Bogosity

Sitting in the lunch room at work the other day and a couple of my co-workers got onto the topic of intelligent design and how ridiculous it is that people still believe in a creator God. They were going on a bit about how the natural environment clearly evolved – bringing up the usual anti-psuedo-psuedo-science arguments like what about the appendix and why would there be volcanoes or bad weather stuff. As they were speaking, the sholder sitting evengelical angel of the conscience of my youth appeared and exhorted me to set them right. “You can believe in a creator God without believing in intelligent design”, I proposed to say, or maybe “You can be christian and believe in evolution”. But then the little Devil of doubt appeared in a puff of sulfur on the other shoulder and said “Forget it, the argument is pointless”. And of course I listened to the devil because he has been my close companion and friend and never failed me where as the impulsive angels of ideological and theological wonder always let me down.

The creation thing is just the wrong end of the horse when it comes to religion. The specifics of God and the universe etc do not provide any meaningful pathway to God or to a spirituality, It is only our modern scientific minds that draw us down that route asking how and when and what rather than why and who.

I find religion more compelling when it is focussed on the meaning of Jesus’ teaching and the teachings of many other religions on simplicity, generosity, justice and engagment with the world.

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.

From today’s readings