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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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To: Syncro

I have an old 1965 edition of the Amplified Bible. I love the way that it almost forces the deniers to open their eyes with its expanded definitions.


453 posted on 01/08/2013 2:23:46 PM PST by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: Syncro
"The simplicity of Christianity is really encapsulated in the Nicene Creed"
Pretty much.

Glad to hear it -- though most of the other non-catholic posters here, disagree with it, mostly about the Trinity...

540 posted on 01/08/2013 11:59:35 PM PST by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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To: Syncro

A person can become a follower of Christ, yes. They should believe that Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God, part of the Godhead, the ONE God, who came to save us. We are saved by His sacrifice, by the grace of God alone.


541 posted on 01/09/2013 12:01:14 AM PST by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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