The following apostolic creed (or statement of belief) is a centuries old christian statement of faith that has stood the test of time and is still the basis of many contemporary christian institutions statement of belief.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy *universal church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN.
Please Note:
*Originally catholic (lower-case). The use of the term "catholic" can cause confusion. The word catholic, with the lowercase "c", means "universal". So the "catholic church" refered to in the creed is the one universal church represented by the body of Christ. It is the body of believers. This is accepted by both Catholics and Protestants.
