Both Christianity — where they part company
Lutheranism and Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends)
Close relatives, which is exactly why the 8 axes they diverge on are the interesting part. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.34 (0 would be identical).
Salvation by grace alone through faith alone, received rather than achieved — the single sharpest position on D1 in the whole matrix. Retains sacraments and liturgy while moving authority from the hierarchy to scripture and the confessions.
The inner light in every person, reached in silence, with no clergy, no creed and no sacraments — the most thoroughly de-ritualised body in Christianity. Its authority and practice positions sit closer to Stoicism than to Catholicism, which is one of the more interesting facts the matrix surfaces.
Where they agree
A3 Plurality
Both sit at strictly one — a gap of 0.03.
C2 Shape of time
Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.03.
D3 The body
Both sit at between to be disciplined and to be celebrated — a gap of 0.07.
Where they part company
B1 Source of truth
Lutheranism: revealed and fixed. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): reason and direct experience. A gap of 0.73 on an axis running from “revealed and fixed” to “reason and direct experience”.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Lutheranism: leaning essential and prescribed. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): optional or absent. A gap of 0.67 on an axis running from “essential and prescribed” to “optional or absent”.
C3 The human condition
Lutheranism: fallen and in need of rescue. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound. A gap of 0.60 on an axis running from “fallen and in need of rescue” to “ignorant but fundamentally sound”.
B3 Institutional authority
Lutheranism: between clergy and tradition decide and individual conscience decides. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): individual conscience decides. A gap of 0.54 on an axis running from “clergy and tradition decide” to “individual conscience decides”.
E1 Exclusivity
Lutheranism: leaning one true path. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): leaning many valid paths. A gap of 0.54 on an axis running from “one true path” to “many valid paths”.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Lutheranism: leaning literal and binding. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): leaning metaphorical, or no text at all. A gap of 0.45 on an axis running from “literal and binding” to “metaphorical, or no text at all”.
A4 Locus
Lutheranism: between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): fully present within it. A gap of 0.43 on an axis running from “wholly beyond the world” to “fully present within it”.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good
Lutheranism: given as grace. Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends): between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight. A gap of 0.42 on an axis running from “given as grace” to “achieved by effort or insight”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Lutheranism | Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | a divine reality certainly exists | leaning a divine reality certainly exists | 0.18 |
| A2 Personhood | a personal being one can address | leaning a personal being one can address | 0.25 |
| A3 Plurality | strictly one | strictly one | 0.03 |
| A4 Locus | between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it | fully present within it | 0.43 |
| B1 Source of truth | revealed and fixed | reason and direct experience | 0.73 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning literal and binding | leaning metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.45 |
| B3 Institutional authority | between clergy and tradition decide and individual conscience decides | individual conscience decides | 0.54 |
| C1 Survival of the self | continues in some form | leaning continues in some form | 0.22 |
| C2 Shape of time | one life, then judgment | one life, then judgment | 0.03 |
| C3 The human condition | fallen and in need of rescue | leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.60 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | given as grace | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | 0.42 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | leaning essential and prescribed | optional or absent | 0.67 |
| D3 The body | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | 0.07 |
| E1 Exclusivity | leaning one true path | leaning many valid paths | 0.54 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | an intentional act | leaning an intentional act | 0.16 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | between a people, inherited and an individual choice | leaning an individual choice | 0.20 |
| E4 Standing of nature | leaning creation, given for use | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred | 0.30 |
Positions for Lutheranism rest principally on The Book of Concord (1580); for Quaker Christianity (Religious Society of Friends), on Quaker Faith & Practice (Britain Yearly Meeting) and Barclay’s Apology (1678). Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.