What is my creed?

What is my creed?

Reading a Catholic Update on the Creed gave me the thought to write down my own creed. Writing it down takes it out of the ethereal and provides some concreteness and stability, rather than having some random thoughts floating around in your mind. Here is mine:

I am a Catholic. Not a catholic in name only, not a Sunday morning catholic, but one who strives to be a real Catholic. I follow the Magisterium of the Church. I am humble enough to know that I do not know more than the great minds and Councils of our faith through all the generations and I follow their lead. I am not a pick and choose Catholic. I try to be a public Catholic. Those who know me know I am a Catholic and a person of faith. I am a sinner and I know I will be forgiven if I only ask.
     I am a Secular Franciscan and I try to live the gospel and bring the gospel to my life. I believe I must continue ongoing formation as I need to remind myself and to continually turn to God as this secular world tries to turn me away.
     I am a conservative. I believe there is right and wrong, a black and white; all things are not gray. I believe being a conservative provides a foothold to stabilize us so that we are not floating about with every change of wind direction, fad, popularity, or political correctness.
     I believe in self-improvement; that we should always try to better ourselves, not to play mind-deadening games or watch an evening of mind-less sexual innuendos on television. We no longer know how to make great movies or programs.
     I believe in the Golden Rule. Love means we need to turn out from ourselves toward others - not turn inward, me, me, me.
     I believe in a good work ethic - an honest days pay for an honest days work. Not to be a minimalist - how much can I get for doing as little as possible.
     I believe in not bequeathing the next generation with our problems or leaving them with the bill for what we enjoy today. It is our responsibility to solve our own problems and not leave it to them.
     I am pro-life! Life continues, it does not start and stop. Passage through the birth canal does not make one human. It is basic biology that life starts at conception. A new being with a soul is present as soon as the egg is fertilized and those DNA strands mix. To kill a baby so anyone would not be burdened is murder. A man has as much right over the life of his child as does the woman.
     I believe in taking responsibility for your own actions.

What is your creed?