Questions tagged [creeds-and-confessions]

Questions regarding the declared statements of faith/belief of Christian communities.

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Is Methodism excluded from from the category of Protestantism?

In an attempt to define Protestantism one answer suggested the following criteria: an acceptance of the old ecumenical creeds a focus on the Bible a rejection of salvation by works a rejection of the ...
7 votes
2 answers
870 views

If the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neither Catholic nor Protestant then what authority is their Church based upon

I realise there are some significant theological differences between LDS, Catholicism and Protestantism, mainly to do with the Trinity and the person of Jesus Christ. LDS doctrine recognizes Jehovah ...
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

Why were ousia and hypostasis synonymous in the Nicene Creed?

Why were ousia and hypostasis synonymous in the Nicene Creed? In the original 325 A.D. Nicene Creed, an anathema is included which has ousia and hypostasis as synonymous. In this case, the Trinity is ...
4 votes
2 answers
202 views

Why does the Apostles ' Creed not mention that Jesus rose again in body?

The Apostles' Creed says of Jesus : "...was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead..." If Jesus descended into Hell while his ...
3 votes
2 answers
582 views

In The Nicene Creed is Jesus equal to God the Father?

Concerning the Nicene Creed, is Jesus equal to God the Father? If so I am a little confused because in Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that ...
10 votes
3 answers
684 views

What problems, if any, do Christadelphians have with the Apostles' Creed?

As a follow-up to previous questions, I'd like to know: Do Christadelphians disagree with or "reinterpret" any phrases in the Apostles' Creed? Here's the context: I'm listening to an audio series in ...
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why did the authors of the London Baptist Confession of 1689 callout the pope as being the antichrist?

In chapter 26 paragraph 4 of the 1689 LBC, the authors called the pope the antichrist: neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of ...
6 votes
4 answers
321 views

What influence did Greek philosophy have on the formation of orthodox Christian doctrine?

What influence did Greek philosophy have on the formation of orthodox Christian doctrine? Particularly, what Christian doctrines or paradigms of understanding God and reality can be traced to have ...
2 votes
2 answers
279 views

What problems, if any, do Biblical Unitarians have with the Apostles' Creed?

Do Biblical Unitarians disagree with any phrases in the Apostles' Creed? Some Christians seem to think that those who believe the Apostles' Creed are orthodox. But many also seem to believe that non-...
3 votes
2 answers
246 views

Did Jesus descend into hell in his living body?

We see Jesus telling in Mtt 12:40: For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the ...
1 vote
3 answers
85 views

Meaning of confession and doctrine in this context?

What is the difference between the meaning of ‘confession’ and ‘doctrine’ in this context, and what their ‘unity’ is supposed to mean. I know based on my searches that ‘confession’ might mean ...
6 votes
7 answers
8k views

Is the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of "the Monarchy of the Father" consistent with the Athanasian creed?

Background: this particular question arose from considering the implied ground of the following question: Does the Holy Spirit's procession from the Father and Son infringe on the co-equality of the ...
9 votes
4 answers
938 views

Was the "Nicene Creed" of AD 381 an update of the Nicene Creed of AD 325?

When people talk about "The Nicene Creed," it seems that they are often referring to the document associated with the Council of Constantinople (AD 381). I'm sure there are many reasons for this, one ...
-3 votes
1 answer
403 views

Why are the creeds still accepted as a belief system over scripture? [closed]

In this age of enlightenment, information and understanding, why are the creeds seen as superior to scripture? If the bible plainly and consistently expresses a view/truth that opposes a creedal dogma,...
7 votes
2 answers
3k views

What problems, if any, do Jehovah's Witnesses have with the Apostles' Creed?

I'm listening to an audio series in which the Apostles' Creed is used as the framework for "Christian theology," implying that those who believe the Apostles' Creed are orthodox. However, it's ...
3 votes
4 answers
1k views

For those who don't believe baptism is required for salvation, when, scripturally, does someone die with Christ?

Paul recites as part of an early creed. 2 Timothy 2:11 ...If we have died with him, we will also live with him;... Here it seems that our living with Christ is conditioned on us having died with ...
1 vote
1 answer
89 views

What a beginner need to study to be a good christian? [closed]

What are the main topics a beginner need to study to be a good christian? Is it important to know the catechisms (catholic, westminster, lutheran)?
2 votes
2 answers
143 views

According to Catholicism, why does the Creed mention only the role of Holy Spirit in the conception of Jesus?

We read an account of the Annunciation at Lk 1:30-35 (NRSVCE): 30 "The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb ...
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

What does it mean that "the two natures of Christ cannot be separated"?

The Ausberg confession states of Christ in the Chief Articles of Faith, Therefore, he has two natures, one divine and the other human. They are united in one person and cannot be separated. What ...
7 votes
1 answer
298 views

Is the Pope the Antichrist or the spirit of the Antichrist?

According to reformed theology, in the Savoy Declaration of Faith, Chapter 26 (Of the Church), paragraph 4, the Pope is the Antichrist. There is no other Head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ; ...
1 vote
1 answer
283 views

How does the Catholic Church explain the addition of the word “died” in the Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed professed during the Sunday mass contain these words : For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered, died, and was buried. Over the centuries, the Nicene Creed ...
5 votes
2 answers
136 views

Are there other sources for the belief in Catholicism that the Apostles composed the articles present in the Apostles' Creed between them?

In the section Origin of the creed in the article Apostles' Creed | New Advent, it states that throughout the Middle Ages it was generally believed that the Apostles, on the day of Pentecost, while ...
8 votes
1 answer
798 views

Creed, Encyclical, Decretal, Canon, Bull, etc - What's the difference?

In Catholicism, what is the difference between a Creed, an Encyclical, a Decretal, a Canon and a Papal Bull? Are there any other decrees or formal or informal outlines of official church doctrine used ...
2 votes
2 answers
173 views

Is the Creed a prayer? (Catholic mass)

The Creed (Nicene, Apostles, etc) is formally a "profession of faith". It's basically Catholics publicly declaring their beliefs. But, is it also a prayer? It doesn't seem to be directed to God, nor ...
6 votes
1 answer
178 views

How did the original texts of the Creed relate Pilate to Jesus' Passion?

In the Creed in English we see the mention of Jesus having suffered and died 'under Pontius Pilate' . In my native language Malayalam, the counterpart reference says ' in the days of Pontius Pilate' ...
6 votes
2 answers
315 views

Athanasian Creed article 6, meaning of "the glory equal"

In the Athanasian Creed, article 6, we read: But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Does the wording of this article ...
-3 votes
2 answers
178 views

Where do the scriptures speak of a "Church Universal" on Earth? [closed]

The Apostles' Creed contains the phrase "I/We believe in the Holy catholic Church". We are told that "Catholic" meant the "universal Church" (though I'm convinced that it was referring to the specific ...
0 votes
2 answers
365 views

In the "Apostles' Creed" were they referring to themselves when they said "holy catholic church"?

I know that the stock answer concerning the identity of "the holy catholic church" is to say that it refers to the "Church Universal". But in all honesty, weren't they talking about Constantine's ...
11 votes
2 answers
782 views

What problems, if any, do Swedenborgians have with the Apostles' Creed?

As a follow-up to previous questions, I'd like to know: Do Swedenborgians disagree with or "reinterpret" any phrases in the Apostles' Creed? Here's the context: I'm listening to an audio series in ...
1 vote
1 answer
83 views

According to Catholics, was faith in the assertions made in the Creed of St. Athanasius required of those in the first 3 centuries?

If the person that penned the Creed of St. Athanasius that was identified by St. Thomas Aquinas as being St. Athanasius based on "style" had not published his opus and had it declared Truth until the ...
1 vote
3 answers
205 views

What is the source of the 44 assertions made in the Creed of Athanasius?

I cannot locate where any but the most basic of the 44 assertions made in the Creed of Athanasius are also made in the canonical scriptures. Nor do I see any scriptural references provided within the ...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Have any noteworthy church councils denounced Full Preterism as heresy?

Full preterists believe that all prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled, including those related to the final resurrection, the Second Coming of Christ, and the Final Judgment. I have ...
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

What problems, if any, do Oneness Pentecostals have with the Apostles' Creed?

As a follow-up to previous questions, I'd like to know: Do Oneness Pentecostals disagree with or "reinterpret" any phrases in the Apostles' Creed? Here's the context: I'm listening to an audio series ...
15 votes
1 answer
1k views

What doctrinal changes did the Westminster Confession bring to the Church of Scotland?

After the reforms of the 16th century, the Scots Confession served as the primary confession for the Church of Scotland for just over 80 years. In 1648 it was replaced by the The Humble Advice of the ...
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

What problems, if any, do Mormons have with the Apostles' Creed?

As a follow-up to a previous question, I'd like to know: Does the LDS church disagree with or "reinterpret" any phrases in the Apostles' Creed? Here's the context: I'm listening to an audio series in ...
7 votes
3 answers
4k views

What is closest thing Baptists have to a catechism?

I teach Sunday School at an evangelical congregation that is essentially nondenominational, but has various, historical ties to the Church of the Brethren and or one of the smaller Baptist ...
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

What do the Nicene, Apostles, Chalcedonian, Creeds add to the concept of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost that is not found directly in the Bible?

There were opposing views especially on the nature of God and His relationship to Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. That was in part the reason for the councils. To try to unify the church and come to ...
1 vote
1 answer
191 views

"You are dust and to dust you shall return" versus resurrection of the body (Catholic perspective)

In the Ash Wednesday mass of the Catholic Church, the priest puts a cross made of ash in the forehead, whilst saying: You are dust and to dust you shall return I understand the literal and (I ...
0 votes
2 answers
594 views

In light of Article of Religion XVII, why is teaching predestination a good thing?

Article 17 of the Articles of Religion, on the topic of predestination, asserts that for the non-elect having the sentence of predestination before their eyes causes them to sin more and more. So, ...
13 votes
2 answers
460 views

According to reformed theology, why are certain important doctrines not "obvious"? [i.e. why does the Westminister Confession even exist?]

Consider the important doctrines of: divinity of Christ doctrine of Trinity doctrine of predestination Consider in general, that the Westminister Confession is shorter than most books of the Bible. ...
1 vote
1 answer
182 views

In the "Creed of Athanasius" does "before all things" mean "sooner" or "most important"?

Please see this question for why I think the Creed claims to be the declaration of the catholic church rather than merely clarifying the catholic position regarding the doctrine of "Trinity": The ...
28 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why do we use the order "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"?

The three persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in an undivided Trinity, in which all are equal in stature, according to orthodox trinitarian Christianity. Given that our language is ...
5 votes
1 answer
257 views

Why have some conservative Reformed churches objected to the Belhar Confession?

Among the reasons given by several Reformed Church in America churches in the midwestern US when leaving the denomination are issues with the Belhar Confession, a document emphasizing reconciliation ...
5 votes
2 answers
409 views

How do Baptists catechize children?

If Baptists do not believe in the formalized confessional creeds of the church, then how do they catechize children? In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther notes that learning the Creeds is very ...
3 votes
5 answers
308 views

What's the justification for believing that God interacts with us today the same way He did thousands of years ago?

Most Christians I have come across believe that because 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 God must interact with people today the same way He did back then. ...
10 votes
2 answers
815 views

What is the justification for reciting creeds in public worship according to the regulative principle?

Some churches which hold to the regulative principle of worship (RPW) insist that recitation of creeds or portions of confessions or catechisms by the congregation is an important act in the public ...
4 votes
1 answer
278 views

Did any of the Catholic or Protestant paramilitary groups of the Northern Ireland conflicts of the 60s and 70s ever have an actual theological creed?

I have been reading old newspapers for fun and noticed a lot of conflicts in Northern Ireland making the newspaper during the 60s and 70s (along with the usual Vietnam and Israel conflicts). When I ...
21 votes
3 answers
3k views

Did the Apostles' Creed originate with the Apostles?

The Apostles' Creed is perhaps the oldest statement of faith in the Christian tradition. Is there any evidence that it was used by Jesus' first followers? If not, when did it originate?
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Where can I find the Orthodox response to the Augsburg Confession?

According to Steven Runciman's The Great Church in Captivity (excerpt), the Orthodox Patriarch Jeremias II wrote a letter detailing the differences between the Orthodox doctrines and Lutheran ...
4 votes
2 answers
579 views

Does every denomination / sect have a catechism?

In Lutheranism, there's the Small Catechism, Large Catechism, and the Book of Concord, with each book in series getting much larger and having more specific doctrinal material. Even though the ...