| Regarded by followers as incarnation of the Supreme God | Regarded by followers as incarnation of the Supreme God |
| Recognized as precursor the leader of a previous religious movement, John the Baptist, who was executed | Recognized as precursor the leader of a previous religious movement, Choi Je-u, who was executed |
| Did not write down his teachings. | Did not write down his teachings (except for the short esoteric booklet Hyeonmu-gyeong) |
| Main teachings were collected in a sacred scripture only several decades after his death | Main teachings were collected in a sacred scripture only more than one decade after his death |
| Different groups produced competing versions of the sacred scriptures | Different groups produced competing versions of the sacred scriptures |
| Promoted the poor and women | Promoted the poor and women |
| Lived under a foreign occupation (Roman), yet did not call for revolution— although the occupiers arrested him | Lived under a foreign occupation (Japanese), yet did not call for a revolution—although the occupiers arrested him |