Open Letter to the Pope: Revolutionize the Creed

Dear Pope Benedict XVI:

As an American Catholic, I want to take the opportunity of your visit to our country to call upon you to reverse some of the mistakes of the distant past that have made the Church a major force in subordinating women and in devaluing the very values that Jesus taught.

In my last blog, I called upon you to recognize publically, as did your predecessor John Paul I, that God, as a Creator, cannot be of one sex, but must be either asexual or androgynous: "a Mother as well as a Father," in the words of John Paul I.

An important step in restoring the female part of God would be revising the Creed to correct the errors made by the misogynistic bishops at Nicaea and Constantinople in the Fourth Century. In addition to correcting those mistakes, a new Creed could also offer a more inclusive, worldwide view that might help to make the Church a force for human unity rather than division.

Here, from my new book, Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America (Crown), are my suggestions for a revolutionized Creed, with the changes italicized:

"We believe in one God, the Creator, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

"We believe in the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Human Incarnation of God,
eternally begotten of the Creator,
God from God, Light from Light
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Creator.
Through him all things were made.
For us people and for our salvation, he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Father/Mother,
He became fully human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again, in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated beside the Creator.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his world will have no end.

"We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lady, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Creator and the Redeemer.
With the Creator and the Redeemer, She is worshiped and glorified,
She has spoken through the prophets.

"We believe in many holy ways to worship God.
We acknowledge baptism as one means for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Robert S. McElvaine teaches history at Millsaps College. His latest book, Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America, has just been published by Crown.

Comments

[iluvsam]

The belief in any of this stuff is ridiculous. Such a sad, sad waste of time.

[TN]

They need to approve of birth control. They don't because they want more catholics which means more $ for the church.

[clearvoyant]

Bob,I hope you didn't stay up all night thinking of this great revelation. A thesaurus and Search and Replace could enable an even an English major to do that in ten minutes. You need some serious exercise in the spiritual.Get thee to thy meditation Grasshopper!

[alanps]

Actually the Creed is the foundation of the Holy Catholic Church, not just the Roman Catholic Church. It is the same Creed for the Anglican (Episcopal in the US) Communion and the Orthodox Church. It effectively pre-dates the schism and the birth of Roman Catholicism.

In other words it's not the Pope's to change.

I am politically very liberal - but I have to say that the words of the Creed in no way offend me, I am smart enough to understand they were written in the early days of the Church and reflect the writing of the period. Likewise though more modern versions of the Bible are easier to read in someways, the King James will always be for me the true Bible (even though it is of course simply and English translations from the Greek).

Personally, I think this is just a promotion for the guys book. Misogyny is a serious issue and needs to be dealt with - but can't see that this helps and seems frankly a little silly.

[kmjgaard]

Glad the Pope doesn't read this blog. By the way, Jesus came as a MAN thus as a child he must be a SON. Also, when we use any kind of analogy to understand God the dissimularity is always far great than the similarity because we are the creature and he is the creator. This is true even of the parables. We can only understand a very small piece of who God is.
As a woman, a Catholic, and an English major I am not offended by the use of "Father", "Son", "Lord", or the inclusive term "man" for humankind. I don't regard them as "errors" nor do I think of the Church Fathers in Nicea as "misogynistic." Those are your feelings, not the facts. I am grateful that the Church is big enough for both of us and please keep the conversation open - it is good for the health of the Body of Christ.
Blessings to you.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

Shameless self-promotion adding nothing to any discourse, but certainly encouraging the purchase of your book to those unable to recognize this fact.

[maryinnh]

The Creed is supposed to be the foundation of Catholic faith. But for years now, I've had dificulty saying it because it is impossible to believe that God could be so small as to be made in the image of "man". We cannot capture God in the concept of man or woman. Yet for centuries the Christian faith has been so egotistical to think so.

Several years ago, I learned the Aramaic version of the "Our Father" . Aramaic was the language Jesus spoke and the Our Father was the only prayer he ever gave us. When translated into English, however, it is clear the Jesus did not use the Word "Father" . Rather, Jesus used a term that was greater than that - and closer to "Creator" than any term identifiable with any human sex.

So when I'm at Mass I say the "Our Father" in the Aramaic, and when I say the Creed, or the "Gloria" I substitute the masculine and use the word "Creator." And I'm awed and humbled to know and understand the God I worship is greater than humankind.

[outnow]

I am amazed that the victims of child molestation would continue to "believe." The Stockholm syndrome was demonstrated by the genuflexion of the victims to the Pope who covered up the abuse. Is 2,000 years of child abuse enough to make a true believer that the church itself is evil? How about the 4,00 plus children kept as sexual slaves in another cult? Or let's talk of the suicide bombers or the Catholics versus the Protestants. A brief mention of the Zionists would be appropriate.

I have never spoken to anyone who has seen God. Therefore, the greatest proof to me of his non-existence is my own experience and the behavior of those afflicted with the God delusion. Jesus had teachings of which I approve. But the teachings are observed by the breach thereof. Mother Theresa did good acts and I admire that. The rest is all talk. Please convey my observations to the Pope. Jesus would be offended at the pretentiousness of the Pope. The Pope should resign and eliminate the office itself before more harm is done.

[kmjgaard]

Knowing there is a God is the only thing that can sustain you when you have been so violated as to have been molested by a clergy member. It is a primal violation of what is essential to being human - religion and sexuality. We all have a need to be loved and that is the essence of both acts. In fact they are created to go together. Read "The Theology of the Body" by Christopher West for a deeper understanding on that. It's pretty amazing.
I know a great many people throughout history who are believers that you might consider reading in order to inform your intellect on the subject. You may still decide youdon't believe, but at least you'd have given the "God delusion" fair consideration. I hope you do. It's worth the pursuit.

[recless]

You religious people crack me up. God is the only thing that will sustain them? Funny, lots of the money the Church is paying out is going to secular shrinks. Where was your God when these victims could have used him... like WHEN THEY WERE GETTING MOLESTED? Let's see... got abused in the Church by a Church authority... then go back to the Church for help to heal from the Church's abuse? LMFAO.

[jfor]

I guess its a good thing your not the Pope then.