I was watching 'The Bible: A History' on Channel 4. What became apparent was that the need for certainty is, as we know, simply 'fools gold'. The very nature of faith is that it lies beyond scientific demonstration and in fact neither requires proof nor is based upon certainty. Rather faith is about reaching for something or someone we can perceive, sense, even know - and yet never concretely confront. It is about mystery - and it enhances life's richness and depth.
Why is it that there is the perennial search for final proof of everything? My own journey of love with my late wife, Katey, was a journey begun and lived in faith. I well remember we sat down one year of marriage under our belt - July 29, 1979 - and looked at each other. It was one of those moments of stillness and silence when both of us knew something would be said. However, it was not a poetic crafting of a love poem that eventually emerged from our lips. Rather it was the admission - or confession- that we were both surprised and grateful that we were still together as a married couple one year on. Observable evidence and experience had convinced us both that we would not stay the course!
Perhaps not the most romantic exchange on so significant a celebration! Yet it was truly a celebration, a celebration of our faith and faithfulness to the commitment we had made before each other, friends, family and of course God who we chose to love and serve. The journey had begun in faith, we had negotiated a year (not without its hassles and peevish behaviours) and now could look forward. The journey would continue in faith with no evidence as to its viability or authenticity, or indeed long term success, than what we made of our relationship. It was only as real as the choices I made to be faithful, fun, creative, and present in my marriage - and without Katey doing the same it could only founder and fail.
We of course met plenty of fundamentalists promoting marriage from some religious or political polarity - but of course all they had were certainties built from theoretical first principles. However, what we had was a fragile friendship that could be nurtured for as long as we attended to it or destroyed by the choice of either one of us. When Katey began to be eaten alive by the MS then the context changed and we had to continue to walk forward in relationship by faith - indeed in the early days a social worker informed me that evidence indicated that I would abandon Katey and I must not feel bad as and when that happened!
I took the opportunity to engage in a very gentle conversation stating that I am sure she was accurate in that the evidence statistically supported her objective perspective. However, I journeyed by faith and although I did not know if faith was sufficient for the challenges that lay ahead at this point faith enabled me to embrace today and exercise hope for tomorrow. Rather than surrender to the statistical evidential facts, I would commit myself to the the uncertain way of faith.
Fundamentalists come in all shapes and sizes - there are religious fundamentalists and non- religious fundamentalists - most recently the fundamentalist atheists led by Richard Dawkins. I find them all repugnant. Secure in their certainty they paint the world in various shades of grey whereas I live in glorious technicolour! What is this need for certainty other than a vane attempt to suppress the questioning uncertainty that underpins all of life - who can forecast an earthquake in Haiti, who can choose if they suffer from MS or not? No, once we embrace the fact that life is uncertain then faith provides a means of engaging fully with all of live and living to the max.
So I for one am frightened by fundamentalists who, to misquote Oscar Wilde, quite literally know the facts about everything and the value of nothing. I remain comfortable with my uncertain faith and enjoy the conversations with many fellow faith pilgrims of all faiths and none!!
