Doctrine, literally meaning “teaching”, “is a formal and an authoritative statement which articulate a religion’s belief”.
Creed, literally meaning “to believe”, is a “verbal statement of the faith” of a religious individual or a religious community. Creedal statements, within a religious community, functions somewhat like a fence!
To describe and clarify creeds and doctrines Christians use two more words: Orthodoxy (true and correct teaching) and Heterodoxy, usually Heresy (erroneous teaching)! Gnosticism was considered a heresy by the church in the second century.
Please read, “Evolving organization and theology” in LR, pages 317-320 and take note of the words and concepts such as “Theology”, “Gnosticism”, “Holy Trinity”, and “Christology”. It is important to become familiar with names of Christian theologians mentioned by Fisher.
You may also read “Central beliefs in contemporary Christianity” in LR, pages 345-347.
To get a flavour of what a Christian doctrine would look like you may want to visit the following website maintained by a conservative Christian group: Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: www.carm.org
Creeds:
There are several creeds and confessions float in the various parts of the Church, some considered “official” and others used to emphasise certain aspects of the churches’ teaching. More common ones are:
Creed, literally meaning “to believe”, is a “verbal statement of the faith” of a religious individual or a religious community. Creedal statements, within a religious community, functions somewhat like a fence!
To describe and clarify creeds and doctrines Christians use two more words: Orthodoxy (true and correct teaching) and Heterodoxy, usually Heresy (erroneous teaching)! Gnosticism was considered a heresy by the church in the second century.
Please read, “Evolving organization and theology” in LR, pages 317-320 and take note of the words and concepts such as “Theology”, “Gnosticism”, “Holy Trinity”, and “Christology”. It is important to become familiar with names of Christian theologians mentioned by Fisher.
You may also read “Central beliefs in contemporary Christianity” in LR, pages 345-347.
To get a flavour of what a Christian doctrine would look like you may want to visit the following website maintained by a conservative Christian group: Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: www.carm.org
Creeds:
There are several creeds and confessions float in the various parts of the Church, some considered “official” and others used to emphasise certain aspects of the churches’ teaching. More common ones are:
1. The Apostles Creed http://www.creeds.net/ancient/apostles.htm
2. The Nicene Creed – See this below
3. Athanasius Creed http://www.holybible.com/resources/athanasius_creed.htm
The Nicene Creed
"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."
Constantine, the Emperor who was converted to Christian faith, convened a council in Nicaea in 325 CE. At this council a creed was written and signed by a majority of the bishops. Due to disagreement with regard to the version of the creed yet another council was summoned in 381 CE in Constantinople. It adopted a revised and expanded version of the 325 CE, now known as the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed is the most ecumenical of creeds.
Most churches affirm this. Nevertheless, in contrast to Eastern Orthodox churches, the Western churches state that the Holy Spirit proceeds not only from the Father but also the Son. To the Eastern churches, saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son threatens the distinctiveness of the person of the Holy Spirit; to the Western churches, the “Son” there guards the unity of the triune God.
A much more simple form is used in certain Christian communities that comes directly from Jesus – Jewish Shema: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first and the great commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these”.
Likewise, the “Ten Commandments” (Exodus 20) below also may indicate what Christians consider as an important part of their belief:
a. 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'
b. 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
c. 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'
d. 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
e. 'Honour your father and your mother.'
f. 'You shall not murder.'
g. 'You shall not commit adultery.'
h. 'You shall not steal.'
i. 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.'
j. 'You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's.'
Prayers:
Content of the prayers too can be an index to what one believes as it is in the Lord’s Prayer of the Christians:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6: 9-13)
Another prayer popular among the Western Christians is the following attributed to St Francis of Assisi (1182-1228):
Content of the prayers too can be an index to what one believes as it is in the Lord’s Prayer of the Christians:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6: 9-13)
Another prayer popular among the Western Christians is the following attributed to St Francis of Assisi (1182-1228):
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;where there is darkness, light;where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Note:
You may note that Jesus spoke primarily through “parables” to teach and educate the masses on “spirituality” but the Church after him used “creeds and doctrines” to promote “Christian education”. Constantine strived to maintain “unity” through the creed. Did he achieve his goal?
Questions to Explore:
1. Compare and contrast the “Faith Statement” of the Canadian Shouters Baptist community (found in
2. List the main beliefs of the Christians and explain in detail three of those beliefs.
