Faith isn’t just about religion, rather a human family in a global society
The Good Book usually refers to the Bible, but some years ago A. C. Gray ling published an anthology of wise sayings he called The Good Book.
Billed as a secular bible for godless people its full of helpful advice and life enhancing stories.
The interesting thing is that although he does his best to keep God out of it, God keeps seeping through the cracks.
Many of the passages he quotes and authors he uses, far from being irreligious are in fact deeply spiritual and clearly imply the presence of
God.
Grayling may have been scrupulously careful to keep God out of his Good Book, but like the elephant in the room, God is there for all to see.
For many people the desire to live a good life is of paramount importance, an essential part of our humanity.
Professor Gray ling is trying to nurture that deep desire in a secular age, because for many the loss of God begs the question why be moral, what is the point of a good life, if ultimately it doesn’t matter.
Behind t his lies Fredrick Neichtzie’s terrifying dictum “God is dead everything is permitted ”. Many of the horrors and atrocity of the 20th century flows from this and ideologies like it.
As t he renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens conceded “No sooner is God left behind than five minutes later there is mass killing and extermination.”
Both fascism and communism document that very well indeed. Perhaps the truth is we need God to keep our humanity.
Jesus insists we need faith, and even although that faith be as small as the smallest seed, the mustard seed it has the power to move mountains.
It’s not easy to believe today in a secular and indifferent society.
Our faith is challenged at so many level. For our young people especially much militates against belief.
To be a Christian today means having to have the courage of your convictions and certainty of faith. To sincerely believe and trust in God with all your heart and soul is what our faith gives us.
But it also challenges us to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to forgive not seven but seventyseven time.
To do otherwise, to behalf-hearted and lukewarm is to invite the loss of our faith because faith that does not express itself in deeds is destined to wither and die.
In his latest letter Pope Francis challenges us to adopt a new vision in a post-COVID world that sees our human solidarity grow in a world that has become so divided and fractured by the consumerism, in difference to the plight of the poor, political polarisation, climate change denial and the excesses of nationalism.
Here is a flavour of what he says: “Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”
Faith has an important role to play in rebuilding of our world and challenging the injustices and inequalities that burdens and weighs us down and stop us from living as one human family.