Skeptical Faith

Google Image I’ve developed the habit, during night prayer, to think of the people I’ve met and who have helped me during the day. They include clerks in stores, waiters, workers who’ve come to fix things in our home, our real-estate agent, doctors and dentists and if a weekend, the clergy and people I’ve been with at church. Yes, most are getting paid for what they do, but they are still serving my needs and I’ve decided that the truly human response to their service is gratitude. As a believer, I also feel the need to thank the ultimate provider of those people and of their ability to serve. In my youth, I was greatly inspired by the life of Helen Keller, whom I haven’t thought about in years. In case you’re unfamiliar with her, Wikipedia describes Keller as “ an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer.” She died in 1968. At Sea in a Dense Fog “…At 19 months old, Keller contracted an unknown illness described by doctors as ‘an acute cong...

Google Image At a recent weekend liturgy at the Jesuit church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Denver, the church’s pastor, Fr. Dirk Dunfee, confided in his congregation during a homily about the confusing disconnections in his own family. His mother had two sisters, only one of whom was close to Dunfee and his family. The other, for a reason unknown to Dunfee, was never spoken to, or about. When the aunt who was close died, Dunfee’s family and the family of the estranged sister were on opposite sides of the room at the funeral home and spoke not a word to each other. And Dunfee said he has lost touch with that family, leaving him with no relationship with his cousins, the children of his estranged aunt. Many families have experienced something similar. Nothing is more precious than having a close, loving family. And nothing is bitterer than discord and animosity within a family. A Stretch? I’ve often thought about “church” in this way. It may be a stretch for some to think about chu...

Google Image The human body, composed mostly of water, plus trace amounts of silicon, manganese, fluorine, copper, zinc, arsenic, and aluminum, is worth about $1. If you were able to include your skin, it would add about $4.50, according to the web site ThoughtCo.com, bumping the total value up to about $5. If you were able to separately sell your body parts, such as the heart, liver, etc., you’re looking at up to $45 million, according to counterplus.com, another such web site. Most rational people, of course, would not attempt to put a price on a human body, though many say that’s all there is to a human life, and many who advocate for or are indifferent about violence and hate seem to adhere to this view. Capacity to Save Ourselves So, if the dollar approach is not a rational calculation of the worth of a human being, what is? I believe the Christian view, though played out politically and socially in radically different ways, is the wisest. I believe it has the capacity to sa...