Written by Derek Bisset
Why are there Skeptics in our church?
There is a note in our weekly church bulletin announcing the Skeptics meeting at the St. Andrew’s site and perhaps you might wonder why there are church members who are willing to give up a Friday evening to talk about issues which do not seem to belong in a faith community. Faith would appear to be about belief and acceptance and so discussion should rather be about deepening understanding about what God has given us in the Bible, or about the interpretations by our preachers, or following the example of people of stronger faith than our own. Even more, should we not avoid questioning but follow the rituals and practices handed down to us through generations of believers who have found comfort in their traditional worship.
But the questions nag.
Living the Questions is a video series in which Christian thinkers from a variety of denominations, mostly from the United States, who could roughly be grouped under the label Progressive, are interviewed and make comments about a variety of complex issues of the kind our ministers have to wrestle with from the time they enter training through having to preach sermons and answer the awkward questions their parishioners bring up regularly. Why is God having me go through this? Why do these awful things happen in the world? Why the death of a child? Why?
She was telling a story about the source of the strength of her belief. There was a traumatic event in her early life. It happened around graduation, an emotional time. Summer coming and high hopes abound. The group of friends, excited about the future but concerned about parting from one another planned one last trip together. It would be a trip to California right after graduation. The beach clothes were bought and packed weeks before. The blue Ford was serviced for the trip. Then, for her, disaster, she developed an infection and had to step down. Another young man took her place. She watched them off. During the trip the car skidded and none survived.
For the listeners it was a moving story. But they began to feel uneasy about the concluding message that it was clear to her that God had somehow intervened to save her, perhaps by sending the infection. What? She mentioned how terrible was the meeting with the parents of the young man at the ensuing funeral. Yes it would be. Were they asking their minister Why? What kind of God would do that?
Later in the week a retired minister spoke. He told of losing a beloved wife after a lifetime marriage and it got to him, letting the doubts and questions flood in. He paused and looked up and said “I decided there is nothing up there and nothing in here,” pointing to himself. So you lost your faith and quit the church? He seemed too calm and self assured for that. White haired. Twinkling eyes. A benevolent smile. The kind of old fashioned minister you would like and trust. “No. I started a Skeptics Group in the church. You would be surprised how many people came.”
Wrestling with the questions isn't for everyone. If you think about it, most people are too busy to bother. My children for example don't. They don't bother with church either. They have the questions of course, but no time and no place to talk about them.
The people who come to Friday Skeptics are committed church members willing to provide a place and a time for anyone bothered enough by the questions that they are willing to come along.
Finding the answers now. That's something else.