Skeptical Faith

Google Image As a youngster, Hans Kung recalled coming home “radiant” when he realized ‘I can swim. …The water’s supporting me.’ “For him,” according to an article in the National Catholic Reporter about the famous theologian, quoting from his memoir, “This experience illustrated ‘the venture of faith, which cannot first be proved theoretically by a course on dry land but simply has to be attempted: a quite rational venture, though the rationality only emerges in the act.” This blog is written primarily for people “who have given up on God and/or religion.” I’m doubtful that many people in this category actually read the blog. They aren’t likely to be drawn to a blog like this. But I hope that others who read it pass it along to them. When Things Don't Go Well According to what I’ve read about the “nones,” literally those who answer “none” when asked about their religious affiliation, and from personal experience, I believe most people who have given up on God and/or religion...

Google Image We all know families in which some members refuse to talk to others in the family. They have some complaint, or a series of them, for which forgiveness is out of the question. The phenomenon is widespread. Family gatherings at Thanksgiving are so well known for their disputes and strife they’ve become a regular target of comedians and commentators. I often think of this when praying the Our Father, also called the Lord’s Prayer because it was Jesus’ response to a request from his disciples to teach them to pray. And I recall a religious retreat I attended years ago in which the retreat master, a Catholic priest, asked participants to name the most important part of the Our Father. There were various responses, but the one that he was looking for was, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” A Summary This, he said, was not only an important part of the prayer but a summary of what is expected of a Christian. It’s hard to imagine how ...

Google Image I’ve recently finished reading an exhaustive biography of Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States. At 1,409 pages, it’s probably one of the longest books I’ve read but well worth it since it covered much of the most perilous and interesting times in recent American history. The book held special interest for me because Truman was president during much of my childhood, from 1945 to 1953, and was from Independence, Mo., near where I grew up in St. Joseph and Kansas City. In 1993, biographer David McCullough won the Pulitzer Prize for authoring the book. “No president in history had had to face so many important problems in so brief a time…,” McCullough writes. Truman was a farmer, World War I veteran, men’s store owner, and Kansas City politician before becoming senator, vice president, and chief executive after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. The Dreadful Decision He had to finish the Second World War and that included the dreadful decision ...

Google Image I’ve tried in the past to write about the virtue of Hope, but have never been satisfied with the result. All the virtues may seem nebulous, but none as much as hope. As I’ve seen the word used, it seems to simply be a poor substitute for faith. I recall a conversation with a friend, a former priest, who said he had lost his faith. He asked about mine, and unthinking, I answered that my faith was more like hope. I would answer the question in a different way now. I think I better understand the difference between the two. And no, despite doubt, I haven’t lost my faith. I recently finished a book called “Finding Happiness” by Christopher Jamison, abbot of Worth Abbey in the United Kingdom. He tells the story of a man who came to see him after a TV series aired about life in the monastery. The man was married and a psychiatrist with a successful career. Overwhelmed by Emotions   “But as he was approaching retirement he felt overwhelmed by emotions that he did not ...

Google Image I’ve never been a great fan of Charles Barkley. In his playing days in the National Basketball Association, I thought he was a jerk. I witnessed that first-hand years ago during a game between the Denver Nuggets and his Phoenix Suns when he was ejected from a game for fighting. But either I was mistaken in my judgment or he has matured, or both. I was greatly impressed with a commentary he gave during the halftime of a recent NCAA tournament game. The other commentators were lamenting the fact that one of the teams in the tournament had to drop out because one or more of its players became infected with COVID-19. The other commentators remarked that the players on that team were surely heartbroken. Barkley said something like: Let’s remember that basketball is only a game. Think of all the people in the country who have been suffering because of the pandemic during the past year; people who have lost their lives, lost family members, lost their jobs and their businesse...