As soon as I moved beyond childhood pieties, I became a bigoted atheist. Like Richard Dawkins, I found it personally offensive that anyone could be so naive and stupid as to worship God. Over the years, that has softened. Although I cannot believe, I no longer think it absurd to do so. One has to respect Christopher Hitchens: no one has been so atheistically defiant in the face of death since Don Giovanni on his way to hell. Even so, the stridency of Messrs Dawkins and Hitchens reminds me of my own jeering adolescence.
It is worth remembering that a substantial majority of the cleverest people who ever lived have believed in a God. Anyone who thinks that there is progress in ideas is invited to justify that position, with reference to the 20th century.
Moreover, Christianity has almost irresistible attractions….
This is one of the better pieces I’ve read of late. For he sees what most theological liberals do not, that without the heroic faith that the Resurrection is literally true, the rest, though beautiful, falls like a house of cards. This is why I cannot accept liberal theology, it simply doesn’t make sense. I’ve always said, that if ever I was convinced that the Marcus Borg’s are right, my decision would not be to support the liberal TEC cause, but to leave the church entirely and sleep in on Sundays. The only real alternatives I see are that sort of heroic orthodoxy Mr. Anderson describes, or the respectful atheism that he practices. And as long as that is the choice I will stand with Jesus.
He also sees that true belief requires more than just genteel religiosity. As Marianne Dashwood asks in Sense and Sensibility “Can the soul really be satisfied with such polite affections?” This is an indictment of Western Anglicanism that I think we all (myself, perhaps, more than anyone) need to hear.
Others may disagree, but Mr. Anderson is the sort of atheist I can relate to. He appreciates and respects our faith, even if it is a leap he cannot bring himself to make. He seems to wish that he could believe it, and that is a longing that the Lord frequently makes use of.
Thank you, Kendall, for posting this.
Thank [i]you[/i], [b]Alta Californian[/b] for your comment. Mr. Anderson is not the only one of his kind, though like you, we are not all exactly the same. We are not all shaking our fists at God … or you, for that matter … nor are we self-indulgent libertines or heartless predators.
But Pascal does not offer a wager so much as he proposes an [i]investment[/i], and no trivial one. The investment proposed is everything that one has, and is, and for the long term. I suspect that a true religious commitment is rather like falling in love, with the attendant risk of having one’s heart broken in pieces. Small ones.
As I understand it (most recently from the [i]Epistle to the Hebrews[/i]), the investment necessarily involves becoming part of a community. Looking at the way your communities behave, not least how they treat each other, is not encouraging.
Merry Christmas to all.
JPB
#2 – I am so appreciative of the generosity of your spirit – and that of Mr. Anderson. It is, of course, inferred in the fruits of the Spirit: [blockquote]Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.[/blockquote] We, in the community, as you reference, are such very poor reflections of what it should be. It breaks my heart we should be such notorious dissuaders to such as you – though I’m sure it breaks my Lord’s heart more. Please know that I will pray for you and for Mr. Anderson to be able to move into that community and to help it be more like what it should be.
This is such a beautiful piece. He GETS IT, far better than many Christians, I dare say.
Would it help Mr. Anderson to know that even devoted followers of Christ struggle with the same issues? Becoming and remaining a Christian doesn’t require constant certainty; it requires desire. And he seems to have some of that. As I read his words, I was reminded of Jesus’ words to those who had questions and were troubled by some of His teachings. “You are not far from the Kingdom.”