Christianity · branch
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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.
What makes it unusual
The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.
- E1 Exclusivityone true pathFurther toward "one true path" than most traditions in the matrix.
- B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decideFurther toward "clergy and tradition decide" than most traditions in the matrix.
- A2 Personhooda personal being one can addressFurther toward "a personal being one can address" than most traditions in the matrix.
- B2 Reading of sacred textleaning literal and bindingFurther toward "literal and binding" than most traditions in the matrix.
All seventeen positions
Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.
The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.
- position
- tolerated variation
A · The divine
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly existsArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 1.00 | 0.02 |
| A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address | a personal being one can addressArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.98 | 0.03 |
| A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits | between strictly one and many powers and spiritsArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.38 | 0.12 |
| A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it | leaning fully present within itArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.72 | 0.10 |
B · Knowledge and authority
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience | leaning revealed and fixedArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.30 | 0.12 |
| B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all | leaning literal and bindingArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.20 | 0.11 |
| B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides | clergy and tradition decideArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.05 | 0.05 |
C · Self and destiny
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form | continues in some formArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 1.00 | 0.02 |
| C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return | one life, then judgmentArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.08 | 0.05 |
| C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound | between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally soundArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.58 | 0.13 |
D · Practice
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insightArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.55 | 0.14 |
| D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent | essential and prescribedArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated | leaning to be disciplinedArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.20 | 0.12 |
E · World and others
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths | one true pathArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.05 | 0.07 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural | leaning an intentional actArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.28 | 0.10 |
| E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice | between a people, inherited and an individual choiceArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.58 | 0.14 |
| E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred | leaning creation, given for useArticles of Faith (1842), Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon | 0.35 | 0.13 |
Further reading
- Doctrine and Covenants 93 and 130 — Embodiment and eternal matter — the basis for the A2, A4 and E2 values.
- The Articles of Faith (1842) — Thirteen sentences covering most of the row above.
Compared with
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Twelver Shia Islam
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Eastern Orthodoxy
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Oriental Orthodoxy
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Existentialism
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Philosophical Naturalism
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Secular Humanism
Where do you sit?
The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.