Skeptical Faith

It’s easy to be cynical about love. Besides being “what makes a Subaru a Subaru,” it’s the favorite word of all manner of popular songs, movies, TV shows, even porn. As sad as is the “hookup culture” – about which I wrote a few weeks ago – at least it doesn’t pretend to be what it’s not. It’s about sex, not “love.” Let’s face it, for young males in our society especially, the concept of love is troublesome. It comes off as a cultural construct translating into the “M” word or some similar commitment, and commitment risks freedom. It’s nebulous and ambiguous on the one hand and obvious and a given on the other. It can apply to someone in a marriage, a “relationship,” to family, to “our fellow men” and for religious people, God. At best, it’s confusing. Love in the context of God and religion may be the most bewildering. I once attended a Catholic Mass in which the priest came to the pulpit at the time of the homily and after an uncomfortably long pause to make sure he...

Today I’m posting my 25 th blog, having started writing them back in June. In general, I’m pleased with the blogs and continue to believe they offer a viewpoint and cover issues that are seldom seen elsewhere. However, the feedback has been slim, and I doubt I’m reaching many of the people I intend to reach. As the subhead on my main Blogger page says, I’m trying to reach people who have given up on God and/or religion. And as I said in one of my early posts, I’m especially interested in those between the ages of 20 and 40. I suspect few people in those categories read them, however. I send notices of new posts each Thursday to my Facebook friends and LinkedIn and E-mail contacts, most of whom are over – and sometimes, way over – 40. I ask that they pass along the blog address and individual posts to their children, grandchildren, friends and acquaintances, who may be among those who have “given up.” So, I hope at least a few in the categories I’m trying to reach ge...

Humility isn’t a coveted contemporary virtue. It’s rarely displayed in politics, business, athletics, fashion, entertainment, or religion. We’re all about self-expression and independence. We seldom pass up an opportunity to “take pride” in this or that, to bask in such things as “American exceptionalism.” We scratch our heads when hearing Jesus’ words about the first being last. We are curious, perhaps, about somebody like the Dalai Lama, a worldwide celeb who tells audiences he’s “just another human being,” and urges people to adopt humility. Or when we hear and see Pope Francis speaking about and acting out of humility. But they just don’t fit in the world we know. But does all our pride lead to happiness? Unrealistic expectations Sure, people should never put themselves down, and people with good self-esteem are happier. That’s not the kind of “pride” I’m talking about. I’m referring to the pride recognized for centuries as one of the seven “deadly” sins (You can...

I know it’s irritating to read, “On the one hand…and on the other.” That’s how life is, however. It’s never as simple as we would like, and faith (at least for me) is no exception. So in considering the question whether belief is a matter of “all or nothing,” I would say that, yes, there’s a sense in which it must be all or nothing, but maybe not all at once. Here’s what I mean. Some pretty graphic language in the Bible is reserved for people who are “neither hot nor cold.” “…But since you are neither,” says the Book of Revelation, “but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Instead of “spit,” I’ve seen that translated as “spew” or “vomit.” Strong stuff and an example of the “apocalyptic” literature of its time. Revelation is among the most difficult of New Testament books, which may be why so many preachers like to quote and (mis)interpret it. A common form of being lukewarm, in my view, is the practice of many Christians who believe their religion con...