I had the pleasure of seeing my step-son confirm his faith two weeks ago at the Rite of Confirmation on Trinity Sunday. It was a special time for me and my wife and we remembered our own confirmation celebrations many years ago.
One thing that made this Sunday different was that we affirmed/declared our faith together by reading the Athanasian Creed and not the more commonly used Apostles Creed.
http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Statements-of-Belief/The-Athanasian-Creed.aspxAs I stood there reading it aloud, all the various thoughts about the Nature and Person of the Triune God were very difficult to keep track of. It occurred to me that it is like trying to understand the Theory of Relativity in Physics. You may be able to understand one part of it by itself, while another part may seem incompatible. Yet, each part is true in itself and you have to assent to the truth of it even if it doesn't jive with your understanding of another part.
It is very like the interaction we each have with other believers..... we may each have an understanding of a part of the whole, but if we are talking about different parts, it sounds like we are not in agreement. It takes a lot of listening to make sure we have a whole understanding of what someone means and not just a knee-jerk reaction to part of something they said.
No matter the origins of the Creed and no matter what the differences are between us, we confess it along with other Orthodox Churches in this, the "church militant", until we die and join the "Church Triumphant" in the presence of God.
