What Kids Believe

“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. . .” Many of you recognize the words. If you were raised Catholic, I imagine you’re sitting there reciting the rest of this ancient statement of faith in your head (and perhaps feeling at least a little self-satisfied about it). This is the Nicene Creed, the standard profession of faith for the Church (both Protestant and Catholic), and the hallmark of Christian orthodoxy since the 4^th century. This is what we, as Christians, believe.

But what exactly do kids believe today? What do they believe about God, Jesus, the Church and heaven?  Many kids would acknowledge the existence of God and their belief in Jesus but listen closely and you’ll get the creeping notion that we’re on two very different pages here. So what do kids really believe? What’s the “creed” that most kids, even good Christian kids, subscribe to today?

It’s called Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism[1] and the following, written brilliantly by my dear friend and Catholic brother, Andre Lesperance, hits the nail right on the head:[2]

A Creed for Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism

I believe in one God, the real but distant maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible, and possibly some invisible things (though any talk of invisible things is futile because science can’t prove their existence).

I believe in the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth, one of many enlightened gurus of spirituality who basically taught what other great spiritual leaders throughout history have taught.

Through him all things are loved, liked, and accepted unconditionally.

For us and for our comfort, he came from Nazareth and lived well, but does not expect people after him to live quite as well; lowering the bar for the rest of humanity because he knows they’re obviously imperfect, he wants us to live comfortable and fun lives, not explicitly hurting other people we see on a daily basis, and avoiding big sins like murder and rape.

He was crucified under Pontius Pilate to inspire empathy for his ideals of niceness; he suffered death and was buried, but the ideas he stood for did not die with him. Those ideas “rose again” and reign now with Jesus' soul in heaven, which is a far-off Kingdom we enter only upon dying.

He will not come again and will not judge, because he told us that judging is bad, and he is not a hypocrite.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the vague sense that God unconditionally approves of everything I do and makes no demands on me (as long I’m usually nice and never a murderer), which makes me feel good about myself.

I believe in the existence of many, unholy churches. It would be arrogant to discuss whether any of them have more or less accurate pictures of the truth, since all this spiritual stuff is made up of unverifiable opinions anyway.

I confess one baptism for the cute baby ritual that it is, reminding us that “sin” is a pretty outdated concept.

And I look forward to being in my personal happy place for eternity. Amen.

*To compare this to the standard profession of faith honored by Protestants and Catholics throughout the centuries, the Nicene Creed, go to: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/index.cfm

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[1] The term “moralistic, therapeutic deism” was first introduced in 2005 by noted sociologist, Christian Smith, a practicing Catholic who currently teaches at the University of Notre Dame.

[2] Please note this is NOT what Andre believes but this is what he has come to understand, through his extensive experience with young people, as the standard set of beliefs held by adolescents today.