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Notes -
This is one of my nits to pick with mormons. The idea of calling Christians "Nicene" Christians, as if there is some alternative Christianity is ridiculous semantic poisoning. As far as I can tell the only people who use this term are Mormons.
Nicene Christians use the term for themselves.
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I’m sorry, but this just isn’t correct. I am a Nicene Christian, and I use the term as a proud self-description!
The truth is, there are alternative Christianities. Have been since the beginning. Gnosticism. Arianism. When we move further on in the history of the ecumenical councils, Nestorianism.
When I say that I’m a Nicene Christian, I mean to say that I believe the Council of Nicaea defines Christianity. I do not mince my words by saying this. I am not, by saying it, saying that there are other Christians that are just as good.
I’m happy to extend the term “Christian,” sociologically, to Mormons, as in a matter of history they obviously derived from Christianity. But I do not by saying this mean to say that I believe that they are right, that their views are correct, or even that they are acceptable. I reject strongly any view of the divine nature that is not classically theistic, and would even say that Mormons do not even worship the same conception of God as Nicene Christians do, and that very often Mormons do not engage with this with the intense seriousness it deserves, as the principle theological difference between them and Nicene Christians. They obviously find this offensive, but I believe the only way to be charitable is not to water things down in the spirit of “being inoffensive”, but by speaking the truth as I understand it.
That means giving them a point when they deserve it, not being reflexively hostile. What hostility I have towards the LDS church I have because I have earnestly engaged it in the spirit of charity and found it to be too distinct to reconcile with the beliefs I hold dear, and many of its historical claims impossible to reconcile with historical evidence. I do not believe Mormons are evil, or insincere, but I do believe they are mistaken — and gravely so.
Which is what had me gritting my teeth about a Mormon blithely chiming in about the doctrinal inconsistency within Catholicism, but like I said, this kind of debate has all the potential to get very nasty very fast, so I should shut up now.
That was me. Looking back I made my point pretty clumsily and also in poor taste, given especially how it came across as a "dunk" or something, so for that again I apologize. The point I was trying to make was the one that was drawn out a little bit better later about how Tradition - at least to some extent - forces Catholicism to treat potential changes to Tradition with more seriousness than other religions might, with my own as a bit of an extreme example. It wasn't my intent to focus on the alleged inconsistencies as much as to comment on how from the outside alleged inconsistencies seemed like theoretically kind of a big deal for Catholics. I appreciate Oracle's replies and your own self-control both in that respect.
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