Across families
Reformed Christianity (Calvinism) and Twelver Shia Islam
Different families with 12 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.14 (0 would be identical).
God’s sovereignty pressed further than anywhere else in Christianity: election is unconditional and grace is irresistible, so nothing whatsoever on the human side earns the outcome. Worship is stripped to what scripture positively commands.
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.
C1 Survival of the self
Both sit at continues in some form — a gap of 0.00.
C2 Shape of time
Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.00.
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Both sit at an intentional act — a gap of 0.00.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Both sit at leaning literal and binding — a gap of 0.02.
A4 Locus
Both sit at leaning wholly beyond the world — a gap of 0.03.
A2 Personhood
Both sit at a personal being one can address — a gap of 0.04.
E1 Exclusivity
Both sit at one true path — a gap of 0.04.
A3 Plurality
Both sit at strictly one — a gap of 0.09.
D3 The body
Both sit at leaning to be disciplined — a gap of 0.10.
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 0.10.
B1 Source of truth
Both sit at revealed and fixed and leaning revealed and fixed respectively — a gap of 0.10.
Where they part company
C3 The human condition
Reformed Christianity (Calvinism): fallen and in need of rescue. Twelver Shia Islam: between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound. A gap of 0.50 on an axis running from “fallen and in need of rescue” to “ignorant but fundamentally sound”.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good
Reformed Christianity (Calvinism): given as grace. Twelver Shia Islam: between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight. A gap of 0.46 on an axis running from “given as grace” to “achieved by effort or insight”.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Reformed Christianity (Calvinism): between essential and prescribed and optional or absent. Twelver Shia Islam: essential and prescribed. A gap of 0.42 on an axis running from “essential and prescribed” to “optional or absent”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Reformed Christianity (Calvinism) | Twelver Shia Islam | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly exists | 0.00 |
| A2 Personhood | a personal being one can address | a personal being one can address | 0.04 |
| A3 Plurality | strictly one | strictly one | 0.09 |
| A4 Locus | leaning wholly beyond the world | leaning wholly beyond the world | 0.03 |
| B1 Source of truth | revealed and fixed | leaning revealed and fixed | 0.10 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning literal and binding | leaning literal and binding | 0.02 |
| B3 Institutional authority | leaning clergy and tradition decide | clergy and tradition decide | 0.17 |
| C1 Survival of the self | continues in some form | continues in some form | 0.00 |
| C2 Shape of time | one life, then judgment | one life, then judgment | 0.00 |
| C3 The human condition | fallen and in need of rescue | between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.50 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | given as grace | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | 0.46 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | between essential and prescribed and optional or absent | essential and prescribed | 0.42 |
| D3 The body | leaning to be disciplined | leaning to be disciplined | 0.10 |
| E1 Exclusivity | one true path | one true path | 0.04 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | an intentional act | an intentional act | 0.00 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | between a people, inherited and an individual choice | leaning a people, inherited | 0.25 |
| E4 Standing of nature | leaning creation, given for use | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred | 0.10 |
Positions for Reformed Christianity (Calvinism) rest principally on Westminster Confession of Faith (1646); 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.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.