Although I have only relatively recently come back to Christianity, and I still have a long way to go to become what I consider a devout follower, religion has given me a better insight into what faith means and a new outlook on the meaning of life.
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“Hope” is a word I use regularly in my everyday language but it has now given me another way of looking to the future. Prior to re-discovering religion and, as I got older, I started to look at my own mortality and wondered whether there really is life after death. Christian people I knew always seemed much more contented and reassured that they would be going to a better place after their passing. They had pride in their faith even though they hadn’t had any proof what was beyond the veil.
What I have felt since going back to church is sharing the joy and happiness which many Christians experience in their church life. It’s not something tangible but more a feeling of reinforcement of values and beliefs and a great sense of community – some would even go so far as to say “family”. There can be a strong sense of fun within the church environment and there is often a very supportive atmosphere, especially in times of trouble.
On a more personal level, having God in my life feels like having an “invisible friend” to talk to in my prayers, one who accepts me for who and what I am without judgement. No matter what life throws at me, I have the comfort of believing that someone or something greater is watching out for me. Having faith also means that I seek meaning and purpose in the world around me in a bid to find out about some of life’s big questions.
The comfort of religion means there is a sense of trust towards God, perceiving Him as almighty, who supports and takes care of people. Faith engenders a source of strength, peace and harmony. I feel religion and God gives me an invisible “armour” and strategies to protect myself when the going gets tough.
I now feel sorry for atheists and agnostics who have no hope for life in the hereafter. Who knows? We Christians may all be kidding ourselves and this life may really be it. What I do know, though, is that I’d much prefer to go through the rest of my life believing that there is a loving and caring God rather than not having anything else to look forward to apart from the black abyss.
Graham – what’s your religious outlook on life and why did you decide to give your life to Christ?
Have you, or someone you know, ever experienced a “Road to Damascus” moment?
What do you personally get out of being a Christian and how has this influenced your life?
And, finally, how would you describe the “comfort of religion”?
Rev Graham replies:
Thank you, Carol, for your interesting question and reflective thoughts. I think for many people the idea and reality of a comforting religion is very appealing but equally a number would argue that those who embrace religion are weak in intellect and emotional standing. They do not have strength or fortitude to live their own lives and therefore seek the comfort of religion that is a form of escapism from the real world!
At this point I hear some words from Albert Einstein ringing in my ears. “The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness.“
Another whisper adds to such thoughts as expressed by Thomas Paine “All national institutions of church whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind and monopolize power and profit”
Lastly, we have often heard the words of Karl Marx that “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soul-less conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
In essence the practise of religious faith, particularly in the Christian tradition, is one of weakness, humility and hopelessness but centrally, through the life of Jesus, we find greater meaning and purpose and a future hope of one day being in the eternal and comforting presence of God.
Own Religious Outlook
In regards to my own religious outlook Carol, I tend to seek a more personal faith in Jesus and follow the wisdom and instructions from the Bible rather than hold fast to religiosity in all its forms and human additions.
My parents were very committed Christians and provided a safe and secure home for me to grow up in. In simple and humble ways they were an example of Christian values, ethics and responses. The church I attended was Union Hall Church in Hulme, Manchester, which was considered to be a ‘low church.’ Thank you Rodolfo pexels.com
It encouraged strong individual faith which was exampled in their Sunday and midweek services, full of heartfelt worship and thanksgiving for all the goodness of God. They lifted Jesus above any religious forms or sense of institution as the way to find forgiveness of sins and a peace within, based on a full confession of sins and a belief that Jesus was the Saviour and Lord of all creation.
Damascus Road Experience
Many people give testimony of having a Damascus Road experience whereby they encounter a living presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. My testimony of faith is grounded within the church I attended for many years but specifically during a summer youth camp at Benllech Bay on the Isle of Anglesey. I was thirteen and involved with a youth uniform movement called Campaigners. It was during a camp service that I gave my life to Christ and felt the living presence of the Holy Spirit within me and a real weight of sins forgiven and lifted from me.
Many people do not necessarily have a dramatic conversion experience but find that, in regular church attendance which includes worship, bible teaching and study, that they gradually and completely believe in God and subsequent changes occur in attitude and actions over time which is often more noticeable to observers than any personal awareness.
I love the words of St Paul from 2 Corinthians 1: 1-7. He describes God as a “God of all comfort who comforts those who believe in Him and are in trouble, so that in turn they are able to comfort others who have been troubled, so finding comfort in the Lord.” As we think about all the sufferings of Christ which flowed over and through him, it enables us to embrace a patient endurance to find comfort in our own sufferings. It is a wonderful reality of faith in God that, as Christians, we can share in other people’s discomfort because we ourselves have been comforted in our own personal sufferings.
The Gain From Following of Jesus?
You asked, Carol, what do I personally get and gain from being a follower of Jesus. In looking back from the tender age of thirteen, my faith has been very simple and child-like. It has been tested through the rigours of teenage years and the navigation of mid and later years. To me, maintaining a personal faith is like how I look to stabilize my physical and mental fitness and so mature in the midst of the joys, challenges and sufferings of life.
I can and seek to find a daily experience of being forgiven for sinful thoughts, actions and poor reactions. As you said, Carol, it can be like having your own priest, counsellor, life coach, mentor and “invisible friend” beside you every day and in all situations.
Prayer
I pray constantly thanking God for the gift of life. I trust Him for daily strength, a sound mind and for any healing as required, knowing that God provides for all my needs and protects and inspires me daily. It is important not to seek a relationship with God on the basis of what I can get from it, for it is a relationship that it is much deeper than any human relationship can offer.
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In prayer and times of quiet meditation and the reading of God’s word, I offer up my love and devotion to God first and foremost knowing that, even before I ask for anything, the Lord knows my needs and wants and is more than willing to provide and care for me and my loved ones.
There is a wonderful comfort and joy in taking part in Christian worship which includes songs, prayer and teaching, Holy Communion and collective fellowship as exampled in the church of my youth and other fellowships I have attended. Often there is an outpouring of love and devotion and in it I experience the personal sense of God’s spirit nurturing me in my mind, body and spirit.
My constant prayer is that not only in the good times do I give thanks but more so in any times of sufferings and difficulties which come my way. It is a fact that so often in times of adversity the presence of God, as we lean hard upon him, is present to comfort above and beyond any human idea or expectation.
The “Comfort of Religion”
Having reflected on your question, Carol, on what I think is the “comfort of religion”, I would say essentially that a “personal faith” above religious practice brings more vitality and reality than any human experience and expectation. I would also seek to turn around some of those opening statements I offered which dismiss any comfort of religion.
Albert Einstein: “the word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness.”
I would say that, with Christ living within us, our weakness become a strength beyond any human comprehension.
Thomas Paine: “All national institutions of church whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind and monopolize power and profit”
I agree with Thomas to an extent but God has placed institutions in the world for them to be redeemed, so as to serve all peoples in humility and to bring comfort and healing.
Karl Marx: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soul-less conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
Yes Karl, true faith in God does respond to the sigh, heart and soul of all peoples on earth. As Christians we do depend on Jesus because he teaches us that, as we give up all our human aspirations and a spirit of independence, we will then find our true self. This compares to holding on to our independent self and in the process losing our souls. (Matthew 16: 24-26)
Above all, Carol, in simple faith we trust in the God of all comfort and strength.
Graham
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