tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20930767.post4876344754206818445..comments2023-06-01T14:08:49.977+00:00Comments on Confessions of a Doubting Thomas: Creeds and divisionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20930767.post-63653626692205409432008-02-06T13:50:00.000+00:002008-02-06T13:50:00.000+00:00It is a more than somewhat distorted presentation ...It is a more than somewhat distorted presentation of church history to say that everything was rosy and unified until the creeds came along. <BR/><BR/>The early church had many battles, both from without - persecution - and from within - the rise of heretical teachings and sects.<BR/><BR/>The Arian crisis in particular lasted many years and did much damage. It was to try to restore unity and accord among the acrimonious factions that had arisen that the council of Nicea was called.<BR/><BR/>Even towards the end of the time the New Testament was written we can see the rise of heresy and the use of confessions as a litmus test of orthodoxy. cf 1Jn 4:2 & 2Jn 1:7.Chris Hamer-Hodgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15680998868164693275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20930767.post-59536205319122637172008-02-04T22:54:00.000+00:002008-02-04T22:54:00.000+00:00Hello anonymous.I live in the UK. A country which ...Hello anonymous.<BR/><BR/>I live in the UK. A country which does pretty well without a constitution! So I don't really see the need for such things.<BR/><BR/>And the mroe I think about it, the more I see that creeds and 'statements of faith' do create divisions and I really don't see this as a good thing. <BR/><BR/>(Not that I really classify Christianity as a religion, but...) Christianity is fractured and divided into more sects and denominations than any other religion in the world. Yet. we're supposed to be the body of Christ. A dismembered and fractured body is no good to anyone.Ricky Carvelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17975085318645232701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20930767.post-66569441352387634432008-02-02T21:19:00.000+00:002008-02-02T21:19:00.000+00:00It reminds me of the arguments that people make ag...It reminds me of the arguments that people make against a constitution; that the parliament as a process sustains the essential features of the government of this country, and should be adjusted if it doesn't, whereas a written constitution allows someone who is not a part of this process to have authority to come in and change it based on the structure of language. An interesting idea, as sometimes people have gained authority from their ability to make logical rearranging of the creed, rather than being judged by their lifestyle and application of the truth. It almost feels like an attempt to replace the word in flesh with a word in writing again; reversing from the new covenant into something more palatable, but I'll be very cautious there, as the word in writing and the law in our hearts should have a symbiotic relationship. It always seems to me that the purpose of creeds is to highlight division, but the appropriate response to that division is understanding, forgiveness, discussion and prayer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com