In reality, there are many denominations or traditions within each category. They may range from conservative to mainline and liberal. In some denominations, like the Roman Catholic church, there is a major gap between the teachings of the clergy and of the membership. It is the formal teachings of the church which are included in the table below.
Some denominations allow exceptions.
For example, the Roman Catholic church in the U.S. has a few married priests who transferred from the Episcopal Church. It is impossible to put a single rating on some items. Unfortunately, the full range of religions in North America was not represented. The Chronicle selected three very conservative and one mainline Christian denomination. Liberal Christian groups were ignored.