Comments on: A statement of faith: http://namaily.com/posts/2008/10/23/a-statement-of-faith/ Skipping along through life in half-crazed madness. Sun, 20 May 2012 17:19:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.6 by: lou http://namaily.com/posts/2008/10/23/a-statement-of-faith/#comment-175 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:19:40 +0000 http://namaily.com/posts/2008/10/23/a-statement-of-faith/#comment-175 Hey Jon Thkx for the history lesson. I agree that we musnt pay to much attention to the thoughts of others especially those in the church We came from a church where these statements of faith were seen as evil and religious. As Matt and I began to deconstruct iour faith we returned to some tratinional ways of worship. I put this on my blog becasue ut bests sums up what I beleive and I am not very eloquant with my own words But I will think about what you have said Hey Jon
Thkx for the history lesson. I agree that we musnt pay to much attention to the thoughts of others especially those in the church We came from a church where these statements of faith were seen as evil and religious. As Matt and I began to deconstruct iour faith we returned to some tratinional ways of worship. I put this on my blog becasue ut bests sums up what I beleive and I am not very eloquant with my own words
But I will think about what you have said

]]> by: jON http://namaily.com/posts/2008/10/23/a-statement-of-faith/#comment-170 Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:42:10 +0000 http://namaily.com/posts/2008/10/23/a-statement-of-faith/#comment-170 you know i actually ran across the nicene creed in some personal study last year. i found out something very interesting about it. well, at least *I* think it's interesting. the statement: "<em><strong>Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father,"</em></strong> was included as a political move on the part of the council. as a matter of fact, if i understand the story correctly, the entire coucil was called to gether for this very reason. there was a man named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arius" rel="nofollow">Arius</a> who was causing concern among the leadership because he believed that jesus did not exist from all eternity and that he was created like everything else. i could go on with the history, but the link tells the story if you're interested. what fascinated me about this is that even 1700 years ago, the church body was rife with politics and polarization. for some reason we are lead to believe that "back then" everything was coherant and inspired and true. but in reality, what has been passed down to us is not "what's true" but simply "what was approved by the political structure as true." by seeing those parallels in my own day and age, it helped me to learn to take the "creeds" with a grain of salt and instead of leaning on other humans for my perspectives and beliefs, doing my own personal studies and praying for wisdom. which is not to say that the things included in this "creed" aren't true. just that it is better to study them for myself, than to simply believe what i was taught based only on the fact that it is being taught in a building called "church." you know i actually ran across the nicene creed in some personal study last year. i found out something very interesting about it. well, at least *I* think it’s interesting.

the statement: “Begotten, not made,
Being of one substance with the Father,”
was included as a political move on the part of the council. as a matter of fact, if i understand the story correctly, the entire coucil was called to gether for this very reason.

there was a man named Arius who was causing concern among the leadership because he believed that jesus did not exist from all eternity and that he was created like everything else. i could go on with the history, but the link tells the story if you’re interested.

what fascinated me about this is that even 1700 years ago, the church body was rife with politics and polarization. for some reason we are lead to believe that “back then” everything was coherant and inspired and true. but in reality, what has been passed down to us is not “what’s true” but simply “what was approved by the political structure as true.”

by seeing those parallels in my own day and age, it helped me to learn to take the “creeds” with a grain of salt and instead of leaning on other humans for my perspectives and beliefs, doing my own personal studies and praying for wisdom.

which is not to say that the things included in this “creed” aren’t true. just that it is better to study them for myself, than to simply believe what i was taught based only on the fact that it is being taught in a building called “church.”

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