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I've looked through the beliefs of several denominations, but I can't seem to find one that has the same positions that I take on many Christian questions. Is there a quiz or test or even just a catalog of each denominations core beliefs that will give me a straight answer to which denomination I should look into rather than the "you're 81% Methodist" or "you're 63% Lutheran" that I get from many online surveys and quizzes?

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    It might help to know what are your beliefs and go from there. Let's start with "who is Jesus Christ? I ask because at Matthew 16:13 Jesus ask His disciples the question, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
    – Mr. Bond
    Jul 26, 2021 at 23:33
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    (1). the same positions that I take on many Christian questions - Provide us with a relevant list of these positions, and I, for one, will try to steer you in the directions which are most compatible with them. (2). a quiz or test - The main problem with these is that they only provide the user with a very narrow and limited set of options (which might work for most, but, by all appearances, you don't seem to fit their bill).
    – user46876
    Jul 27, 2021 at 2:12
  • If some particular Church worships Jesus, but they have some specific differences from you in their interpretation of Biblical verses or facts about God or Jesus, I'd be curious about what difference that really makes to you.
    – TKoL
    Jul 27, 2021 at 8:10
  • Unless it's more about socio-political concerns - does this Church match my support/rejection of Trump? Match my support/rejection of gay rights? Match my support/rejection of abortion? In that case, I can see how it would matter quite a bit.
    – TKoL
    Jul 27, 2021 at 8:11
  • I don't believe you'll find a denomination with 100% match unless all your beliefs come from a denomination you belonged to earlier, even then I could see cases of not being a full match
    – depperm
    Jul 27, 2021 at 10:32

1 Answer 1

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Is there any quiz or tool that identifies the denomination which is closest to my personal beliefs?

Absolutely, but the true problem here is that there are so many denominations and subsets of those denominations.

In the State of California, a new denomination is recognized by the state almost every day!

Go To Quiz is just one example:

Which Christian denomination do you belong to?

There are hundreds of denominations within Christianity, each with their own unique views and history. Ever since the early sixteenth century and the Reformation under Luther, western Christianity has been split by theological and political views. And since then, split after split, especially amongst Protestant groups, has created a very wide spectrum which Christians occupy.

With religion still central to world politics today, find out where you belong on that spectrum. Are you a devout Catholic, proud of Rome's history? Or maybe you are a staunch Calvinist, one of God's elect. Or you could even be a Pentecostal, putting faith and your relationship with God above all else. Or maybe you are an episcopalian, choosing the middle-way between Catholicism and Protestanism. Take the test now, and find out which of nine categories you belong to!

The question on this site are as follows:

  1. Who do you believe decides whether or not someone achieves salvation?
  2. Which of the the options below do you think best sums up the legitimate sacraments?
  3. What are your views on church hierarchy and positions such as that of Priest, Bishop etc?
  4. Do you believe in the idea of a universal church (before the Second Coming), or that people should have religious freedom to pursue their beliefs as God guides them?
  5. Which of the following do you believe to be necessary for salvation?
  6. Do you believe there is any merit in infant baptism?
  7. Do you believe baptism conveys justifying grace, non-justifying grace, or is purely symbolic?
  8. What are your views on speaking in tongues?
  9. What do you believe to by the significance of the holy communion?
  10. How do you believe Satan came to be (in his evil form)?
  11. What are your views on the Trinity?
  12. What do you believe is the best way to organise Christian worshipping?
  13. Do you believe in secularism, and the separation of church and state?
  14. Do you believe that Christ's death on the cross at Calvary is the sole source of atonement?
  15. Do you believe in sovereign grace, and that only God can have mercy and determine who is granted salvation?
  16. Do you believe in the doctrine of total depravity, and the idea that men are born sinners, incapable of resisting sin by their own merit?

There are some flaws to the questionnaire because the answer can only be for certain major Christian denominations only. Subsets are not included.The denominations that this quiz refers someone to are as follows:

  • Catholic
  • Episcopalian
  • Lutheran
  • Methodist
  • Restorationist
  • Puritan
  • Calvinist
  • Baptist
  • Pentecostal

Apart from such online quizzes, to get down to the nitty gritty, one must research the core values and beliefs of particular denominations in order to find out where one fits in.

To say with exactitude which breach or denomination you fit in with would sound like giving personal advice, which is not allowed on this site.

I would recommend that you talk to someone of a particular denomination that interests you and with whom you are comfortable speaking with for more guidance than what we can do here.

Good luck and keep looking. You will eventually find your answer.

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  • I wish the answers to the quiz were more varied, even an other option. I did match with my denomination but many questions did not hold an answer that I agreed with
    – depperm
    Jul 27, 2021 at 10:38
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    Those aren't the "major denominations". Orthodoxy, the third largest by numbers isn't even included. Neither are the various branches of Anglicanism which account for more than 100 million followers. That looks like it is simply a parochial site focusing on the denominations most common in the USA. Not a very good example quiz.
    – terdon
    Jul 27, 2021 at 11:06
  • @terdon That is why I said there are flaws in the system!
    – Ken Graham ♦
    Jul 27, 2021 at 13:27
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    @curiousdannii I agree, it might be the best there is. I think we are in a position to develop our own quiz. We can start by creating a meta question with a table with rows representing Question+Option, columns representing denomination, and cells containing empty or X. I volunteer to host the web app incorporating the table for the quiz.
    – GratefulDisciple
    Jul 27, 2021 at 18:08
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    @OneGodtheFather Yes, I'm also interested in studying Coptic tradition as a foil for other mainstream tradition. I recently was struck by how much I agree with Irenaeus's recapitulation theology, a foil not only for Penal-Substitution but even Christus Victor atonement theory (because Irenaeus's recapitulation is so much more than Jesus's work on the cross).
    – GratefulDisciple
    Jul 29, 2021 at 21:46

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