Why Don't Baptists Use The Nicene Creed?

[afroMan]

Hi. I go to a Baptist church and until now, I pretty much presumed that the Nicene Creed was accepted in Baptist churches (though I admit I don't think I've heard it used).

I was wondering why it isn't accepted in the same way that the Bible is. Most, if not all, of what the Creed says seems to be Biblical in basis and is just a statement of faith, so why don't Baptists accept it? Furthermore, it was drafted at the same Council that canonized the Bible!

Can any Baptists here who know a lot about Baptist theology and belief tell me why we don't use the Nicene Creed as well as the Bible?

Dan

[Christian Teen Forums]

[benedictus]

There are a few possible reasons.

3. I suspect that many Baptists would take issue with the line of the Nicene Creed that reads:

<div align='center'>We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
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Many Baptists hold to a doctrine called Landmarkism, which basically secures the autonomy of each individual Baptist church. According to Landmarkism, there is no such thing as one great big universal Church or even a great big mystical Church of which everyone is a "member," but rather a collection of little local churches all united together in Jesus's body.

Basically, it boils down to the fact that if you're not going to say the Creed for what it means and you don't agree with certain pats of it, then there's clearly no point in fiddling with it or removing and editing lines and such, so they choose simply to ignore it.

I hope that helps you out.
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