Latter-day Saints differ from historic Christianity in several ways, including the restoration of priesthood authority directly from God and the translation of new scripture. Another way is "the rejection of creeds."
But when someone mentions that Latter-day Saints don't believe in "the Nicene Creed," they're usually talking about more than just one document. In fact, what most people call "the Nicene Creed" is actually a collection of different statements written over several centuries.
Two Different Nicene Creeds
The original Nicene Creed came out of the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. These bishops weren't just defining God—they also tackled everything from when to celebrate Easter to whether priests could charge interest. The God question arose because a priest named Arius taught that Jesus had been created by the Father and was therefore not equal to Him.
For many Christians, this threatened the divinity of Jesus. The council of bishops at Nicaea determined that Arius’s view was not in accordance with scripture, and in response, they wrote a short statement of belief (creed), preserved in the records by Eusebius of Caesarea.
But here's where it gets confusing: what most Christians know today isn't actually what came out of Nicaea. That version was expanded at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD to more fully define the nature of the Trinity.
The Other Creeds That Get Mixed In
When Latter-day Saints talk about "the creeds," they're often thinking of several documents:
The Chalcedonian Definition focused on how Jesus can be both fully God and fully human simultaneously. According to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, Christ has two distinct natures that exist in one person without mixing or changing. The Chalcedonian Definition teaches that Jesus Christ is both fully divine and fully human—one person, not two. He is like the Father in divinity, and also like us in mortality, including a real body and spirit.
The Athanasian Creed drives home the Trinity concept with the memorable line: "The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God; and yet they are not three Gods, but one God." Probably composed by a Western bishop between the 5th and 7th centuries, it didn’t originate from an official council like the Nicene Creed or the Chalcedonian Definition, but it gradually gained traction. Despite the name, it probably wasn’t written by Athanasius.
The Westminster Confession includes language that stands out to Latter-day Saints: it describes God as "without body, parts, or passions." That's quite different from our belief in a God with a glorified physical body who experiences emotions. The Westminster Confession of Faith was written during the English Civil War by the Westminster Assembly, a group of Reformed theologians (primarily Presbyterian) convened by Parliament from 1643 to 1649.
Why We Take a Different Path
For us Latter-day Saints, rejecting these creeds is not about dismissing Christian devotion, but about asserting a different framework for understanding God, one rooted in modern revelation rather than philosophical synthesis. The creeds represent sincere efforts by early Christians to preserve orthodoxy amid theological conflict, but to us, they also reflect a shift away from the simplicity and relational immediacy of New Testament faith. For traditional Christians, these creeds define the boundaries of belief and identity; to reject them is to stand outside the historical church. This difference in perspective can lead to real misunderstandings—not just about theology, but about what it means to be a Christian. As Latter-day Saints, we would do well to recognize how deeply these creeds shape the Christian self-understanding of many believers. If we hope to engage meaningfully in dialogue as fellow Christians, we must approach these differences not only with clarity, but also with empathy and a willingness to learn how others define and live their faith.
Like Mormonr? Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on the latest blog posts, Q&As, and Mormonr projects.