I read an article the other day by an atheist who has a
problem with the concept of faith-based schools and feels that the government
in the UK is too quick to assume that ‘people of faith’ are generally more
socially responsible than people without faith. He made the assertion that
faith is a leap in the dark.
Of course plenty of people claim that, but it’s had me
thinking. All relationships include some measure of trust and faith. Or should
I say, all good relationships. All marriages should. When I met my husband I
didn’t know everything there was to know about him, but I trusted what I saw
and I ‘took a leap of faith’. But the leap of faith was based on the
relationship which we had nurtured and developed.
The same holds true for my faith in God. It is not a leap in
the dark but is based on relationship, the experience of encountering God at a
deep spiritual level and receiving a deep peace that what I was encountering
was true and good and real.
It isn’t a great idea to base faith on hearsay or legend.
But the historicity of Jesus is documented more than the historicity of many
other historical figures we accept as having lived. Grappling with his words in
the Bible introduces a new depth to the knowing about Jesus, and enables one to
know Jesus.
My faith is based on my relationship. The more time I spend
engaged in nurturing that relationship, the stronger my faith is.
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