Creeds: It's All In The Wording II
Let's define a few words.
Creed: 1. A brief statement of religious beliefs: confession of faith. 2. A specific statement of this kind. Accepted as authoritative be a church. 3. A statement of belief, principles, or opinions on any subject.
Proclamation: To announce officially
Declaration: 1. To make clearly known 2. To show or reveal 3. To make a statement
Now, lets put them together: To make a statement of beliefs and announce them officially in confession of faith, constitutes a creed.
Some words to describe a "CREED"
Proclamation
Declaration
Confession
Affirmation
Statement
Doctrinal Position
Catechism
Canons
Documents
Some "BELIEF STATEMENTS" by the Mormon Church
Word of Wisdom
Articles of Faith
Proclamation to the World
Official LDS Proclamation on the Family and Family Practices
"Many churches and Christian institutions have replaced the creeds within their communities (at least functionally) with mission statements, or "statements of faith." Unsatisfied with the inexact narrative quality of the creeds, many push toward something quite a bit more propositional, quite a bit more contractual, quite a bit more rigid." (http://ericdorylmeyer.wordpress.com)
Creeds: It's All In The Wording
The Mormon Creed
"Mainstream Christian religions typically subscribe to a creed that enumerates (in carefully crafted language) their basic beliefs. The Nicene Creed, first formulated at an ecumenical council of the Christian church in 325 AD, is the prime example of a Christian creed. If asked about their basic beliefs, Mormons will often refer to the Articles of Faith, a short list of thirteen statements such as "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." But the Articles of Faith are not a creed; they are far too general and do not convey the essential points of belief that distinguish Mormons from other Christians. Mormonism, in fact, has no creed. Why not? Primarily because there is no agreement on what exactly are the distinguishing points of Mormon doctrine--Mormonism has no theologians. Of course, any Mormon thinks they know and can identify their essential distinguishing beliefs. But every Mormon will give you a slightly different response, and the problem is not alleviated by reference to the Mormon canon or to the statements of its leaders.
One can, however, "reverse engineer" a Mormon Creed by working backwards from the list of questions asked of each Mormon who obtains a temple recommend. The questions are put to Mormons in one-on-one, confidential interviews with their minister. All must be answered properly in order to obtain a "temple recommend," required to enter any Mormon temple and participate in the sacred ordinances and rituals performed there. Recommends expire and must be renewed by the same process every two years. The temple recommend questions reveal specific institutional concerns and priorities of the Church and its leaders. By defining what it means to qualify as a "temple Mormon," these questions provide the basis for constructing a Mormon Creed that expresses exactly what it means to be "a good Mormon." Here is my formulation of The Mormon Creed, reverse-engineered from Mormon temple recommend questions.
A Mormon must have faith in God the Eternal Father, in Jesus Christ His Son who atoned for our sins as Savior and Redeemer, and in the Holy Ghost; believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth in these latter days; and believe that the priesthood keys of authority to direct the Church and perform the ordinances of the gospel are held exclusively by the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and no other.
A Mormon must sustain the President of the Church, his counselors, and other members of the Quorum of the Twelve as Prophets, Seers, and Revelators whose authority derives from the priesthood keys of authority; sustain the other General Authorities and local Church leaders as exercising properly delegated priesthood authority; and not support or belong to any group whose teachings or practices are in conflict with those of the Church.
To stand approved of God, a Mormon must live the law of chastity, pay a full financial tithe of ten percent, follow the dietary laws of the Church, strictly follow the dress code of the temple, be honest when dealing with other people, honor financial commitments to former spouses and dependent children, and attend Church meetings." (http://radio.weblogs.com)
The Cross and Christs Atonement
"The Cross became popular as a Christian symbol in the fifth century A.D. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) believe the proper Christian symbol is Christs resurrection, not his crucifixion, on the cross." (Part of a comment on the post: Food for Thought-on this blog.)
The Meaning of the Cross
"In Christendom the cross reminds Christians of God's act of love and atonement in Christs sacrifice at Calvary - "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The cross also reminds Christians of Jesus' victory over sin and death, since it is believed that through His death and resurrection He conquered death itself." (Widipedia.org/wiki/Christian_cross)
"The cross stands as the greatest symbol of the centeral fact of Christianity - the death of Christ in our place. But the cross represents only part of the good news." (Mooreschapel.org/missions/devotions/the-cross-of-jesus-christ.html)
"If we are believing and preaching the same gospel that the apostle Paul believed in and preached, it stands to reason the we should have today a similar emphasis on the message of the cross of Christ. The message of the cross is so foundational and so important that Paul said he resolved to knowing nothing amoung the Corinthians except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
(christian-faith.com/forjesusthe-meaning-of-the-cross, Michael Fackerell) *Please go to this web site and get a great writing about the cross of Christ.
Here are a few scriptures to look up and read what the Bible says:
1 Peter 3:18
Romans 6:4
Galatians 6:14
1 Corinthians 2:2
"Catholics say they prefer crucifixes to remind them of the depth of God's love. Protestants prefer crosses without a body to emphasize the resurrection." (thecross-photo.com/Cross_or_Crucifix-Theology_determines_preference.html)
The cross resembles the place where Christ finished His earthly work. It also shows to all the world that He is no longer dying, but has died so all mankind may live. Christ is in heaven now, not on the cross any longer. Someday we will be with Him in heaven.
It's on the Reader
This is a response to a comment I got on the post, "The Bible and the Book of Mormon - A Genealogy," post dated October 17, 2007. It was impressed upon me to respond to 'moonlightsonata' and what was said.
Hello moonlightsonata,
So glad you joined in the comments on this post. When it comes to taking the Bible literally, the Mormons do that best. So, when the Bible states that Zedekiah's sons were killed that's what it means, literally. There is no room for speculation.
It's the reader's responsibility to 'test' [1Jhon 4:1 NIV] the spirits. God expects everyone to study to show 'thyself approved.' [2 Timothy 2;15 KJV] God also expects us to learn and grow by the Word of God [Bible] through the spirit.
The Book of Mormon was the only book I read for many years. I never doubted it. Then I studied the Bible only (without the aide of anyone in or out of any organized religion) - and it was only until then did the witness of God show that: through the grace of God we were set free from the wages of sin and death by the confession of our sins. Not only our own sins committed, but the sinful nature that is within us from birth and from the beginning through Adam. Christ came and took those sins away, nailing them to the cross.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are a child of God. [Romans 8:16 KJV]
This 'reader' of the Bible knows that living through the spirit of the Son through faith He will remove any doubts and questions I have. So it will with you too.
What is the goal of my faith? The salvation of my soul. [1 Peter 1:9 KJV&NIV]
God Bless You
