Writing my own Christian Creed: Reformation 2.0 Christianity
If you’ve read any my stuff before, you may know I’m an advocate for Reformation 2.0 Christianity.
Well, in order for there to be a Reformation 2.0 Christian movement, we probably need a new Creed.
The Nicene Creed of AD325 was never an ecumenical decision. It was totally Constantine’s baby. The church fathers who signed it did so under duress and threat of banishment from the entire Roman Empire. Five of them still refused to sign/put their names to it and were banished for life.
Then a few generations later, after pushing that version of the Creed upon the Empire, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 393 updated the original creed with new ideas about a Trinity of Gods. This is the “Nicene Creed” we claim allegiance to today.
The Protestant Reformation did much to pull away from Rome’s power and influence, but still relied wholly upon the Roman-produced scriptural canon as their definitive authority, which means that the movement itself was based on several logical fallacies, such as begging the question and appeal to authority.
The internet hive-mind and Dead Sea Scrolls have done much in the last few decades to dispel some of the false archaic Christian traditions, however, most of our younger revolutionaries are being pushed by the current power systems towards secular atheism, humanism, transhumanism, etc., and most of the regular Christians are being pushed toward conserving their current traditions, be they true or false.
One of the biggest things that has bothered me, however, is that of the many creeds which do exist, none actually seem to properly or adequately represent the original church. They’re always sliding in things that don’t appear to match up and were added onto the story later, usually by Rome.
Now, I am not starting my own church.
However, I, along with many others, see an urgent need to get to the core truths of as much holy scripture as possible, without blindly taking someone else’s word for it, before a digital book burning takes place and wipes out all the convenient information at our fingertips we’ve been conditioned to rely upon.
And so I offer this as an attempt at a simple non-Roman Christian creed, based on my understanding of the truths of the original gospel as understood by the Ebionites, the early church at Jerusalem, led by Jesus’ brothers, James and Jude.
It may offend many Christians as it contains certain distinct doctrinal differences from mainstream Protestant Christianity.
The Proposed Creed-
I believe in God, Almighty Creator of heaven, earth and all nature within, whose Spirit encompasses all things, connects all things and is in every breath we breathe sustaining us.
I believe that mankind, through sin against the natural order from the beginning of the world, fell, separating themselves from the Spirit of God within that connected mankind to God.
I believe that God through Moses/Musa, freed the twelve tribes of Israel from their slavery to man, establishing His Covenant with them in Horeb/Erope to be His people and serve Him only.
I believe that Jesus/Eissa, son of Joseph of the house and lineage of David, was Israel’s prophesied Messiah, through whom God did speak directly, as our sole teacher and rabbi, and fulfill His earlier Covenant.
I believe that after Jesus fasted for 40 days to cleanse himself before God and was baptized by water, that the Spirit of God came upon him and into him, baptizing him with fire and making him the first to be one with (or begotten of) God since the Fall of man.
I believe that God through Jesus gave us the gospel, ended blood sacrifice by being the great and final sacrifice for sin, and fulfilled His Covenant with man, allowing us to be one with Him once more; His Law written upon our hearts.
I believe that every man, in aligning themselves to God, might take upon themselves the fulfilled Covenant and be made anew (or born again), by receiving the Spirit of God through the baptism of fire, and being one with (or begotten of) God as Jesus, our example in all things, was before us.
***
I am very open to feedback and considering any useful or valid suggestions, but I don’t particularly care for large doctrinal debates ensuing in the comments over specific theological differences.
Thanks.
