What Do Most Christians Believe?

[MineralMan]

There are a variety of definitions of what Christianity is. Hundreds of major denominations of Christianity exist, and thousands of minor ones. However, two commonly used and recited creeds spell out the essential beliefs of most of those. They're posted below. These creeds express the common beliefs of Christianity. Almost all Christians have spoken them multiple times. In some churches, they are recited by worshipers every time communion or the Eucharist is celebrated.

It's hard to imagine Christianity without these two statements of what Christians believe. It's hard to imagine someone claiming to be a Christian who does not hold those beliefs, frankly. The very word, creed, comes from the Latin, "Credo," which translates to "I believe."

The Nicene Creed
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, 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 [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son 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 Apostles Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

[yallerdawg]

1. I don't know about that stuff there.

The New Testament, Matthew 6.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Amen.

It's really not all that complicated.

[MineralMan]

2. So, you've never recited either of those two creeds?

I'd be very surprised if that were the case. If you did recite one of them, were you listening to yourself when you spoke those words?

What is the denomination of the Church you attend?

[yallerdawg]

8. Those are very particular "creeds" to particular Christian churches.

You insist on pigeonholing people into little boxes, easier to apply generalities that way.

The Word in the Bible suffices.

[Major Nikon]

18. Says the guy who desperately tries to pigeonhole atheists so as to apply generalities

[yallerdawg]

21. Pigeonhole Atheists?

Are there a lot of denominations I'm unfamiliar with?

I know there is atheism, Atheism, and New Atheism - possibly agnostics and skeptics tossed in - and the every variety of 'nones' under the sun...

Wow - you know what, MK?

You may just be right!

Sorry.

[Major Nikon]

24. Funny how you ridicule atheists, yet take offense to those who ridicule theists

And by funny, I don't mean funny ha-ha.

[yallerdawg]

25. I don't take offense at what you say about "theists."

The problem for me is when you make it ugly and personal, my fellow DU'er.

I can do good-natured back and forth, I know it's inconsequential to me - and you believe it is inconsequential to you.

Why does it have to devolve to name-calling?

[Major Nikon]

31. There's a difference between disparaging an idea and disparaging a person or people

That's the part you don't seem to have a good grasp around.

[Lordquinton]

30. I mean, you did post that article stating there were acceptable varieties of atheists

You never clarified what that meant, btw.

So which is it?

[Voltaire2]

27. Please at least try to do a little research.

The doctrines noted in the op are accepted in whole or with minor deviations by almost all Christian sects.

[Mariana]

9. Most Protestant churches aren't going to teach those.

"We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church."
"I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints..."

I've never heard a variation recited in the Protestant churches I've attended. Maybe I just didn't attend the right Protestant churches?

[MineralMan]

15. Actually, most do, in one form or another, use one of those

creeds as part of their doctrine. You can look it up at:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/churchhomeleadership/nicene-apostles-creeds.html

[Mariana]

29. Thank you. nt.

[Cartoonist]

6. Not complicated

To a cafeteria Christian.

[Glorfindel]

3. As a member of the United Methodist Church, I grew up reciting the Apostles' Creed

Just a bit different from the one you posted.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

Seems pretty straightforward, right? But ask almost any Christian if the Church teaches the "immortality of the soul" or the "rapture," and they'll respond in the affirmative.

Interesting post, as usual, MineralMan. Thank you!

[MineralMan]

4. Yes, there are different versions of both creeds. Denominations

make small changes in them to suit their own doctrines. The core of the creeds, though, remains.

Most Christians have, at one time or another, recited such a creed. In many cases, it is spoken frequently in their churches. But, as you say, most people don't truly understand what it is that they are supposed to believe. It's an odd thing, it seems to me.

[njhoneybadger]

5. It seems like they believe in the teachings of tRump over Jesus

[Pendrench]

7. Hi MineralMan - Here is the recent translation (2011) now being used in the Catholic Church

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
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.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen

[Cartoonist]

11. Who is the Holy Ghost?

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

Modern version, still haven't got a clue.

[Major Nikon]

17. You won't find much reference to it in the scriptures

At least those which aren't heretical forgeries. It's a manufactured doctrine borne out of the necessity to turn Christ into a god which happened long after he was dead and buried.

[Cartoonist]

26. So why do the clueless post this shit?

Really. They come on here and post some BS from their church that even they have no idea what it's about. They end up being phony and pathetic.

[Major Nikon]

32. Most Christians have very little idea where their doctrine originated or why

They just parrot out what they have been indoctrinated to believe with very little actual understanding of the subject matter.

This is by design. Faith requires abandoning reason in favor of revelation and the less contradictory information that's provided, the easier the delusion becomes.

[guillaumeb]

40. Demonstrating your beliefs?

[Major Nikon]

41. Validating them?

[Pendrench]

33. Hi Cartoonist - Sorry for the late response!

And thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my post..

You make a very good point that most of the time we who consider ourselves to be Christians profess our beliefs in the safe confines of our churches, so I think that it is very healthy for us to reflect and examine our beliefs.

That being said, here is how I view the concept of the trinity:

The father is that aspect of god that created all things.
The son (Jesus) was the physical manifestation of god on Earth.
The spirit is that aspect of god that remained after Jesus left.

So when I pray for strength or guidance during tough or troubling times, I believe that it is the spirit of god that comforts me. And I also believe that it is the spirit that encourages me to reach out to those in need, so I can bring comfort and support to others.

Anyway, that's just my take on this. I see my faith as continually evolving, so I greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you.

Wishing you well and peace!

Tim

[Voltaire2]

28. Two was an unacceptable division, so it had to be three.

I have no idea why. Maybe to differentiate from Manichaeism, which was competing with Christianity during the first two centuries of the common era?

[Runningdawg]

10. 2 statements Christians believe -

I'm right.
You're wrong.

[Igel]

13. That's true of all groups.

By that standard, the Democratic Party is a Christian group, as is the Republican Party, the Socialist Workers Party, and nearly every Muslim group I've ever seen.

[Mariana]

12. Most Christians believe whatever they want to believe.

With so many denominations to choose from, most can find a church that won't ever preach anything they disagree with or that makes them uncomfortable. Even within a denomination, members may just ignore whatever teachings they don't feel like obeying - e.g. Catholics and birth control. If a preacher does say something that really offends the congregation, they can easily get rid of him or her, as was done to Rev. Robert Wright Lee after he publicly spoke against white supremacy.

[Major Nikon]

16. I'm not sure most are even that consistent

When one considers the guidebook metaphorical, belief changes directions like the wind this time of year.

[MineralMan]

34. Well, my reason for posting this is that I want to let Christians

define their religion as they choose to. Those two creeds lay out the basic beliefs of a majority of Christians, actually. They've been used for centuries to define what Christians believe.

Some claim that Atheists try to define Christianity. We don't, as a rule. We simply look at the definitions provided by those who follow that religion.

Now, not all Christians use those two creeds to define themselves, but a majority does. The Roman Catholic Church uses one of those creeds. It is the largest denomination of Christianity. Mainstream Christian denominations also use one or the other of those creeds, with minor modifications, to define their basic beliefs.

Christianity defines itself. All one needs to do is go look for those definitions. There's no need to redefine what is already defined.

[Igel]

14. Here's what I think I've observed:

The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,

We believe in one Jesus Christ, the ... Son of God, ... God from God, light from light, ...

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, he became incarnate from ... Mary, and was ... man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. ...; ... he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will ... judge ... and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, ....

We believe in one Church.
We acknowledge ... baptism .
We look for ... life ... to come. Amen.




The Apostles Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty ....

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was ... born of ... Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; ...; he ascended into heaven; he shall ... judge ... quick .

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the ... Church; ... communion ... ; ... forgiveness of sins; ... and ... life everlasting. Amen.

Virgin birth is controverted in many sects. The idea of a creator God, much less a creator Jesus, is unthinkable in many quarters. The idea of resurrection is seen as not only unnecessary by many, but as somehow anti-Christian. Amillennialists and post-millennialists are abundant. For many, even the idea of forgiveness of sins assumes that there is something like sin; the "God doesn't make junk" and "I'm what God made, and he doesn't make trash" thinking has to be included. More than a few Xians consider themselves currently sons and daughters of God, without that being foreshadowing or temporally positioning the results of a sure promise from the future to the present.

Evangelicals would have a larger set of remaining bits from the creeds. Catholics would also have a larger, but different, set of bits. Many liberal (C) would have a slightly larger set; conservative (C) a yet larger set.

I even doubt the propriety of leaving "became incarnate"; some (C) have trouble with that, he was just a fairly good rabbi made special by self-deluded folk later. I can't figure out why they stay (C), except that for many it's their paycheck.

[Major Nikon]

19. Both of those are trinitarian beliefs

Most Christians subscribe to a trinitarian doctrine, but there are exceptions notably Jehova's witnesses and to some extent Mormons.

[MineralMan]

20. As you say, and as I said, most Christians.

[Major Nikon]

22. The best part is there's no support for it in the bible

Most first and second century Christians didn't believe it. Jesus himself didn't believe it as he professed to be the messiah, and as such would decidedly NOT be a god under Jewish idolatry laws.

[MineralMan]

23. Yah, well, it's irrelevant to me, really.

I don't believe any supernatural entities exist at all.

[edhopper]

35. I've had the Trinity explained to me a few times...

I still don't get it.

[MineralMan]

36. That's OK. It's really fuzzy.

3=1 and 1=3. Funny math.

[edhopper]

37. I was shown this graph

still doesn't make sense.

[img][/img]

[MineralMan]

38. I don't see how it could.

Actually, I sort of grasp the concept, but I have to seriously defocus my brain to do it. The second I look at it in sharp focus, it's gone.

I remember one pastor who was trying to use that graphic to explain. Any question threw him so off balance that he had to start over from the beginning.

[Pope George Ringo II]

39. That puts me in mind of better books, by Alexandre Dumas.

I had to read the books instead of just watching the movies, but I was able to figure out how Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan were The Three Musketeers. Still, all for one and one for all.