Is a Creed necessary to be a Christian?

[Desert Snake]

Is a Creed necessary in order to be a Christian?

 

[RedDragon94]

I believe that every Christian has a creed. Not every creed is identical to a denomination though.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Is a Creed necessary in order to be a Christian?

As in belief in the creed?

To have it, no. To believe it, yes.

 

[Desert Snake]

As in belief in the creed?

To have it, no. To believe it, yes.

Is this a strict separation of Jesus and G-d, in your opinion? I mean, If someone believes that Jesus is literally G-d, are they going against the Creed?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Is this a strict separation of Jesus and G-d, in your opinion? I mean, If someone believes that Jesus is literally G-d, are they going against the Creed?

Thats an interesting question.

Im thinking of the creed now. It doesnt mention Jesus as God yet many people who say it daily believe He is.

Thats something Id have to think about

 

[JRMcC]

I feel that most christianity put more importance on the belief that Jesus rose from the dead than they do on Jesus' actual teachings. Seems backwards.

 

[JR Miller]

Is a Creed necessary in order to be a Christian?

If by 'creed', you mean a written set of principles and beliefs, then I suppose that it isn't necessary, as an oral tradition will do just fine, but it makes it hard. If you mean a set of principles and beliefs, in general, then yes; you need it. How can you not have principles and beliefs?

 

[RedDragon94]

How can you not have principles and beliefs?

You could just let people determine what they believe based off their experience and off the basic premise that God is good. Meeting together doesn't mean you all agree on the same things, I guess that's the problem with organized religion. Where is the elbow room?

 

[Politesse]

Of course not. Jesus asked us to do as he commanded, he said nothing about requiring certain philosophical views. Arguing about cosmology can be fun, but it is not what makes one a Christian.

 

[Forever_Catholic]

There has been a creed in Christianity since the very beginning that is based on apostolic teaching. Everyone converting to Christianity had to know what they were converting to and had to make a declaration of faith before they were baptized. When this declaration of faith was first formulated in a standardized form is not known exactly, but the Old Roman Creed already existed in written form by the year 180. The Old Roman Creed is an earlier and shorter version of the Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed was expanded by the Council of Nicaea in 325. The basic elements of all of them are the same, but more specific details are included from one to the next. The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are both still in use today.

The creed does not express philosophical views. It states the fundamental articles of Christian faith. To think that it is not necessary would be to think that it's okay for each member of the Church to make up his or her own Christian theologies rather than accepting the word of Jesus Christ and the teaching authority he gave to the apostles.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

There has been a creed in Christianity since the very beginning that is based on apostolic teaching. Everyone converting to Christianity had to know what they were converting to and had to make a declaration of faith before they were baptized. When this declaration of faith was first formulated in a standardized form is not known exactly, but the Old Roman Creed already existed in written form by the year 180. The Old Roman Creed is an earlier and shorter version of the Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed was expanded by the Council of Nicaea in 325. The basic elements of all of them are the same, but more specific details are included from one to the next. The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are both still in use today.

The creed does not express philosophical views. It states the fundamental articles of Christian faith. To think that it is not necessary would be to think that it's okay for each member of the Church to make up his or her own Christian theologies rather than accepting the word of Jesus Christ and the teaching authority he gave to the apostles.

^This. Without a creed, you just have anarchy and confusion. Kinda like what we have now when sects reject the Creeds and Tradition. Fancy that.

 

[Glaurung]

Unsurprisingly, I agree with Forever Catholic.

As far as I'm concerned Christianity is an assent to some very definite claims about God, His identity, and what He expects from us humans. This was laid out very clearly at Nicaea and I don't accept anyone who rejects these claims to be holding to the same faith as me, regardless of what they may call it.

 

[Shiranui117]

If you believe something, you have a creed. If you have no creed, you have no faith. The very word "creed" comes from Latin credo, which means "I believe". Everyone has a creed. Whether that's the Apostle's Creed, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, or a simple confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, every Christian has some kind of creed. The length and formality and ancientness of the creed may vary, but we all have a creed, all the same.

 

[JR Miller]

^Give the above responses, I think we have arrived at a consensus.