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personal beliefs vs. belief in a creed

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Which is best? Formulating your own exact set of beliefs or subscribing to a pre-existing set of beliefs?

The Nicene Creed now represents my current religious beliefs

I have found that committing to a pre-existing creed is more rewarding than formulating your own personal beliefs about everything – and much easier too. And I do genuinely believe in it, even the seemingly more fantastical elements (e.g. the virgin birth and the resurrection) as God is all-powerful so can do anything!

Doing so has made my faith more stable and certain, and until recently my life lacked stability and certainty (when it came to spiritual matters)

It also means that I now share my core beliefs with many other people, which is nice to know

I feel much more spiritually fulfilled than I did when I had my own personal belief systems
 

viole

Ontological Naturalist
Premium Member
Which is best? Formulating your own exact set of beliefs or subscribing to a pre-existing set of beliefs?

The Nicene Creed now represents my current religious beliefs

I have found that committing to a pre-existing creed is more rewarding than formulating your own personal beliefs about everything – and much easier too. And I do genuinely believe in it, even the seemingly more fantastical elements (e.g. the virgin birth and the resurrection) as God is all-powerful so can do anything!

Doing so has made my faith more stable and certain, and until recently my life lacked stability and certainty (when it came to spiritual matters)

It also means that I now share my core beliefs with many other people, which is nice to know

I feel much more spiritually fulfilled than I did when I had my own personal belief systems

I expect that the ones who defined the Nicene Creed found more comfort in defining those beliefs.

Ergo, you seem to find more comfort in subscribing to beliefs defined by people who found more comfort in defining those beliefs, instead.

Right?

Ciao

- viole
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
I expect that the ones who defined the Nicene Creed found more comfort in defining those beliefs.

Ergo, you seem to find more comfort in subscribing to beliefs defined by people who found more comfort in defining those beliefs, instead.

Right?

Ciao

- viole
I suppose so

As I see it, I could never have hoped to come up with something like the Nicene Creed all on my own

It is much better than anything I could ever come up with
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
I expect that the ones who defined the Nicene Creed found more comfort in defining those beliefs.

Ergo, you seem to find more comfort in subscribing to beliefs defined by people who found more comfort in defining those beliefs, instead.

Right?

Ciao

- viole

There is some comfort found in traversing the well worn path. A sense of security that at least someone has trailblazed the path before you.

Unfortunately there is not really a guarantee that the path's destination is going to be a place where we want to find ourselves. So I tend to wonder about discovering whatever there is to be discovered at the place I happen to be at now.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
I suppose so

As I see it, I could never have hoped to come up with something like the Nicene Creed all on my own

It is much better than anything I could ever come up with

Why have a creed at all? Is it necessary?
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Why have a creed at all? Is it necessary?
Creeds codify core beliefs and help members of a tradition figure things out consistently

I'd say that agreeing on a set of core beliefs and making them into a creed is certainly beneficial when it comes to doing religion

But granted, perhaps not necessary!
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Which is best? Formulating your own exact set of beliefs or subscribing to a pre-existing set of beliefs?

The Nicene Creed now represents my current religious beliefs

I have found that committing to a pre-existing creed is more rewarding than formulating your own personal beliefs about everything – and much easier too. And I do genuinely believe in it, even the seemingly more fantastical elements (e.g. the virgin birth and the resurrection) as God is all-powerful so can do anything!

Doing so has made my faith more stable and certain, and until recently my life lacked stability and certainty (when it came to spiritual matters)

It also means that I now share my core beliefs with many other people, which is nice to know

I feel much more spiritually fulfilled than I did when I had my own personal belief systems
I don't think these two extremes are realistic. I think we all sift through the ideological info that we encounter in life, and choose (and amend) what we think is important, and discard what we don't. Eventually we arrive at a coherent workable conceptual paradigm through which we live our lives.
 

Road Less Traveled

Active Member
Which is best? Formulating your own exact set of beliefs or subscribing to a pre-existing set of beliefs?

The Nicene Creed now represents my current religious beliefs

I have found that committing to a pre-existing creed is more rewarding than formulating your own personal beliefs about everything – and much easier too. And I do genuinely believe in it, even the seemingly more fantastical elements (e.g. the virgin birth and the resurrection) as God is all-powerful so can do anything!

Doing so has made my faith more stable and certain, and until recently my life lacked stability and certainty (when it came to spiritual matters)

It also means that I now share my core beliefs with many other people, which is nice to know

I feel much more spiritually fulfilled than I did when I had my own personal belief systems

When most start off, they are inclined to find an institution and find comfort in numbers and others believing the same exact stuff. Then they develop relationships, become more and more assimilated. For many, this is where they stop and become stagnant. For many, they become fearful of leaving it behind.

For others, they gradually start to see the madness amongst the good and have the courage to leave, leave it behind. Then they find another institution that makes a little more sense and has a trickle of more good than the previous yet still some madness. And on and on and on and on. Stops and stagnation in which particular institution or religion vary depending on the person.

Then, for the few... they are glad for all the trickles of good that came upon them in these institutions yet thirst for more, as there was madness in them all and they became aware to such. So they go more solitude, alone on their quests and keep renouncing and leave certain indoctrination’s behind them. More and more left behind. And on and on and on.
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
As I see it, I could never have hoped to come up with something like the Nicene Creed all on my own.

Probably this is your belief before you started this thread.

It is much better than anything I could ever come up with[/QUOTE]

Many believe the Trinity and the Nicene Creed is what the Roman and Greek Church Fathers came up with, and not an original teaching of Jesus Christ. Several places in the NT are added to emphasis this belief.

You could simply believe in the absolute Oneness and Unity of God, which is the foundation belief of the Torah and Tanakh, and many believe the original teaching of Jesus Christ.

Many people come up with their own versions all the time and create many churches with and without the Trinity and the Nicene Creed..
 

Terry Sampson

Well-Known Member
@Eddi

Of the eight most important people to me, seven are dead. Of the seven who are now dead, I am certain that at least six knew the Apostle's Creed, and knowing the seventh as well as I did, I am reasonably certain that there is nothing in the Apostle's Creed that she would have balked at. I have good reason to believe (i.e. personal interaction with the people to whom I refer) that each of them could recite the words of the Creed with firm belief in the words of the Creed. I, too, can recite the words of the Apostle's Creed with complete belief in the words. The words of the Apostle's Creed have been around since, at least, 390 A.D. In other words, a lot of people have recited the Apostle's Creed (since 390 A.D.) and among them were people who loved me more than I deserve and me. Am I biased? Admittedly and unashamedly, I acknowledge that I am.

Is the Apostle's Creed necessary? LOL! Air, food, water, and some sleep are necessary for physical life. What do our hearts, minds, and souls need?

I take great comfort in the number of people who have believed, who believe, and who will believe what I believe. I also take great comfort in having ready-made, a brief collection of statements to refresh my fading memory as I ride off into the sunset.

You wrote: "I have found that committing to a pre-existing creed is more rewarding than formulating your own personal beliefs about everything – and much easier too." I agree completely.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
I suppose so

As I see it, I could never have hoped to come up with something like the Nicene Creed all on my own

It is much better than anything I could ever come up with
It is fine and good to learn from others and to benefit from their teachings.

But at some point we have to either accept or neglect the duty to validate, correct or reject the relevant parts of those teachings.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
It is fine and good to learn from others and to benefit from their teachings.

But at some point we have to either accept or neglect the duty to validate, correct or reject the relevant parts of those teachings.
I don't think that my commitment to the Nicene Creed is intellectual negligence

I accepted it as it made sense to me and I continue to accept it as it continues to make sense to me
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
I don't think that my commitment to the Nicene Creed is intellectual negligence

I accepted it as it made sense to me and I continue to accept it as it continues to make sense to me

You will do as you see sense. Whether that constitutes negligence or not is something else entirely.
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
I don't think that my commitment to the Nicene Creed is intellectual negligence

I accepted it as it made sense to me and I continue to accept it as it continues to make sense to me

Again, I believe that is your conclusion before the thread was started.

Like the sky is Carolina blue on a clear day at noon what people believe makes sense to them regardless of what they believe.

Begging the question to justify what you believe.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Again, I believe that is your conclusion before the thread was started

Correct, but the purpose of this thread was to run the idea of it past people to see what would happen, to test it and also hopefully get a discussion going about various aspects of belief which is something that interests me.

In the past, I've believed in many stupid and insane things which I wouldn't have had I run it by other people before at a much earlier stage, and not necessarily other people who are experts (whatever that means), just other people with different views and beliefs.

And so far I have seen no big flashing warning lights telling me there is something seriously wrong with I myself personally believing in the Nicene Creed as opposed to some belief system I myself personally have put together myself. When I started this thread I had no idea this would be the case.
 

Kelly of the Phoenix

Well-Known Member
I don't particularly see a reason to just sign on to someone else's personal beliefs. Sure, "nothing's new under the sun" and there's bound to be similarities anyway, but to me, spirituality is a personal thing. Religion is used for crowd control by the humans in charge.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Myself, I find the whole idea strange.

Everyone has to validate what one learns if true faith is to be attained. And we are expected to change the lessons in so doing.

That is neither avoidable nor at all a bad thing.
 

danieldemol

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Which is best? Formulating your own exact set of beliefs or subscribing to a pre-existing set of beliefs?

The Nicene Creed now represents my current religious beliefs

I have found that committing to a pre-existing creed is more rewarding than formulating your own personal beliefs about everything – and much easier too.

God didn’t create me to be a spiritual lemming, as such although I found the path of religion easier, I have found that what is easiest and what is best for me are not necessarily the same.

So I will continue on forging my own path, and being true to my authentic self rather than accepting pre-packaged ideas we are not allowed to question even where they don’t reflect my personal values and inner-processes.
 
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