Latter-Day Saints and the Creeds of Christendom

For the longest time, I've been meaning to study the Nicene Creed and compare it with my own beliefs. The reason I hadn't done it already is that I anticipated a lot of differences and I really don't want to "bash" the faith of those who consider it sacred if not scriptural text. I have to confess that part of the reason why I hesitated had to do with fear. Much as I've tried to avoid it, I find myself guilty of being so emotionally invested in my own comfort zone that I was afraid to look outside it, to see merit in the beliefs of others, to see those beliefs for what they really are. But now, having finally overcome my own ignorance on the subject (meaning I broke down and actually studied the Nicene Creed, among others), I am pleasantly surprised to realize that as a Latter-Day Saint, I have much more in common with my fellow Christians than I realized. It is my hope and prayer that this article will help to dispel misunderstanding concerning differences and build upon common ground between my Latter-Day Saint faith and that of other Christians. I also hope this effort will help those of other faiths move beyond their own comfort zones to see Latter-Day Saint beliefs more accurately. In the interest of understanding those of other faiths, I present the following as my own study of the comparison between Latter-Day Saint belief and mainstream Christian orthodoxy as described by the various creeds of Christendom.


 
About Doctrinal Sources

We believe that, without prophets or apostles being guided by Jesus Christ through revelation and by the power of the Holy Ghost, there is no church, no new scripture, and no divine doctrinal guidance. 

Until I read up on the creeds of Christendom, I was under the impression that they were accepted as scripture in mainstream Christian orthodoxy; however this now appears not to be the case, per a statement issued by "Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries" in California:

"It must be emphasized that the [creeds of Christendom] are man-made documents. None of them are inspired as Scripture is inspired. Neither are they authoritative as Scripture is authoritative. Creeds are merely statements of faith that are true insofar as they accurately reflect what Scripture teaches. They are helpful 'measuring sticks' for orthodoxy."

While Latter-Day Saints do not officially recognize the creeds, along with some aspects of mainstream Christian orthodoxy, we do believe in what the scriptures have to say concerning the nature and identity of God. We believe in most of what is expressed in the various creeds of Christendom.
 

Latter-Day Saints and The Nicene Creed

Nicene Creed	LDS Position
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,	Agree
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.	Differ
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	Agree
one in Being with the Father	Differ
Through him (Jesus Christ) all things were made	Agree
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven	Agree
by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man	Agree
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered, died, and was buried.	Agree
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father	Agree
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.	Agree
We believe in the Holy Spirit	Agree
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son	Agree
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified	Agree
He has spoken through the Prophets	Differ
We believe in one catholic and holy apostolic Church	Differ
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.	Agree

 
Because we believe the Father, Son and Holy Ghost to be three separate beings that operate together as one God, we consider Jesus Christ to be the supreme Creator under the direction of His Father. We believe the prophets speak and teach by the power of the Holy Ghost. There seems to be some dispute between the Catholic and Protestant communities over the correct interpretation of the word "catholic" in the context of the creeds. Does the word mean "universal" in the dictionary sense, or does it uniquely identify the Roman Catholic Church in the historical sense? We do not believe in a "universal" church that is adapted to the philosophies or demands of men. Nor do we believe in a church that adapts its doctrines and practices in the way a business adapts its products and services - to have a more "universal" appeal to its "customer base". We do however believe in a "universal" church where all are welcome who are willing to "walk the strait and narrow way" prescribed by Christ through His prophets and apostles. In any case, while we acknowledge the right of Catholics to believe as they choose, we respectfully disagree with them as to the true identity of the Church of Jesus Christ. However we do believe in one holy and apostolic Church.


Latter-Day Saints and the Creed of the Apostles

There are a handful of variants on the Creed of the Apostles. I went with the Roman Catholic version which breaks it down into twelve articles.

Creed of the Apostles	LDS Position
1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,	Differ
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.	Agree
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.	Agree
4. Under Pontius Pilate, He was crucified, died, and was buried.	Agree
5. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. [alternatively: he descended into hell]; on the third day he rose again from the dead.	Agree
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.	Agree
7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.	Agree
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,	Agree
9. the holy catholic Church*, the communion of saints,	Differ
10. the forgiveness of sins,	Agree
11. the resurrection of the body,	Agree
12. and the life everlasting.	Agree

 We also believe in the "communion of saints", however in our church, the word "saints" refers to the "citizens" or members. During our baptismal and temple recommend interviews, we are asked to assert or confirm that we have a testimony of Christ and that we believe in and accept Him as our Savior and Redeemer, which, given our doctrine, for us encapsulates essentially all of the articles of the Creed of the Apostles, with only minor differences.


To learn more about the importance of the temple recommend, see my Bible-study article: Preserving the Sanctity of the Temple.




Latter-Day Saints and The Athanasian Creed

Athanasian Creed	LDS Position
We worship one God in trinity, and trinity in unity, neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.	Differ
For the person of the Father is one; of the Son, another; of the Holy Spirit, another.	Agree
But the divinity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one, the glory equal, the majesty equal.	Differ
Such as is the Father, such also is the Son, and such the Holy Spirit.	Agree
The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.	Agree
The Father is infinite, the Son is infinite, the Holy Spirit is infinite. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. In like manner, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord.	Agree
And yet there are not three omnipotent Beings, but one omnipotent Being. And yet there are not three eternal Beings, but one eternal Being. So also there are not three uncreated Beings, nor three infinite Beings, but one uncreated and one infinite Being. And yet there are not three Gods, but one God only. And yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord only.	Differ
For as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess each person distinctively to be both God and Lord,	Differ
we are prohibited by the Catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.	Differ
The Father is made by none, nor created, nor begotten.	Agree
The Son is from the Father alone, not made, not created, but begotten.	Agree
The Holy Spirit is not created by the Father and the Son, nor begotten, but proceeds.	Agree
Therefore, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.	Agree
And in this Trinity there is nothing prior or posterior, nothing greater or less	Differ
but all three persons are coeternal and coequal to themselves.	Differ
So that through all, as was said above, both unity in trinity and trinity in unity is to be adored.	Agree

We believe the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are coeternal and coequal to themselves in every respect except the physical. We believe God the Father and the Son each have resurrected bodies, that the Holy Ghost is of the substance of spirit only, that the three each take the form of man. We believe God created us in His (or their) image.

Hebrew4Christians:  the meaning of the word "Elohim"

 


Latter-Day Saints and The Chalcedonian Creed

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body	Agree
consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead	Differ
and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood	Differ
in all things like unto us	Agree
without sin	Agree
begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead	Agree
and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood	Agree
one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably, the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence	Differ
not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ;	Differ
as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.	Differ

Latter-Day Saints and The Westminster Confession

There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection	Agree
a most pure spirit	Differ
invisible, without body, parts, or passions	Disagree
immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.	Agree
God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them	Differ
He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom, are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, and upon them, whatsoever Himself pleaseth.	Agree
In His sight all things are open and manifest; His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent or uncertain.	Agree
He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands.	Agree
To Him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.	Agree
In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.	Differ
The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.	Agree

  

We believe that God the Father and the Son are physically visible to those who are permitted and enabled to see them. There are places in scripture where God is described as invisible. This we take to be a reference to the fact that God is generally "not seen". We believe that co-equality between the Father and the Son was in place but not perfectly achieved until the Son was resurrected, that both the Father and the Son do indeed have resurrected bodies that take the same form as man. We believe the Son was "tempted like as we are, yet without sin", that He felt the full width and breadth of the human experience while in mortality, but that He "overcame the world". We believe the greatness and glory of the Son is made all the greater by His feeling and experiencing all these things and being perfect anyway. We believe the Father "is glorified" in seeing His children "bring forth much fruit" through the grace of His only Begotten.


A Latter-Day Saint Creed


For what it's worth, the Latter-Day Saints also have a creed of our own. It was produced by Joseph Smith in response to questions the media had at that time. We call it the Articles of Faith.

The Articles of Faith

1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Whatever you believe concerning the nature, identity and unity of God, I think we can agree that there is more legitimacy to the beliefs of all Christian faiths than any one faith has historically given the others. Whatever you believe, I think we can agree that there is one Father, Son and Holy Ghost, that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, the Only Begotten of the Father, that He lived, He suffered and died for us, and He rose again the third day and overcame death and hell unto the redemption of all mankind.




Also of Interest:

LDS Lower Light: Are Mormons Christians? Answered by a Mormon
LDS Lower Light: What is Mormonism?

LDS Lower Light: Jesus of Nazareth, Our Savior and Friend!
LDS Lower Light: He is Risen, Just as He Said

BYU Speeches: Bruce R. McConkie - The Mystery of Godliness