The World Hidden Beneath This One
In her apparently successful search for God, Author Heather King experienced “that stab of joy that hints at a world hidden within this one.”
But she didn’t come to that experience quickly or easily.
“I was raised Protestant back in New England,” she wrote in her book, Redeemed, “and hadn’t gone to church since I was a child. …For years I’d been against God in general and all churches on principle.” She was part of that growing group that wants to be “spiritual but not religious.”
“I’d always thought of spiritual people as kind, calm, intelligent, open-minded, ‘for’ everyone and everything,” she wrote, “and religious people as deluded, narrow-minded, fanatical haters, and in charge of the Inquisition.”
She had an awakening, however. She is now an active member of a church (Catholic) and often writes and speaks about her search for God in speeches, books and a blog.
More and More Common
Her previous experience is becoming more and more common. As church attendance and identification with a religion fall, at least in Europe and North America, fewer people consider religion important in their lives.
There are many reasons. In my opinion, they include prosperity, which can make you lack a sense of the need for God; confusion about the compatibility of science and religion; scandals involving the clergy, especially the Catholic clergy; the natural tendency to follow trends; and the false belief that religion has been a disaster for humanity. I listed more reasons in the blog, “Religion as a Way of Seeing” in 2017.
I understand why people have negative ideas and feelings about religion. I share some of them but believe that over all, religion has been a blessing for humanity and for individuals, and that religion makes the vast majority of believers happier.
Many would say, “Happier maybe, but at the cost of honesty.” I don’t think so. Let me briefly comment on the list of objections to religion mentioned above.
Our Perception of Reality
First, regarding prosperity. It profoundly affects our perception of reality. The more we have, the harder it is to see the need for God. Maybe that’s what Jesus was talking about when he said it’s easier for a camel to pass through the head of a needle than for a rich man to enter his kingdom.
Secondly, there is no inherent conflict between belief and science. Both are ways of discovering and understanding reality. Science focuses on the how and faith on the why. One of the problems is that so many people know so little about faith and faith traditions – even their own. This is especially true when it comes to understanding the Bible.
Regarding the clergy scandals in the church, no one’s faith, or lack of it, should depend on the virtue, or lack of it, of anybody else’s, including the clergy’s. The exploitation of children by people of influence and power is horrendous – and pervasive in society – but it’s even more reason to proclaim the joy of faith.
As for the abandonment of faith because “everyone else is doing it,” it’s no better reason than adopting or sticking to faith because other people think it’s a good idea, or as was the case several decades ago, because the majority of people were, at least outwardly, people of faith. To be authentic, faith must be personal and internalized as well as shared.
The belief that religion has been a bad thing for humanity is widely held, even though history clearly shows otherwise.
The Inquisition’s 350-Year History
According to Wikipedia, an estimated 1 to 9 million people died as a result of the Crusades; an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 died at the hands of the Inquisition in its 350 year history; and about 80 people died in the famous witch hunts in new England.
By contrast, an estimated 20 million people died during the anti-religious reign of Josef Stalin. The Nazis are estimated to be responsible for 20.9 million non-battle deaths. And the reign of terror of the anti-religious Khmer Rouge resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.5 to 2 million people, wiping out nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s 1975 population.
If I were an atheist as was Heather King, I would promote religion. It has made the world safer and happier and can do the same for individuals with an open mind.
