Belief Compass

Across families

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Twelver Shia Islam

Different families with 13 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.11 (0 would be identical).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsChristianity

An embodied God within the universe rather than outside it, continuing revelation through a living prophet, and matter organised rather than created from nothing. The Fall is read as a necessary step forward, which puts C3 far above every other Christian body here.

Twelver Shia IslamIslam

Shares Sunni tawhid and adds a line of divinely appointed Imams, a living scholarly authority one formally follows, and a devotional life built around lament and intercession. Authority sits markedly more centrally than in Sunni practice.

Where they agree

  • A1 Divine reality

    Both sit at a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.00.

  • D2 Centrality of ritual

    Both sit at essential and prescribed — a gap of 0.02.

  • B2 Reading of sacred text

    Both sit at leaning literal and binding — a gap of 0.02.

  • C1 Survival of the self

    Both sit at continues in some form — a gap of 0.02.

  • C3 The human condition

    Both sit at between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound — a gap of 0.03.

  • E1 Exclusivity

    Both sit at one true path — a gap of 0.03.

  • E4 Standing of nature

    Both sit at leaning creation, given for use and between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred respectively — a gap of 0.03.

  • A2 Personhood

    Both sit at a personal being one can address — a gap of 0.06.

  • C2 Shape of time

    Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.06.

  • D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good

    Both sit at between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight — a gap of 0.07.

  • B1 Source of truth

    Both sit at leaning revealed and fixed — a gap of 0.10.

  • D3 The body

    Both sit at leaning to be disciplined — a gap of 0.10.

  • B3 Institutional authority

    Both sit at clergy and tradition decide — a gap of 0.10.

All seventeen axes

AxisThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsTwelver Shia IslamGap
A1 Divine realitya divine reality certainly existsa divine reality certainly exists0.00
A2 Personhooda personal being one can addressa personal being one can address0.06
A3 Pluralitybetween strictly one and many powers and spiritsstrictly one0.26
A4 Locusleaning fully present within itleaning wholly beyond the world0.40
B1 Source of truthleaning revealed and fixedleaning revealed and fixed0.10
B2 Reading of sacred textleaning literal and bindingleaning literal and binding0.02
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decideclergy and tradition decide0.10
C1 Survival of the selfcontinues in some formcontinues in some form0.02
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgmentone life, then judgment0.06
C3 The human conditionbetween fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally soundbetween fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound0.03
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodbetween given as grace and achieved by effort or insightbetween given as grace and achieved by effort or insight0.07
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribedessential and prescribed0.02
D3 The bodyleaning to be disciplinedleaning to be disciplined0.10
E1 Exclusivityone true pathone true path0.03
E2 Origin of the cosmosleaning an intentional actan intentional act0.26
E3 Locus of belongingbetween a people, inherited and an individual choiceleaning a people, inherited0.28
E4 Standing of natureleaning creation, given for usebetween creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred0.03

Positions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rest principally on Articles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon; for Twelver Shia Islam, on Nahj al-Balagha, al-Kafi, and Twelver usul al-din. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.

Which of the two is closer to you?

The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.