Free Republic

When it comes to the Godhead of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there have been many theories about whether or not the Christian concept of the Trinity is true. Both Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons will attack the Trinity as being “incomprehensible” and therefore “illogical.” Too often these folks like to aim their artillery at the Council of Nicea that convened in A.D. 325 and was attended by approximately 300 bishops from the east and west churches. Of course, I cannot cover in detail every nuance of the council or of the Trinity to show why I and...

by Mickey Addison Other Articles by Mickey Addison I Believe 10/04/06 We begin each rosary with the words, "I believe," the first words of the Apostle's Creed. It is our "statement of faith," one that is more written on our hearts rather than in a book. To “believe" is something more than "guess" and something slightly less than "know." In fact, the first dictionary definition of "believe" is to "have confidence." This, of course, describes our Catholic faith quite precisely. We have great confidence in our Lord and His Church, and we have a number of good reasons for this confidence....

by Mark Shea Sr. Content Editor Other Articles by Mark Shea More Than Our Father 1/4/2006 The Creed balances many difficult ideas and paradoxes (as that God is one and three; that the immortal Son became mortal man; that life issues from death; and a thousand other mysteries). In This Article...The Titles of the Father"Almighty""Creator" The Titles of the Father But the very first bit of balancing the Creed does is to propose three different titles by which we must think of the first Person of the Trinity. The first title is the most familiar, since Jesus Himself explicitly commands us...

Creeds are a vital part of Church Quality Control. Indeed, the Nicene Creed came about from efforts to combat Arianism. Clergy were obligated to affirm the creed or to stand down. That creed became and remains part of the Eucharist. Participation in the Lord’s Supper implies you believe the creeds. Creeds play a vital part in baptism in many churches. In the baptism last Sunday at my Reformed Episcopal Church, the adult candidate had to first affirm the Apostle’s Creed as spelled out in the REC Prayer Book. (For infant baptism, godparents affirm it on the infant’s behalf.) You don’t...