3354.— What Is Meant by a Creed?
By Editor
You speak of "a human creed." What do you mean? And have Seventh-day Adventists a creed? F. L. M. The Standard Dictionary defines a creed to be: A formal summary of fundamental points of religious belief; an authoritative statement of doctrine on points held to be vital, usually representing the views of a religious body; a confession of faith. Against a mere statement of one's belief we could find no fault; any one may express that. But when such a statement is drawn and elaborated by man and is made an authoritative standard to which all must subscribe, we have in it a human creed, which binds soul and mind, and prevents normal growth in an individual or a church. For God's Word is living and expansive; how can it be confined in the dry, dead forms of human words limited by the human understanding? Yes, Seventh-day Adventists have a creed—the Bible. Should they forsake that fountain of truth, and hew out human cisterns, they will follow the way of all the past, dry up and die.