September 25, 2001
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What it Is
When I was a pre-teen in Confirmation Class, someone asked the pastor whether or not it was necessary to memorize the Apostle's Creed. That 's the shortest of the three usually used in the Lutheran Church (and many other denominations), and is the one that starts off, "I believe in God, the Father..."
The pastor's reply was that memorizing it wasn't important; what was important was understanding what it was one was professing to believe.
And that's the basis of my response today to people who are accusing other people of spouting rhetoric. If you understand what you are professing to believe, and indeed do believe it based on your understanding, it is NOT rhetoric.
There's probably a lot more I could say on the subject, but that's the basic thing. If you know what you believe, and why you believe it, it isn't rhetoric.
What it is is faith.