I believe in believing in God. Part 5

I believe in believing in God

Part 5:

I cannot demonstrably prove the reality of this God to say that it is utterly sound to believe in God, but I can prove the reality of this belief in God and so say that it is utterly sound to believe in believing in God. Of course, I am still one step away from touching God; I am still only touching my belief in God. And I have made the personal decision that my belief in God exists because there is probably a connection between my belief and an actually existing God. However, for those who still trip up over the word “probably” in that last sentence and in their fall finds that their ability to believe in God shatters, then we can say that there is definitely a connection between their belief and an experience of transcendent love and truth. It is the most peculiar experience, but also the most precious one. It is an utterly real experience, that you can be sure of. Ultimately, I cannot be sure that I have met God, but I am sure that I have met a mysterious stranger, I know not whom. The mystery, as I have come to know it, has all the qualities that I have heard people say that God has, and so I am perfectly willing to say that this stranger’s name is “God”. Though it doesn’t really matter what his name is. And when we look at the word “God” now, isn’t it really a word that we put into sentences as a short-hand motif to avoid having to keep saying “an experience of transcendent love and truth such as meeting a mysterious stranger, I know not whom”. If we have to say in the end, then, that God is a mystery, are we disappointed with this? Yes, there is, and always will be, this elusive element of mystery about God. But is this a bad thing? Isn’t it inevitable? However, there is a fundamental difference between saying:-

There is nothing at the heart of my life

And:-

There is a mystery at the heart of my life

The mystery is a real something. The mystery is a wonderful something. In fact, the mysteriousness of this mystery is another element of what makes it so wonderful.

I believe in believing in God