Creeds are important statements about God to assist us to remember the key tenets of our beliefs. Creeds that Christians know and recite are: The Apostles Creed, The Athanasius Creed, and The Nicene Creed. One translation of the Nicene Creed is: ‘I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only- begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, through Whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man: Who for us, too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried: the third day He rose according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven, and is seated on the right hand of the Father: He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son: Who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified: Who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy, Christian, and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and life of the age to come. Amen.’
The most important Creed in Islâm is called the ‘shahadah.’ It states that ‘there is no God but Allâh and Muhammed is his Prophet or Messenger.’ Confession of this Creed makes a person a Muslim. The entire Qur’an becomes a Creed to many Muslims who seek to memorise its entire content in Arabic.
Creeds of faith guide us in what we believe, and can point us to ‘The Right Path.’