Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, October 21, 2010

He who begins by loving Christianity more
than Truth, will proceed by loving his sect or
church better than Christianity, and end in
loving himself better than all.

Not one man in a thousand has the strength
of mind or the goodness of heart to be an atheist.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet;
he was born on thus date, 1772


Jesus is recorded to have said, “He who loves mother or father or brother or sister or lands or possessions more than me is not worthy to be my disciple”. He also famously said, “I am Truth”.

In all things Human, it is so very easy to lose track of the burning vision that lies within our Souls. We can be so spiritually lazy. We weary of thinking for ourselves. Institutions come along, seducing us in a wily way to ceding our freedom to those gathering power. Before we know it, we have become slaves. And it’s all so ….. easy.

A-theists are, to my view, essentially persons who refuse to domesticate or cage God. Most of those a-theists I have met are saddened by the utter diminishment of the majesty and wisdom and unconditional love and compassion of the Deity seen in the Christ, in His Gospel. Of these “a-theists” I know many – and I deeply respect them. By their “strength of mind” they call all believers to hold to the core Truth and to reject making idols of church and dogma and hierarchies and self-serving ecclesiastical bureaucracies.

Such idols lead only to God’s becoming a pet – likeable, strokeable ..... and ignore-able.

We don’t need divine pets ….. though we think we do and we work tirelessly to create them. We need a God to hold us to the fire! A God who will pitilessly oppose our self-delusion … but with humour and compassion and deep appreciation for our Humanity.

Each of us must have an inner a-theist to keep us honest and free.


Brian+