# Do you know the Apostle's Creed from memory? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2018, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649 "2018-12-06T02:35:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/121 "2018-12-10T18:43:48Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’m certainly no fan of Trump, but this whole “controversy” just seems like _meh_. Who cares? 😕 Maybe because I was raised culturally Jewish, but without the religious God part, and always celebrated Christmas, that I just don’t see what the big deal is. To be fair, all these arguments have always been “meh” if you’re not in the faith being argued about. The Sunni-Shia split is “meh” to me (other than from a geopolitical view) because I’m not Muslim. Even if you’re in the faith involved, theological arguments are generally “meh” to the laity. The specifics of what’s orthodox, what’s heterodox, and what’s a heresy as decided upon by a council 1500 years ago, for example, means nothing in secular life and only comes up in religious discussions, and nobody is hot to really restart arguing that the West should accept Arianism, Unitarianism, or Nestorism, for instance. It’s really more about a combination of hypocrisy and a complete inability to even fake good manners at a public event. If the president was Mitt Romney, I wouldn’t expect him to say the Nicene. I would expect him to be willing to say the Apostles’. If Bernie Sanders was president, I wouldn’t expect him to say any Christian creed. But I’m sure both would be able to show good manners. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/122 "2018-12-10T18:43:48Z")
Atheist born and raised. I think I have heard the term before now but have no idea what it means. I had a semester of Bible Studies taught by a Priest (it was a requirement to graduate) when I attended a Catholic University but don’t remember this coming up. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/123 "2018-12-10T19:26:28Z")
Not sure if I _can_ recite it from memory (if I were to attempt it, I’d probably do better in Latin, on account of most choral Masses are written that way, with the caveat that that’s actually the Nicene Creed, a subtly different critter). Anyway, even if I could, I probably wouldn’t, since I view it as a list of statements that I am asserting a belief in the truth of, and I don’t like to lie. At a public event that I _had_ to attend, I would probably just stand in respectful silence. Pretty much the way I handle the Pledge of Allegiance. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/124 "2018-12-10T19:38:56Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Interestingly enough, all the Catholic churches I’ve been to have always recited the Nicene Creed. There’s only one time I’ve ever hear the Apostle’s Creed recited. The Nicene Creed is, of course, part of the Ordinary of the Mass. But the Apostle’s Creed is recited as the opening of the recitation of the Rosary (which most Catholic funerals hold one of the day before). ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/125 "2018-12-10T20:17:26Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I’m Jewish and I had not heard of the Apostle’s Creed until it was revealed that Trump hadn’t either. Would a non-Christian/Catholic be expected to read or sing along? Only if they believe in those things (which I’m guessing most non-Christians would not - but lots of people believe lots of things, so who knows?) and are ok with saying creeds. I identify as Protestant and fall into the mostly know it area (it’s never been a weekly thing at the churches I’ve attended, but it is part of the service frequently enough). I cannot recite it word-for-word unprompted, and if I’m not reading it while saying it, I’ll hang back a little to make sure that I haven’t forgotten a phrase or adjective or mixed up the order. I know it well enough that I’ve recognized it in languages that I don’t really speak, but know a few key words in. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/126 "2018-12-10T23:16:49Z")
Brought up liberal Lutheran, at one had the whole small catechism memorized. That’s forgotten, but I remember the Apostles’ Creed in spite of 50 intervening years of flirtation with shamanism and fairly serious Buddhist practice. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/127 "2018-12-10T23:37:32Z")
I suppose that a Jew could, in principle, recite the parts about the Father and maybe the Holy Spirit, and stay silent for the parts about Jesus and the Church. But that’d still be a bit odd, and for that matter, Jews aren’t actually required to believe anything. Certainly a Jew would be expected **not** to recite the part about Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/128 "2018-12-11T01:58:01Z")
I’ve been a member of both Episcopal and ELCA Lutheran churches over the years, and my recollection is of reciting the Nicene Creed weekly, and reciting the Apostles’ Creed only occasionally. So I don’t have either creed memorized: not the AC, because I’ve rarely said it in eons, and not the NC, because it’s a bit much to memorize. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/129 "2018-12-11T02:40:06Z")
Being raised Jewish, I don’t think I’ve even heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/130 "2018-12-11T02:55:15Z")
I’m atheist but I grew up United Methodist and it was said every Sunday so even though it’s been over 20 years since I was in a church I can still recite it from memory. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/131 "2018-12-11T03:14:22Z")
Never heard of it. I saw Assassin’s Creed, though. It was terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/132 "2018-12-11T03:27:53Z")
Atheist. I don’t know what most biblical references are or mean. I didn’t go to church and have pretty much no interest. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/133 "2018-12-11T12:57:36Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Atheist. I don’t know what most biblical references are or mean. The Creeds aren’t Biblical _per se_. They’re post-biblical attempts to sum up the basics of Christian belief. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/134 "2018-12-11T14:03:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I suppose that a Jew could, in principle, recite the parts about the Father and maybe the Holy Spirit, and stay silent for the parts about Jesus and the Church. But that’d still be a bit odd, and for that matter, Jews aren’t actually required to believe anything. > > Certainly a Jew would be expected **not** to recite the part about Jesus. The Holy Spirit doesn’t make any sense to a Jew either. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/135 "2018-12-11T15:04:15Z")
Lapsed catholic, and I recognize it, but can no longer recite it from memory. Though every time I see this damn thread, I just mutter “Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/136 "2018-12-11T15:30:17Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The Creeds aren’t Biblical _per se_. They’re post-biblical attempts to sum up the basics of Christian belief. One weird thing about the Bush funeral coverage: the Creed was often referred to as a _prayer_. It’s not. The Creed says things Christians believe _about_ God, referring to God in the third person. Believers address prayers _to_ God, referring to God in the second person. There’s a clear distinction. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/137 "2018-12-11T16:18:01Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > One weird thing about the Bush funeral coverage: the Creed was often referred to as a _prayer_. > > It’s not. The Creed says things Christians believe _about_ God, referring to God in the third person. Believers address prayers _to_ God, referring to God in the second person. There’s a clear distinction. You are expressing a Protestant view of prayer. Prayer has a much wider definition in the Catholic faith. In the Catholic faith, the Creed most certainly is a prayer _in addition_ to being a declaration of faith. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/138 "2018-12-13T01:26:13Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I’m atheist but I grew up United Methodist and it was said every Sunday so even though it’s been over 20 years since I was in a church I can still recite it from memory. This is me exactly. I was at a funeral Friday where it was recited. I didn’t join in, but I could have. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/139 "2018-12-13T02:27:39Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The Holy Spirit doesn’t make any sense to a Jew either. Does it make sense to _anyone_? you see plenty of depictions of YHVH and Jesus–how many paintings do we have of The Holy Ghost? ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649/140 "2018-12-13T02:36:06Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Does it make sense to _anyone_? you see plenty of depictions of YHVH and Jesus–how many paintings do we have of The Holy Ghost? A ton. It’s usually portrayed as a dove with a halo surrounding it. A famous example is da Vinci’s Baptism of Christ. > **[The Baptism of Christ by Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci](https://www.leonardo-da-vinci.net/baptism-of-christ/)** > > Read about Leonardo da Vinci's The Baptism of Christ. This website features all major works from the Italian Renaissance master. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-the-apostles-creed-from-memory/825649.md?page=8)