The Written Word
for
August 5, 2001
I have, for most of my life, wrestled with questions about God and religion. I have written about this and every Good Friday have done an editorial on my progress thus far. As I approach my allotted life span these thoughts, oddly, take on less urgency. It certainly isnt because I have found all the answers because I havent. I think, rather, its that a certain fatalism has set in. I could make all sorts of outward commitments that people often make in their later years convert to Catholicism (not that big a jump for an Anglican), be re-baptized, look into ancient Asian religions and the like, but while I might be able to fool my friends, and perhaps even myself, I could not fool God. That glaring fact puts paid to all notions of a new commitment and makes it important that I do what I can to fulfill the commitments I have made.
I think that my commitment is based on the answer to two questions Is there a God? Did he speak to us through Jesus? I have had problems with both these questions.
My conclusion that there is a God is now a firm one and as I make that statement I hope hes chuckling a bit at my arrogance, not getting annoyed. I suppose its easy to conclude that theres a God if youve never seriously asked the question. People who are born and raised in a faith that never questions, dont have the problem I did.
I concluded that there was a God in part by answering my second question in the affirmative but mostly because of the evidence. I have looked at the evidence as a lawyer might, weighing all sides of the issue. When it seemed clear to me that science and religion had reached the same point, science not being able to explain how the golf ball size mass exploded into an interminable universe, Christians not being able to answer the question, if theres a God, who made God, one had to look at the probabilities.
I readily admit that I cant explain the concept that there has always been a Supreme Being I cant answer the question where he came from either. But where the scientist says "I can tell you how the universe started but Im damned if I know what caused it" I can answer "youre clearly talking about a miracle worker and I have one in mind".
But a great part of the answer to this first question is answered by my faith that the answer to the second is also in the affirmative.
There is no question but that Jesus existed. The evidence is overwhelming and Im talking about evidence outside the Bible. The evidence of his wisdom and connection to God is surely in the speed and extent of the reach of His message. In historic terms it spread like wildfire and did so up against accepted religious beliefs that had existed for millennia.
As I thought about my faith it occurred to me that it had always been so overcomplicated and that this was because every organization must have a priesthood unto whom sacred mysteries are entrusted. Thats the sizzle on the steak. Special garb, mysterious incantations, a monopoly on wisdom is what it took to keep the rabble securely in their pews. I have concluded that this over-complication has kept millions from understanding Jesus message. For Jesus wasnt speaking to the elite but to the masses. His message wasnt complicated at all it took man to make it complex, only understandable through the mouth of a priest.
Jesus gave us two rules to love God and to love ones neighbour as one loves oneself. All he ever taught dovetail into those two laws.
Elizabeth I said "there is only one Lord Jesus Christ, the rest is a dispute over trifles". And she was right.
I am left with only one major area of doubt. When Jesus said, "no one comes to the Father except through me" that seems to make Christianity a pretty exclusive religion and seems to condemn those of other faiths and those who have never heard of Jesus to a terrible fate.
But I think I have resolved that problem two ways. If God is making a terrible pronouncement that all except Christians will perish, thats Gods pronouncement and I can do nothing about it. It is not for me to try to explain to others what appears to be Christian arrogance.
But there is a happier explanation. Perhaps what Jesus is saying is that no one comes to the Father unless they acknowledge the two laws Jesus laid down that a Buddhist, Muslim and others, by obeying the precepts of their faith are obeying the laws of Jesus and thus will be saved too.
In all events, I have my faith. It is not as deeply rooted theologically as I might like but its there nevertheless. And far from discouraging me, this faith has been much assisted by what Science has discovered and even more by what Science has not and cannot discover.