LINKS
Veridican Gospel of Jesus Christ
About the Scribe
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ARTICLES OF FAITH
of the
Veridican Church of the Divine in Christ
I. God
We believe God is the monistic substance of being, the Father of souls, the Author of truth, and the Creator of the universe in all its dimensions. In Him all things have their existence, and apart from Him nothing is. He is the One Life from whom every soul receives its being, and in whom all creation finds its meaning and purpose.
II. Christ
Christ is the Son of God conscious of Himself within a human soul. In Veridican doctrine, Christ is not merely a messianic title nor solely a historical designation, but the divine attribute of God's Son awakened and actualized in a human being. Christ is the soul brought to its full fruition--reborn into the living awareness of its unity with the Monistic Entity. When a person undergoes spiritual rebirth and knows in the depth of consciousness, "I and the Father are one," that soul becomes the Son of Man, the embodied expression of Christ in the world. Christ is God perceiving Himself through a human life, and the destiny of every human soul is to be brought to this realization.
III. Jesus Christ
Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God incarnate--the first Christ of our present civilization. Veridicans affirm that Jesus lived as a real man in history: born of Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, risen on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of God. In Him, the divine Son was fully conscious of Himself within a human life. Jesus was the first soul of this age to attain perfect Christ-consciousness, becoming the Son of Man in its complete and realized form. His teachings, works, and resurrection reveal the Way by which all human beings may likewise become Christ--reborn into the awareness of their unity with God and fulfilled in their divine purpose.
IV. Human Purpose
The purpose of the human soul is to become Christ. We do not become Jesus Christ, but are reborn into the substance of Christ so that we may fulfill our own unique purpose on the Earth, using the talents God has given us. Each soul is called to manifest Christ in its own way, becoming the Son of Man according to the divine intention placed within it.
V. The Eucharist
We believe that in the sacred act of eating bread and drinking wine, our faith transforms the bread into the actual body of Christ and the wine into the actual blood of Christ. This is the Veridican Eucharist. Through it, our spirit is nourished, our soul is transformed, and we are progressively made into Christ. All salvation and atonement are accomplished through this act of faith, by which we partake of the living substance of the Son of God.
VI. The Church
The Veridican Church of the Divine in Christ is the personal religious expression of Veridicanism as lived by Br. Edward and Sr. Michelle. It is not an institution, denomination, or organization, but the shared spiritual life of the two people who first embraced the Veridican path. Its purpose is to preserve the Veridican Gospel of Jesus Christ, to bear witness to the Three Pillars of Veridicanism, and to live daily according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. It stands as a testimony to the faith, not as an authority over it. Veridicanism has no membership, no clergy, and no institutional hierarchy. Each Veridican follows only Jesus Christ, who is the sole teacher and authority of the faith. The Veridican Church of the Divine in Christ does not stand between the individual and Christ, nor does it confer status, belonging, or spiritual rank. It exists simply as the way Br. Edward and Sr. Michelle practice the Veridican life and preserve its teachings for future generations. To be Veridican is not to join a church, but to follow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ until we are Christ.
VII. The Canon
The Veridican Church of the Divine in Christ recognizes the Veridican Gospel of Jesus Christ as its canon. It is the Gospel through which we follow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We honor the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as the Gospel of Thomas, and any other writings the Spirit of Truth may use to guide us. Yet the Veridican Gospel of Jesus Christ is the scripture we hold as having final authority over the decisions we make and the structure of our faith, for it reveals the Way by which we become Christ.
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