1 / 20

What do you believe? An inquiry into the nature of creeds

What do you believe? An inquiry into the nature of creeds. By: Andrea Brinkley. What is a creed?. (noun) any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination; any system or codification of belief or of opinion 4

jovita
Download Presentation

What do you believe? An inquiry into the nature of creeds

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. What do you believe?An inquiry into the nature of creeds By: Andrea Brinkley

  2. What is a creed? (noun) any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination; any system or codification of belief or of opinion4 Creed comes from the Latin word credo, meaning I believe or credimus, we believe.9 A creed is a statement of belief.

  3. Related Terms The term creed is sometimes confused with other, related concepts: Oath- a statement or promise; appeal to a deity4 Mission statement- aims and objectives of an organization4 Pledge- solemn promise or agreement to do or refrain from doing something4 Doctrine- a body or system of teachings, principles, or positions4 Testimony- declaration or profession, as of faith4

  4. Where did creeds originate?

  5. Christian Creeds Many of the earliest known creeds come from Christianity. Two of the most well-known examples are the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed.

  6. The Nicene Creed The original form of this creed dates back to the first ecumenical Council at Nicea in A.D. 325.9,12 Here are excerpts of the current version: “We believe in one God, the Father all mighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God…who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate… He was crucified for us…and suffered, and was buried, and rose on the third day…and ascended to heaven…And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life…We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen”9

  7. The Apostles’ Creed This creed is common in Western Civilization, used in worship by Protestant Christians, and often in the form of a prayer by Catholics.9 It includes: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit…was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to hell, on the third day rose again…ascended to heaven…thence he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit...the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life-everlasting. Amen.”8,9

  8. The Methodist Social Creed The Methodist Social Creed includes elements of a mission statement as it declares the ways that God will be served and worshipped by His followers. “We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing…”12 “We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.”12

  9. Restoration Movement Not all churches use a creed. The Restoration Movement, led by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell, was a move away from church creeds. Restoration churches use the phrase “no creed but Christ” and aim to “speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.”11

  10. Who else uses creeds?

  11. Jodo Shinshu Creed This Buddhist creed has four main points that give its followers a life’s mission. …I shall proceed through the journey of life with strength and joy. Revering the Light of the Buddha, reflecting upon my imperfect self, I shall strive to live a life of gratitude. …I shall spread the True Dharma. …Respecting and aiding one another, I shall do my best to work toward the welfare of society.16

  12. Atheism Atheism is not united with a creed. However, every individual has beliefs. Here are elements from one atheist’s creed. • “I believe in the primacy of science, to provide a framework for life, a reason for being… • I believe in what I can see, what I can touch, in the tangible, the physical, the realistic… • I believe in the goodness of humankind… • I believe in me, in my innate ability, in my mind, in my own ability to solve my problems, in my own moral standards… • I believe in nothing.”10

  13. Education • John Dewey- “I believe that the only true education comes through the stimulation of the child’s powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself.”3 • Benjamin Franklin- “Nothing is of more importance for the public Weal than to form up Youth in Wisdom and Virtue. Wise and good Men, are, in my Opinion, The Strength of the State far more so than Riches or Arms…”7

  14. Examples in Professions

  15. The role of science Science can, at times, be at odds with the beliefs in the unseen that are essential to many religious creeds- “Our suggestion is that all creeds should be subjected to, or preferably subject themselves to, periodic systematic objective evaluation of the fundamental beliefs that are the foundation of their systems. Let us all start in by saying: ‘Maybe we all have been wrong.’ Let us start from the bottom, analyze all the beliefs that underlie practices, evaluate their validity, and eliminate the invalid. Out of such research should come a new type of religion. The scientific way of life will be a strong contender as the basis for a more tenable system of religion.” -Frederick C. Thorne, M.D., PH.D14

  16. Creeds in Government • English author, C.K. Chesterton once declared that, “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.” It was set forth with “theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence.”2All people in America are entitled to the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. • Conflict occurs when this creed comes up against other creeds in opposition to it, such as the Communist creed, which declares, “there will be no peace on earth until all the nations of the world are Communist.”1

  17. Summation Belonging to a religion or profession can unify one with others under a common creed. However, every individual holds their own beliefs as well, and they often go unexamined. It may not be a bad idea to ask yourself once in awhile, “What do I believe?”

  18. References • Bullitt, W.C. (1947). The Communist creed. Vital speeches of the day. 13, 15, 460. IUPUI EBSCO. Retrieved February 4, 2012, from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.ulib.iupui.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9753312&site=ehost-live • Church, F. (2002). The American creed.Nation. 275, 8, 19-22. IUPUI EBSCO. Retrieved February 5, 2012, from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.ulib.iupui.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=7272909&site=ehost-live • Dewey, J. (1897). My pedagogic creed. New York: E.L. Kellogg & Co. Electronic book. Retrieved February 4, 2012, from http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader?id=Kpcr2_bXIa0C&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&pg=GBS.PP10.w.0.2.0.10 • Dictionary.com, LLC. (2011). (Version 2.2) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com/ • Edmondson, A. & Perry Jr., E. L. (2008). Objectivity and “The Journalist’s Creed.” Journalism History. 33, 4, 233-240. IUPUI EBSCO. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.ulib.iupui.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=30096295&site=ehost-live

  19. References • Froelich, T. J. (n.d.). Tensions among ethical principles and in their application in library and information work. Retrieved February 4, 2012, from www.ffzg.unizg.hr/infoz/lida/lida2001/present/froehlich.doc • Gates, T. (1940). The strength of the creeds of our fathers. Vital speeches of the day. 6, 9, 262. IUPUI EBSCO. Retrieved February 11, 2011, from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.ulib.iupui.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9736942&site=ehost-live • Hordern, W. (1955). A layman’s guide to Protestant theology. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock. • Johnston, L. T. (2003). The creed: What Christians believe and why it matters. New York: Doubleday. • McBride, N. (2007). The atheist’s creed. Retrieved February 5, 2012, from http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~nkm/Poems/The%20Atheist%20Creed.pdf • Modgling, J. (2012, February 2). Personal communication.

  20. References • People of The United Methodist Church. Our social creed. Retrieved February 5, 2012, from http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1836 • Schaff, P. (1887). Creeds of Christendom. New York: Harper & Brothers. Electronic book. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://books.google.com/books/reader?id=gX49AAAAYAAJ&lr&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&pg=GBS.PR1 • Thorne, F. C. (1979). A scientist’s creed. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 35, 1, 4-34. IUPUI EBSCO. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.ulib.iupui.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=15828731&site=ehost-live • Tyson, P. (2001). The Hippocratic Oath today. Nova. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html • Usuki, P.K. (2010, June). As we set out on our own journey. Wheel of Dharma. 36, 6, 5.

More Related