La Licorne
MODERN CREED
Elsewhere on these pages I have already referred to the former Pastor of Bokhoven as being the connoisseur of the village history. At this place I wish to articulate my deep respect for this gentleman, who not only figures as a devout priest, but -in his unassuming way- has performed as a professor in theology, and as an accredited journalist to the Second Vatican Council.
In 1963 the Rev G M van der Velden (*1908) landed in Bokhoven for his last official assignment. The archives he found in the village church inspired him to document its history, the village of Bokhoven with its environs and many other matters of interest he came across. On the way he developed an ability to analyse, interpret and translate scriptures from Latin, French and Old Dutch. All this produced over one thousand factual transcriptions, hundreds of articles and a number of books.
Mieke and I esteem this deer counsellor who we may call Uncle George. On the web he is widely referred to and for a record of the course of his life and an overview of his works the relevant pages may be consulted.
A
year after the latest turn of century Uncle George surprised us with his views
on the Creed of the Roman Catholic Church. In the table below I have matched
the outcome of his considerations with the church's official Creed.
|
Symbolum (Credo) Apostolicum in a modern English version [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles_Creed] I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. |
Creed according to Rev George M van der Velden [as interpreted by Pith, comments invited] We believe in God, the almighty, creator of the universe. We
believe in Jesus Christ He
was the son of Josef and born of
Mary. He
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. 1) He was reunited with God the Father Those that will live forth will be separated from the evil ones. We believe in the union of the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son, in the holy catholic Church of believers in Christ the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. |
1) These
statements can be considered as historic facts, in which case they are subject
to 'knowledge', not 'believe'.
The very publication holds a lot of frank, and -according to my opinion- well-put admissions, such as:
- The Creation has caused a cosmic evolution
- Beings, gifted with both -intellect and a free will- may (have) exist(ed) elsewhere in the universe
- The presence of angels and devils is doubtful
- Jesus was conceived in a natural manner by Mary from Josef and was naturally born
- Jesus was born a baby that had to learn to walk, speak etc.
- It is questionable whether the man Jesus ever became aware he was the Messiah
- Mary was no virgin in the common sense, but was privileged as having mothered Jesus
- Both -the death and resurrection of Jesus- must have coincided
- God doesn't "sit", nor does he have a "right hand"
- The "resurrection" after death has been reserved exclusively for Jesus and the just ones
- 'Hell' doesn't exist, but for the sinners nothing remains after death.
Clearly Uncle George is a follower of the 'modern' theology that developed from the fifties in last century. Obviously this has been embraced by the mainstream of the Roman Catholic practitioners in the modern world. However, the official church of today with its newly instructed clergy has moved away from this trend, thus estranging itself from its clientele, and marginalising its significance. One day those responsible will have to answer for their conduct in keeping with the official Creed. For a recipe to improve the credibility of the church see another page .