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17. SAIVISM
Saiva Sidhanta The basic creed of the saiva sidhantha is given by the Saiva Sidhantha Church as follows:
"A Creed of Saivite Hindus
The Nicean Creed
We BELIEVE in one God, the Father Allsovereign, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
1. We BELIEVE Lord Siva is God, whose Absolute Being, Parasiva, transcends time, form and space. 2. We BELIEVE Lord Siva is God, whose immanent nature of love, Parasakti, is the substratum, primal substance or pure consciousness flowing through all form as energy, existence, knowledge and bliss. 3. We BELIEVE Lord Siva is God, whose immanent nature is the Primal Soul, Supreme Mahadeva, Paramesvara, author of Vedas and Agamas, the creator, preserver and destroyer of all that exists. 4. WE BELIEVE in the Mahadeva Lord Ganesa, son of SivaSakti, to whom we must first supplicate before beginning any worship or task 5. We BELIEVE in the Mahadeva Karttikeya, son of Siva-Sakti, whose vel of grace dissolves the bondages of ignorance 6. We BELIEVE that each individual soul is created by Lord Siva and is identical to Him, and that this identity will be fully realized by all souls when the bondage of anava, karma and maya is removed by His grace. 7. We BELIEVE in three worlds of existence: the Bhuloka, where souls take on physical bodies; the Antarloka, where souls take on astral bodies; and the Sivaloka, where souls exist in their own self-effulgent form 8. We BELIEVE in the law of Karma - that one must reap the effects of all actions he has caused - and that each soul continues to reincarnate until all karmas are resolved and moksha, liberation, is attained. 9. We BELIEVE that the performance of charya, virtuous living, kriya, temple worship, and yoga, leading to Parasiva through grace of the living satguru, is absolutely necessary to bring forth jnana, wisdom 10. We BELIEVE that there is no intrinsic evil. 11. We BELIEVE that religion is the harmonious working together of the three worlds and that this harmony can be created through temple worship, wherein the beings of all three worlds can communicate. 12. We BELIEVE in the Panchakshara Mantra, the five sacred syllables "Namah Sivaya," as Saivism's foremost and essential mantra." http://www.siddha.com.my/saivism.html
We BELIEVE in one Lord Jesus Christ, and the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father before all the ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens, and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into the heavens, and sits on the right hand of the Father, and comes again with glory to judge living and dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end.
We BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-giver, that proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and Son is worshipped together and glorified together, who spoke through the prophets.
We BELIEVE in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism unto remission of sins. We look for a resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come."
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