 billion membersSeparated: Began diverging in 800’s, Great Schism 1054, communion continued for a while after that.The Roman Bishop maintained a Primacy of Honor from an early time, having been founded by the chief apostles St. Paul and St. Peter and having been the center of the Roman empire. Beliefs and practices between East and West began to slowly and subtly diverge, and Roman Christian thought was highly shaped by the early “Doctors“ of the Church” such as St. Ambrose and St. Augustine (there have been more “Doctors” since then for a total of 33). The main difference came when the Latins introduced the filioque (“and the Son”) into the Nicene Creed. This sparked the controversy that culminated in the Great Schism of 1054 and was really an attempt by the Pope of Rome to exert authority over the other bishops. When the other Patriarchs did not consent to the change, the Churches slowly split.The Roman Church began to be shaped by scholasticism with people like Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury. New practices were introduced such as baptism by infusion (pouring) rather than immersion; separating the sacraments of baptism, first communion, and confirmation; and celibate priests. At Vatican I, the teaching of papal infallibility—that the pope can speak without error ex cathedra, “from the throne”—was established. Vatican II made liturgical reforms in an attempt to modernize the Catholic Mass.Catholics believe that the Pope is the successor to St. Peter and is the vicar of Christ on earth. They also pray to Saints and hold an extremely high honor for Mother Mary. They believe that sins are separated into two categories: venial and mortal. Venial sins can be expiated through temporal punishments. Anyone who goes to heaven must be objectively holy, so they must experience these punishments either in the present life or in Purgatory. Some of these punishments can be removed through indulgences. Mortal sins cause a person to go to hell if not repented of. They also believe in the grace of the sacraments and describe the transformation of the bread and the wine of the Eucharist as transubstantiation. They also have monks and nuns organized into different traditions called Orders.The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Orthodox Church has valid sacraments and clergy, though it lacks complete grace because it remains in schism. A few popes have described the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church as “two lungs”, both necessary for survival. They therefore would allow an Orthodox Christian to take Communion in a Catholic church and have a small group of Eastern Rite Catholics, Uniates, who look, believe, and act like Orthodox Christians, but commemorate the Pope of Rome.Roman Catholic ChurchLutheranism - 65–90 million membersFounded: 1517Lutheranism was founded when Martin Luther famously posted his 95 Theses to the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. His list of grievances launched the Protestant Reformation that fought against the Roman Catholic practice of indulgences and sought to reform the Church in opposition to Roman authority. Lutheranism quickly spread through Germany and Scandinavia.In 1452 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable type and printed 200 Gutenberg Bibles in Mainz, Germany. By 1500, 2500 cities had printing presses and Martin Luther had a new source of authority to oppose Rome with: Holy Scripture. People no longer had to go to church to hear the Gospel, they could read it at home.Lutheranism is centered around three axioms: Sola Gratis (Grace Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), and Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). They believe that individuals can do nothing to earn salvation and are instead justified by grace. They believe that Scripture is the infallible word of God and is the foundation of their doctrines. They accept the Athanasian, Nicean, and Apostle’s Creeds and the Book of Concords, a collection of writings from Luther and others. They believe in the physical presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.Belief and PracticeCalvinism - Approximately 80 million adherentsFormed: 1536Calvinism is actually more of a tradition or theology that several denominations hold to—primarily Presbyterianism and the Reformed churches. It originated with John Calvin who published Institutes of Christian Religion in 1536. It is similar to Lutheranism but emphasizes predestination and is often contrasted with Arminianism, the belief that Jesus died for all men. John Knox was also important to this movement and led the Reformation in Scotland.The summary of Calvinist doctrine is most famously summed up by TULIP: Total depravity—man is incapable of returning to God on his own merits; Unconditional election—God has already elected or predestined who would be saved; Limited atonement—Christ died only for these elect; Irresistible grace—God calls the elect by His grace and they cannot help but respond; and Perseverance of the Saints—all the elect are necessarily saved. John Calvin believed in the spiritual, but not physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist.Presbyterians (the name is based on the Greek word for “elder”: “presbyter”) believe that they were started by Martin Luther and refined by John Calvin. They are governed by Elders who convene during a “Kirk Session”. Most accept the Calvinistic Westminster Confession of Faith and support infant baptism, singing the Psalms exclusively (accompanied by instruments), a common communion cup, and male Elders. However, there have been splits such as when the Northern and Southern Presbyterians split during the Civil War and were not reunited until 1983, so there is a slight diversity of beliefs.Reformed Churches believe that the Roman Catholic Church needed to be reformed because of corrupt clergy, the torture of heretics, prayer to the Saints, and indulgences. They also emphasize the sovereignty of God, justification by faith, and Scripture over tradition. Reformed Churches were also heavily influenced by Huldrych Zwingli and worship is often focused primarily on preaching.Calvinism | Denominations | A Study of DenominationsPresbyterian | TheopediaWhat is Reformed?Anglicanism/Episcopalianism/Church of England - Approximately 85 million membersFounded: 1536The Anglican Church started in 1536, shortly after Lutheranism began, when King Henry VIII challenged the authority of the Pope on several issues including the Pope’s refusal to grant him a divorce. The Church was further defined when Thomas Cramner published The Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and when Queen Elizabeth I gave the Church more formal structute in 1562. They sought to be the via media, “middle way”, between Catholicism and Protestantism.They believe the Scriptures are the foundation for doctrine, but believe that reason and tradition are important for interpretation. Like the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, they believe that Apostolic Succession is important and that the Eucharist and other sacraments have real grace, though some variance in this teaching is allowed. They do not have a centralized canon, so each Church in the Anglican Communion has its own variation of the liturgy on a spectrum from High Church to Low Church.AnglicanismBaptists - Approximately 40 million membersFounded: 1609In 1609, John Smyth, a minister from the Church of England scandalously baptized himself in Holland, and then baptized fellow reformer Thomas Helwys and others in his congregation. They had three main principles: The Bible and no other tradition or creed was the source of doctrine and practice, the congregation should only be made up of believers (believers’ baptism), and the congregation should be governed by normal members—not priests or bishops. Baptists were separated into either General (Arminian) or Particular (Calvinist), but these two groups were unified in the General Missionary Convention in 1814. The Baptist movement grew primarily in America and helped shape American politics in regards to both religious freedom and slavery.Baptists reject infant baptism and only practice baptism by full immersion of believing adults who proclaim Jesus Christ as their personal savior. They also believe in the the priesthood of all believers and emphasize that all people are responsible before God. Ministers have special responsibilities, but are otherwise normal and equal members of the congregation. Each Congregation is self-governing and autonomous. Worship spaces tend to be very bare, with any images considered a distraction from God. Services typically consist of singing songs along with a band and a sermon from the minister. In addition to baptism, members eat bread and drink wine or grape juice, but see both baptism and communion as purely symbolic acts.Baptist churchesMethodists - 30-80 million membersFormed: Movement began 1739, Church formed in 1784Methodism was a movement within the Church of England started by John and Charles Wesley in order to fight perceived Anglican apathy. Their three main principles were: avoid evil deeds by all means, perform acts of kindness as much as possible, and follow the commandments of God such as prayer, Bible reading, worship, and the Lord’s Supper. In 1784, John Wesley provided American Methodists with The Articles of Religion, taken from Anglicanism and edited, and are now the basis for Methodist belief in North America. By 1820, Methodism was the largest denomination in America. Methodism also has high church and low church worship with either a liturgy based on the Book of Common Prayer or an informal preaching service.Methodists also preach justification by grace and the total depravity of man while still using tradition to interpret Scripture. Most believe in Arminianism, but others—most notably George Whitefield—are Calvinist. They also recognize the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist and affirm the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds.Methodism | religionPentecostalism - 250+ million membersFormed: 1901Pentecostalism got its start when one of Charles Parham’s students Agnes Ozman started speaking in tongues. This ignited a spiritual revival under Parham in Texas that was followed by the Asuza Street Revival in Los Angeles led by African-American preacher William Joseph Seymour. This brought more exposure to the movement and Pentecostalism began to spread. ItPentecostalism is based on the idea of a continuing “Pentecost”, that is, the Holy Spirit continues to descend on believers, granting them gifts. They have several baptisms including the dedication into the Church, baptism by water, and baptism by the Holy Spirit. They also emphasize gifts of the spirit, especially glossolalia, speaking in unknown languages. In addition, some members claim to perform miracles and some practice handling snakes. Some Pentecostals who are also Non-Trinitarian are called Oneness Pentecostals.BBC - Religions - Christianity: PentecostalismMormonism - Approximately 15 million membersFounded: 1830In 1830 Joseph Smith began to receive revelation, then through golden plates that no one else was allowed to see and that only Joseph Smith was able to translate with the help of special stones. He translated these plates and read them aloud to his wife from across a curtain who wrote everything down, and this became the Book of Mormon. This book tells the story of the ancient people of America when Jesus Christ visited them, sometime shortly after His appearances to the Apostles. After Smith was killed by a mob in Nauvoo, IL (a city Mormons had founded), Brigham Young led the community west to Utah. Mormons were persecuted for not keeping slaves, for having plural marriages, and for being a potential political threat.Mormons emphasize the importance of continuous revelation through prophets and claim that the age of prophecy in the rest of Christianity after a few centuries. They believe that God the Father (Elohim) was once a man but attained immortality perfection on another planet. He created the known world through Jesus (Jehovah), Who is also a perfected man and the first spirit-child of the Father, by manipulating existing matter. The Holy Spirit is only spirit though he looks like a man, and these three make up the Godhead.Each person is a spirit-child of the Father and a Heavenly Mother. They exist and then are born for a time of purgatory on Earth. After death, they go to live eternally with the Father. The idea of the family is therefore essential to Mormonism and marriage is held as the highest calling. Mormons have children in order to give pre-mortal spirits the opportunity to live on earth and endure tests that will prepare them for eternal life. They believe Christ will return to rule the earth for 1000 years.Communal worship services are led by lay-people. Sacrament Meetings are led by a bishop with two counselors and consist of communion, hymns, prayers, and sermons. Services in a Mormon temple are secret and can only be attended by humble and worthy Mormons. Male missionaries take on a two-year commitment and are called Elders; female missionaries take on an 18-month commitment and are called Sisters. They have very limited contact with family and friends and follow strict rules. They generally go from door to door handing out copies of the Book of Mormon and talking to people about their faith. The Church has discontinued the practice of polygamy for over 100 years now.BBC - Religion: MormonismSeventh Day Adventist Church - 14–19 million membersFounded: 1863The Seventh-day Adventist movement was started by William Miller who predicted that Jesus would return sometime in March 1843-March 1844. When that didn’t happen, he changed the date to October 22, 1844. When that didn’t happen, his followers still kept his teachings as core beliefs, but used his examples to show that no one knows the time of Jesus’s coming. One follower, Ellen White officially founded the Church and wrote over 40 books and 50,000 articles.Seventh-day Adventist are named for their belief that the Sabbath should be held on Saturday (from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday), not Sunday. They also believe that Christ went up to the heavenly sanctuary to cleans it and afterwards He will return to cleanse the earth. All people remain unconscious after death until Christ’s return and those who are resurrected will have immortal life. The righteous will go to heaven with Christ, leaving the earth to Satan and the demons, but will return after 1000 years to destroy sin and sinners.On the Sabbath, they participate in a foot washing ceremony and then take the Lord’s Supper, which is also open to Christian non-members. They emphasize health and nutrition, recommending a vegetarian diet, though meat is allowed as long as it follows Jewish clean/unclean rules. On Saturday they also rest from secular activities to respect the Sabbath.Seventh-day AdventistsJehovah’s Witness - Approximately 7 million membersFormed: Late 1870’sIn 1875 Charles Taze Russell came to the belief that Jesus Christ had returned to earth the year prior. He started publishing Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence in 1879. The movement grew, but when Joseph F. Rutherford took over after Russell’s death in 1916, he made changes to the structure and doctrines that led to some splits. In 1931 the group took on the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were persecuted in WWI for the pacifism and persecuted in WWII by the Nazis. In 1966, they predicted that the world would end in 1975, but when that didn’t happen the group suffered another setback.Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God, Who they call Jehovah, is the one true God, and that Jesus was created by God as His firstborn Son before anything else was made. Jesus came to earth as the Messiah and died on a pole, not a cross, and then had a spiritual resurrection, not a bodily one. The Holy Spirit is God’s active power and not a person. (They believe that the Trinity is a pagan concept and un-biblical.) When people die, their existence completely stops. Those who are saved will be resurrected to live in paradise on earth, but 144,000 anointed ones will rule the earth from heaven with God.Jehovah's WitnessesMost of these denomination have smaller schismatic groups connected to them. In addition to these denomination, there are a few smaller separate traditions such as the Church of the East and the Anabaptists. Within each denomination there are often multiple Churches, which are either in communion or out of communion with one another. In response to these many divisions, Non-denominational Churches have begun to form. These are often local Churches that have very minimal formal doctrine, emphasize living a life according to the Bible, and most resemble Pentecostal or Baptist Churches. Please forgive me and let me know if I have anywhere misspoken.

From Evan Rodick's answer to What are the most common strands of Christianity and a brief explanation of each?I will try to present each Church as fairly as possible, but I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian and will answer from that point of view. I’ll try to give a brief history and a few distinguishing beliefs and practices, but won’t be able to include everything. If someone feels I have misrepresented something or left something important out, please let me know in the comments.Eastern Orthodox Church - Approximately 200 million membersFounded: Pentecost 33 ADThe early Church spread rapidly, but was severely persecuted by Roman emperors and many Christians died as martyrs. Since persecution required secrecy and since the Church was still young and working out the details of doctrine and practice, various strange teachings sprung up. When Constantine legalized Christianity, the Church was able to start dealing with these questions at Ecumenical (“Universal” Councils) of all the bishops as well as at smaller councils such as the Council of Carthage where the books of the Bible were codified (the list of books was first identified by St. Athanasius). Also as a result of the end of persecution, more people became “eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake” (Matthew 19:12)—that is, they took on a life of virginity and asceticism seeking to become “bloodless martyrs” and monasticism was born.Since those early times, the Church has continued to grow and continued to undergo severe persecutions. The most recent persecution was under Stalin who put many Orthodox Christians in concentration camps, destroyed churches, and sought to remove God from Soviet society. Orthodox Christians had to escape to Catacomb Churches or leave the country, becoming what is known as the diaspora. This made it impossible to support recent missionary efforts in America, and as a result, Orthodoxy is almost unknown in the U.S., yet very common elsewhere in the world, particularly Eastern Europe. Russia and Greece are most well-known for being Orthodox, but Orthodoxy has spread to all 7 continents (including Antarctica), the only Church to do so.The Orthodox Church is very mystical and believes that the main goal of the Christian life is to come into communion with God, requiring purification of the soul through repentance, asceticism, and prayer—most notably the Jesus prayer. We adopted the name Orthodox, meaning “right” or “true” “teaching” or “belief”, to distinguish ourselves from the Roman Catholic Church as we believe we have maintained the faith of the Apostles in fullness and purity. We believe that the Mysteries (sacraments) do bestow grace and say simply that this bread and this wine are the Body and Blood of Chrst just as we say that this man Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We venerate (not worship) icons an the relics of Saints, who we believe act as intercessors for us.Eastern Orthodox ChurchOriental Orthodox Church - Approximately 60 million membersSeparated: 451 ADAt the Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon, it was determined that Jesus Christ has two natures: human and divine. Some Churches, however, rejected this saying that Jesus Christ united human nature and divine nature into one human-divine nature. This view is often called Monophysitism or Miaphytism, “one nature”. They therefore accept the first three Ecumenical Councils but not the following ones and are called “Non-Chalcedonian”. Some have said that this is merely a matter of language, but the rift has still not been healed in nearly 1600 years.The Oriental Orthodox Churches have Popes, though they are not considered infallible or supreme. They are chosen by lots that a child pulls from. The Oriental Churches believe that St. Mark was the first Pope of Alexandria. Largely, Oriental Orthodoxy is very similar to Eastern Orthodoxy, differing in small ways such as the number of feasts and in songs and other specific practices. Currently they are made up of six Churches: the Syrian, Ethiopian, Coptic, Eritrean, Armenian, and Malankara.Orthodox churches (Oriental)Roman Catholic Church - Approximately 1.2 billion membersSeparated: Began diverging in 800’s, Great Schism 1054, communion continued for a while after that.The Roman Bishop maintained a Primacy of Honor from an early time, having been founded by the chief apostles St. Paul and St. Peter and having been the center of the Roman empire. Beliefs and practices between East and West began to slowly and subtly diverge, and Roman Christian thought was highly shaped by the early “Doctors“ of the Church” such as St. Ambrose and St. Augustine (there have been more “Doctors” since then for a total of 33). The main difference came when the Latins introduced the filioque (“and the Son”) into the Nicene Creed. This sparked the controversy that culminated in the Great Schism of 1054 and was really an attempt by the Pope of Rome to exert authority over the other bishops. When the other Patriarchs did not consent to the change, the Churches slowly split.The Roman Church began to be shaped by scholasticism with people like Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury. New practices were introduced such as baptism by infusion (pouring) rather than immersion; separating the sacraments of baptism, first communion, and confirmation; and celibate priests. At Vatican I, the teaching of papal infallibility—that the pope can speak without error ex cathedra, “from the throne”—was established. Vatican II made liturgical reforms in an attempt to modernize the Catholic Mass.Catholics believe that the Pope is the successor to St. Peter and is the vicar of Christ on earth. They also pray to Saints and hold an extremely high honor for Mother Mary. They believe that sins are separated into two categories: venial and mortal. Venial sins can be expiated through temporal punishments. Anyone who goes to heaven must be objectively holy, so they must experience these punishments either in the present life or in Purgatory. Some of these punishments can be removed through indulgences. Mortal sins cause a person to go to hell if not repented of. They also believe in the grace of the sacraments and describe the transformation of the bread and the wine of the Eucharist as transubstantiation. They also have monks and nuns organized into different traditions called Orders.The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Orthodox Church has valid sacraments and clergy, though it lacks complete grace because it remains in schism. A few popes have described the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church as “two lungs”, both necessary for survival. They therefore would allow an Orthodox Christian to take Communion in a Catholic church and have a small group of Eastern Rite Catholics, Uniates, who look, believe, and act like Orthodox Christians, but commemorate the Pope of Rome.Roman Catholic ChurchLutheranism - 65–90 million membersFounded: 1517Lutheranism was founded when Martin Luther famously posted his 95 Theses to the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. His list of grievances launched the Protestant Reformation that fought against the Roman Catholic practice of indulgences and sought to reform the Church in opposition to Roman authority. Lutheranism quickly spread through Germany and Scandinavia.In 1452 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable type and printed 200 Gutenberg Bibles in Mainz, Germany. By 1500, 2500 cities had printing presses and Martin Luther had a new source of authority to oppose Rome with: Holy Scripture. People no longer had to go to church to hear the Gospel, they could read it at home.Lutheranism is centered around three axioms: Sola Gratis (Grace Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), and Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). They believe that individuals can do nothing to earn salvation and are instead justified by grace. They believe that Scripture is the infallible word of God and is the foundation of their doctrines. They accept the Athanasian, Nicean, and Apostle’s Creeds and the Book of Concords, a collection of writings from Luther and others. They believe in the physical presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.Belief and PracticeCalvinism - Approximately 80 million adherentsFormed: 1536Calvinism is actually more of a tradition or theology that several denominations hold to—primarily Presbyterianism and the Reformed churches. It originated with John Calvin who published Institutes of Christian Religion in 1536. It is similar to Lutheranism but emphasizes predestination and is often contrasted with Arminianism, the belief that Jesus died for all men. John Knox was also important to this movement and led the Reformation in Scotland.The summary of Calvinist doctrine is most famously summed up by TULIP: Total depravity—man is incapable of returning to God on his own merits; Unconditional election—God has already elected or predestined who would be saved; Limited atonement—Christ died only for these elect; Irresistible grace—God calls the elect by His grace and they cannot help but respond; and Perseverance of the Saints—all the elect are necessarily saved. John Calvin believed in the spiritual, but not physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist.Presbyterians (the name is based on the Greek word for “elder”: “presbyter”) believe that they were started by Martin Luther and refined by John Calvin. They are governed by Elders who convene during a “Kirk Session”. Most accept the Calvinistic Westminster Confession of Faith and support infant baptism, singing the Psalms exclusively (accompanied by instruments), a common communion cup, and male Elders. However, there have been splits such as when the Northern and Southern Presbyterians split during the Civil War and were not reunited until 1983, so there is a slight diversity of beliefs.Reformed Churches believe that the Roman Catholic Church needed to be reformed because of corrupt clergy, the torture of heretics, prayer to the Saints, and indulgences. They also emphasize the sovereignty of God, justification by faith, and Scripture over tradition. Reformed Churches were also heavily influenced by Huldrych Zwingli and worship is often focused primarily on preaching.Calvinism | Denominations | A Study of DenominationsPresbyterian | TheopediaWhat is Reformed?Anglicanism/Episcopalianism/Church of England - Approximately 85 million membersFounded: 1536The Anglican Church started in 1536, shortly after Lutheranism began, when King Henry VIII challenged the authority of the Pope on several issues including the Pope’s refusal to grant him a divorce. The Church was further defined when Thomas Cramner published The Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and when Queen Elizabeth I gave the Church more formal structute in 1562. They sought to be the via media, “middle way”, between Catholicism and Protestantism.They believe the Scriptures are the foundation for doctrine, but believe that reason and tradition are important for interpretation. Like the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, they believe that Apostolic Succession is important and that the Eucharist and other sacraments have real grace, though some variance in this teaching is allowed. They do not have a centralized canon, so each Church in the Anglican Communion has its own variation of the liturgy on a spectrum from High Church to Low Church.AnglicanismBaptists - Approximately 40 million membersFounded: 1609In 1609, John Smyth, a minister from the Church of England scandalously baptized himself in Holland, and then baptized fellow reformer Thomas Helwys and others in his congregation. They had three main principles: The Bible and no other tradition or creed was the source of doctrine and practice, the congregation should only be made up of believers (believers’ baptism), and the congregation should be governed by normal members—not priests or bishops. Baptists were separated into either General (Arminian) or Particular (Calvinist), but these two groups were unified in the General Missionary Convention in 1814. The Baptist movement grew primarily in America and helped shape American politics in regards to both religious freedom and slavery.Baptists reject infant baptism and only practice baptism by full immersion of believing adults who proclaim Jesus Christ as their personal savior. They also believe in the the priesthood of all believers and emphasize that all people are responsible before God. Ministers have special responsibilities, but are otherwise normal and equal members of the congregation. Each Congregation is self-governing and autonomous. Worship spaces tend to be very bare, with any images considered a distraction from God. Services typically consist of singing songs along with a band and a sermon from the minister. In addition to baptism, members eat bread and drink wine or grape juice, but see both baptism and communion as purely symbolic acts.Baptist churchesMethodists - 30-80 million membersFormed: Movement began 1739, Church formed in 1784Methodism was a movement within the Church of England started by John and Charles Wesley in order to fight perceived Anglican apathy. Their three main principles were: avoid evil deeds by all means, perform acts of kindness as much as possible, and follow the commandments of God such as prayer, Bible reading, worship, and the Lord’s Supper. In 1784, John Wesley provided American Methodists with The Articles of Religion, taken from Anglicanism and edited, and are now the basis for Methodist belief in North America. By 1820, Methodism was the largest denomination in America. Methodism also has high church and low church worship with either a liturgy based on the Book of Common Prayer or an informal preaching service.Methodists also preach justification by grace and the total depravity of man while still using tradition to interpret Scripture. Most believe in Arminianism, but others—most notably George Whitefield—are Calvinist. They also recognize the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist and affirm the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds.Methodism | religionPentecostalism - 250+ million membersFormed: 1901Pentecostalism got its start when one of Charles Parham’s students Agnes Ozman started speaking in tongues. This ignited a spiritual revival under Parham in Texas that was followed by the Asuza Street Revival in Los Angeles led by African-American preacher William Joseph Seymour. This brought more exposure to the movement and Pentecostalism began to spread. ItPentecostalism is based on the idea of a continuing “Pentecost”, that is, the Holy Spirit continues to descend on believers, granting them gifts. They have several baptisms including the dedication into the Church, baptism by water, and baptism by the Holy Spirit. They also emphasize gifts of the spirit, especially glossolalia, speaking in unknown languages. In addition, some members claim to perform miracles and some practice handling snakes. Some Pentecostals who are also Non-Trinitarian are called Oneness Pentecostals.BBC - Religions - Christianity: PentecostalismMormonism - Approximately 15 million membersFounded: 1830In 1830 Joseph Smith began to receive revelation, then through golden plates that no one else was allowed to see and that only Joseph Smith was able to translate with the help of special stones. He translated these plates and read them aloud to his wife from across a curtain who wrote everything down, and this became the Book of Mormon. This book tells the story of the ancient people of America when Jesus Christ visited them, sometime shortly after His appearances to the Apostles. After Smith was killed by a mob in Nauvoo, IL (a city Mormons had founded), Brigham Young led the community west to Utah. Mormons were persecuted for not keeping slaves, for having plural marriages, and for being a potential political threat.Mormons emphasize the importance of continuous revelation through prophets and claim that the age of prophecy in the rest of Christianity after a few centuries. They believe that God the Father (Elohim) was once a man but attained immortality perfection on another planet. He created the known world through Jesus (Jehovah), Who is also a perfected man and the first spirit-child of the Father, by manipulating existing matter. The Holy Spirit is only spirit though he looks like a man, and these three make up the Godhead.Each person is a spirit-child of the Father and a Heavenly Mother. They exist and then are born for a time of purgatory on Earth. After death, they go to live eternally with the Father. The idea of the family is therefore essential to Mormonism and marriage is held as the highest calling. Mormons have children in order to give pre-mortal spirits the opportunity to live on earth and endure tests that will prepare them for eternal life. They believe Christ will return to rule the earth for 1000 years.Communal worship services are led by lay-people. Sacrament Meetings are led by a bishop with two counselors and consist of communion, hymns, prayers, and sermons. Services in a Mormon temple are secret and can only be attended by humble and worthy Mormons. Male missionaries take on a two-year commitment and are called Elders; female missionaries take on an 18-month commitment and are called Sisters. They have very limited contact with family and friends and follow strict rules. They generally go from door to door handing out copies of the Book of Mormon and talking to people about their faith. The Church has discontinued the practice of polygamy for over 100 years now.BBC - Religion: MormonismSeventh Day Adventist Church - 14–19 million membersFounded: 1863The Seventh-day Adventist movement was started by William Miller who predicted that Jesus would return sometime in March 1843-March 1844. When that didn’t happen, he changed the date to October 22, 1844. When that didn’t happen, his followers still kept his teachings as core beliefs, but used his examples to show that no one knows the time of Jesus’s coming. One follower, Ellen White officially founded the Church and wrote over 40 books and 50,000 articles.Seventh-day Adventist are named for their belief that the Sabbath should be held on Saturday (from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday), not Sunday. They also believe that Christ went up to the heavenly sanctuary to cleans it and afterwards He will return to cleanse the earth. All people remain unconscious after death until Christ’s return and those who are resurrected will have immortal life. The righteous will go to heaven with Christ, leaving the earth to Satan and the demons, but will return after 1000 years to destroy sin and sinners.On the Sabbath, they participate in a foot washing ceremony and then take the Lord’s Supper, which is also open to Christian non-members. They emphasize health and nutrition, recommending a vegetarian diet, though meat is allowed as long as it follows Jewish clean/unclean rules. On Saturday they also rest from secular activities to respect the Sabbath.Seventh-day AdventistsJehovah’s Witness - Approximately 7 million membersFormed: Late 1870’sIn 1875 Charles Taze Russell came to the belief that Jesus Christ had returned to earth the year prior. He started publishing Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence in 1879. The movement grew, but when Joseph F. Rutherford took over after Russell’s death in 1916, he made changes to the structure and doctrines that led to some splits. In 1931 the group took on the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were persecuted in WWI for the pacifism and persecuted in WWII by the Nazis. In 1966, they predicted that the world would end in 1975, but when that didn’t happen the group suffered another setback.Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God, Who they call Jehovah, is the one true God, and that Jesus was created by God as His firstborn Son before anything else was made. Jesus came to earth as the Messiah and died on a pole, not a cross, and then had a spiritual resurrection, not a bodily one. The Holy Spirit is God’s active power and not a person. (They believe that the Trinity is a pagan concept and un-biblical.) When people die, their existence completely stops. Those who are saved will be resurrected to live in paradise on earth, but 144,000 anointed ones will rule the earth from heaven with God.Jehovah's WitnessesMost of these denomination have smaller schismatic groups connected to them. In addition to these denomination, there are a few smaller separate traditions such as the Church of the East and the Anabaptists. Within each denomination there are often multiple Churches, which are either in communion or out of communion with one another. In response to these many divisions, Non-denominational Churches have begun to form. These are often local Churches that have very minimal formal doctrine, emphasize living a life according to the Bible, and most resemble Pentecostal or Baptist Churches. Please forgive me and let me know if I have anywhere misspoken.