Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-05-14
CHANGING THE CREED.

An interesting church item has re-
Gently come from New Haven. Conn.
the home OF one Of the oldest Congre-
gational churches in America.
Center Church Of that city has form
ally abrogated the Apostles Greed.
which has been for ages the standard
confession OF faith and the test OF
church membership
IL is said that thousands of Congre-
gationalists viii regard this move as
radical measure and as a confession
OF weakness and imperfection in a
system Of articles hitherto held TO be
OF the highest authority.
Old dogmas, the source OF much tur-
moil and dissension for centuries and
more especially Of late years. are now
to be quietly laid on the shelf.
The significance OF the step taken is
emphasized by the commanding posi-
tion OF this Organization. Center
church Is literally the parent OF New
Haven. being founded In 1928 by the
Colonial Governor Eaton and the Rev.
John Davenport. the Vicar OF St Steph-
ems Church. London For "A half cen
fury its councils were those Of the en-
tire colony, and no one was even al
lowed 10 vote on political questions un-
less in good standing with the congre-
cation. In the yard OF the church lies
the dust Of the Regicide Judges. Con-
Whaley and Dxwell. who sought ref
uge N the colony from the vengeance
of Charles II. Through the influence
Of the church came the founding OF
Yale, and for centuries II has been one
OF the university bulwarks
The pastor Or. Maurer. offers the
following statement IN Justification Of
the change:
we have dropped the Apostles
Greed not because we differ from II
but because We are endeavorng TO
find more adequate statement Of what
we consider the fundamental thing In
Christian faith. We are trying to make
our new confession as untechnical as
possible, A great many confessions,
purely theological refer almost entire
~ TO special Interpretations of certain
dogmas II a man can assent to them
ne is considered worthy Of church
membership. II not he Is deharred
Elm every Protestant congregation in
the land men and women in the same
pew who stand and reCite the Greed
place widely different interpretations
upon Il. We do not believe the Greed
voices the present religious convictions
OF men II was written for It's own age.
Man today has his own conceptions Of
truth based upon things that modern
ar.Is. hraa HarHH he ..fA
forms written for past age to express
convictions Of the present age he will
always need TO adjust and qualify and
accommodate either himself or those
forms"
The Apostles Greed Is one of the
earliest and most generally accepted
symbols of orthodox Christian faith.
and was SO named from the fact that
It's authorship was attributed to the
twelve apostles. This tradition has Of
course no authority, the historical orr
gin OF the creed being involved in OBJ
SECURITY
The earliest original or simple state
mCnt Of this creed Is found i'm
the works Of Greek writer Epiphani-
as. who quotes the confession OF faith
presented IN 1886 A. D. by Marcellus 70
Julius. bishop of Rome, as follows; Il
believe IN God. the Father Almighty
and IN Jesus Christ His only be-
gotten Son. our Lord, who was born OF
the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary
who under Pontius plate was cruclhcd
ana buried. and ON the third day rose
from the dead. assembled into heaven,
and stitch az the right hand Of the
Father. whence lie is coming 10 Judge
the quick and the dead and iu the
Holy Ghost. the Holy Church. the re-
mission Of sins. the resurrection OF the
flesh. everlasting life"
In later times, the statement OF
Chrlst's descent into he'll. and the COM
nunion OF saints were added. also the
word catholic" before church, with
some other additions.
Now. II appears from the discussion
that this simple creed is objection
able The points mentioned by DIR.
Maurer are the virgin birth and the
communion OF saints OF the virgin
birth he says some people stlll be-
Heve in II Implicitly. others feel that
neither historically not philosophlcally
can Il be Justified. nor Is IL necessary.
lie and the deacons Of his congregation
believe Il Is their duty 10 base mem
bership upon "a religious purpose rath-
or than assent 10 a particular and sec
tartan statement OF faith.
Yet, If church members cannot agree