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To: Syncro; CynicalBear
The simplicity of Christianity is really encapsulated in the Nicene Creed

Nicene Creed
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt.

Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris.

Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis.

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre Filioque procedit.

Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas.

Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam.

Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

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.
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. 

The Holy Trinity

421 posted on 01/08/2013 9:38:47 AM PST by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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To: Cronos

It’s interesting that you highlight “One Holy Catholic Church” and include the capitalization! It’s obvious to us who renounce the views of that organization that Catholics continually express belief in the “Church” rather than in Christ alone. Oh, they give lip service to Jesus but very quickly revert to their organization and venerated saints and Mary as their true source. Very telling.


428 posted on 01/08/2013 10:01:28 AM PST by CynicalBear
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To: Cronos
The simplicity of the gospel can be summed up in a few verses....

Acts 16:30-31 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

and

Romans 8:9-13 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The Catholic church makes salvation too complicated. Too many hoops to jump through. Too many do's and don't's.

446 posted on 01/08/2013 12:13:17 PM PST by metmom ( For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: Cronos
"The simplicity of Christianity is really encapsulated in the Nicene Creed"

Pretty much.

Too bad they took out the last part, "I believe in the Holy Spirit."

Was that the (Catholic) Church fathers that did that?

I have recited it many times.

In Protestant churches (Yes I have attended Protestant churches)

Not in Catholic churches. (Yes, I have attended Catholic churches.

In non denomonational churches. (a given)

I didn't recite the Catholic version, which capitalizes "one holy catholic and apostolic" Church.

It's not capitalized in the original to emphasize Jesus' Church being the whole body of believers, not the just the Catholic church.

I'm not too excited about those symbols, the one in Latin or French.

And the other one looks ok except for the circle (symbol of completeness) with the words "is not" put in three times. (Or is it Latin, Ton Si and I am reading it backwards?)

As I posted a couple of times the last few days, this is what I see as simplicity of Christianity:

(A person can become a Christian by just reading the Bible)

There are millions of Christians that do not belong to Protestantism or Catholicism.

They are called "born again"--by themselves and Jesus:

SALVATION & THE NEW
BIRTH
How to be Born Again





What is salvation and the new birth 
(being born again ) ?


Let us start
by saying that the Bible calls it being "born again".

During Jesus'
ministry here on earth, a rabbi ( teacher of Jewish law ) named Nicodemus came
to interview Jesus
at night and stated, "we all know that God has sent you
to teach us, your miracles alone are proof enough of this.
Jesus then told him,

"That unless a person is born again ( anew, from above)
)he cannot
ever see  (know, be acquainted with and experience) the Kingdom
of God"

 Nicodemus then said to Jesus,
"how can a man be born when he
is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born?" Jesus answered,

"I tell you, unless a man is born of water and ( even )
the Spirit ( Holy Spirit ), he cannot ( ever ) enter the
Kingdom of God.
What is born of ( from ) the flesh is flesh (of the physical is physical ) and
what is born of
the Spirit is Spirit"
, John 3:2-6.

This is
the new birth, what is referred to as being "born again". Jesus Christ paid a
great price ( His life ) by suffering and dying on the cross to pay the
price for every sin that mankind had committed up till then and every sin
humanity would commit in the future to open the way of salvation, the "new
birth".






What part does belief have in salvation 
(the new birth ) ?


Jesus said in
John 3:15-16, "everyone who believes in Him ( who cleaves to Him, trusts Him and relies on Him ) may not perish
but have eternal life and
( actually) 
  live forever. For God so greatly loved the world that He
gave up His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in
( trusts in, clings to, relies on ) Him
shall not perish, come to destruction,
be lost but have eternal everlasting
life".

450 posted on 01/08/2013 1:07:02 PM PST by Syncro ("So?" - Andrew Breitbart (The King of All Media RIP Feb 1, 1969 – Mar 1, 2012)
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