(A theological reflection in 5 parts)

The strange distortions of secular ideology: My best possible life!

Part 1: Our best possible life

Many people today, especially in the younger generation, seem to have little hope or optimism. It seems to be part of a general malaise in a significant part of Western society at the moment. However, one thing that I notice in particular is that for many people, however they happen to be, down to the smallest detail, must be regarded as though it was ordained by a higher authority from all eternity. This is most peculiar for a secular ideology to adopt such an attitude.

I think the motive for this is that, for such people, it is unbearable for them to think that they are not living their best possible life. So, every detail, no matter how contingent, in that things did turn out that way, but they could easily have worked out differently, must be regarded as absolutely necessary – it could not possibly have been otherwise. This attitude, though bizarre, and clearly false, is, nevertheless, completely understandable in a secular age.

Those without God have no-one to forgive them if any failure to live “their best possible life” is down to themselves. They have no-one to give hope of ultimate justice if lives are negatively affected by the injustice of others. They have no hope of ultimate fulfilment and ongoing life if they have written off the possibility of the life of heaven. They have no means of things that have gone wrong ever being put right, let alone any hope of perfect fulfilment, if they deny the existence of the one in whose presence we find such life in all its fullness.

Secular peoples’ anxiety, anger, fear and resentment make perfect sense. If you are clear in your own mind that this mortal life is all we have and then we’re finished; if you come to awareness that, despite the wonderful possibility that we in the UK will have a long, healthy, prosperous life in which we will have many opportunities to pursue our goals, our life could be blighted, or suddenly cut short, through illness, sudden disaster, or the stupid selfish violence and greed of others; if you realise that, no matter how many years you assume you have ahead of you, you are on a countdown to certain death, then this can easily cast a shadow over even the sunniest prospects for life. Taking refuge in a hedonistic consumerist ideology of life is a distraction rather than a solution. If we are subconsciously fearfully simply trying to maximise our collection of good experiences before we turn up our toes, then I suggest that we have missed the whole point of living, even while we appear to be engaging with relish in life.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 12: The two ways have drawn so close, and travel in parallel – cannot the final cross-over be made? No matter, you have enough, but long for more.

I think we should examine this sense of encounter with God further, for, earlier, I suggested that the (very best) of secular and religious ideologies are very similar – except that religion adds a sense of relationship with God, which overcomes any sense of aloneness. We should now consider this much more positively, for the religious claim is that we can encounter the living God! This is so much more than the psychological benefit of not feeling alone – vital as that is. I said that my relationship with God is what I cherish most of all, but this hardly does justice to the wonder of the relationship that is on offer. It is impossible to do justice to this, and the best way to get close as an analogy –  if you don’t have experience of meeting with God – is probably through the effect of art, music and poetry.

I can allude to what the encounter with God is like. Vitally important, utterly profound statements can be made: meeting with God is being caught up with the eternal and the absolute; it is mixing our contingent, temporary frailty with what is absolute, infinite and perfect. It is the means of overlapping our particular expression of life with universal life in all its fullness, so that the two run concurrently, and, in a great mystery, the specifics of our mortal life become one with the all-embracing, fully-comprehensive life of the divine. In God, we touch the rock and plumb the deepest depths; we reach sublime heights and see all from the mountain top, no longer obscured, or veiled, or partial. Springs of living water well up within us, cleansing and healing us from all that we regret and from all wounds. We are made whole, filled with joy and peace, enveloped in the love of God, which in its perfection and fullness is both eternal and timeless – to be embraced for one moment is to enter into an eternity of bliss – or, rather, as we are still in time, we experience such joy for only a few moments, yet that moment is so precious as to be worth more than all the rest of life put together.

Such images are the tip of the ice-berg as we people of faith struggle to express the fullness of life that God imparts. No matter how inspiring the principles, values, mission and achievement that a secular ideology might bring us – along with the precious human relationships that enrich life beyond measure – I still do not see how it can possibly match the gift that God gives us, when, unexpected or longed for, we hear his voice, “Here I am; you are with me”.

We started off thinking about how secular-minded people might find assurance in the modern age. I have not explored the difficulties enough, for instead I was led to consider the positives of how a secular ideology might bring fulfilment and hope. In doing so, I think we can see the challenging mission that lies before secular people – but I say this as a positive. Yes, the challenge is enormous because the difficulties and dangers are so very great, but, “Thank God!” – sorry, “Thank goodness!” – this challenge exists in order to give people today a path to fullness of life. It is a challenge every bit as great as that faced in the classic religious and spiritual challenge to find salvation. I believe we can see the immense overlap between the secular mission I have outlined and the religious one.

In my view, there is therefore every reason for both principled secularists and religious believers to regard each other as allies and to work together for the common good. There are so many dangers from the forces of evil, and on either side we also have the corrupt versions of religion and the selfish, stupid hedonism of destructive secularism. So, much to do! I do think that I have also shown that the way of religious faith adds an additional wonderful dimension and I would love for secularists to see this, so that they too can revel in the joy and peace that God brings us. Of course, secularists will tend to disagree and think that they are not missing anything. On reflection, I don’t think that this is a case of the religious person offering a gift to the secular person and they reply that they simply don’t want it – perhaps because they don’t value it as a gift; they may even think of it as a negative. Rather, I think it is a case of the secularist “just not seeing it”. As though, even if they decided they wanted the gift, they just “cannot get it” – the religious person says, “Look, there it is; pick it up”, and the secularist says, “Where? I don’t see anything”. This is certainly a mystery. Why do some people have faith and some don’t? I don’t know! I think there is great scope to explore in the idea that faith is not something that you see, but the way that you look – but this is still not getting us beyond the mystery. Why should a secularist look in a certain way if they can see nothing to look at?

What I do feel sure of is that the spiritual life of faith brings assurance – a deep, down stability, trust, hope, optimism, energy, confidence, mission and love. I would love for secularists to discover this for themselves. Yet if, for some mysterious reason, this is beyond reach for them, I hope that they will reach for the assurance that a principled way of life, held entirely within secular values, that I have outlined here, offers.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 11: We have a sufficient foundation for life when we have found a plan that meets human needs

I feel, albeit with me striving hard to argue on secularists’ behalf, that we have found a secular ideology that is worthy of humanity, thoroughly profound and good. If everyone followed it, it would have a wonderful effect on the well-being of society, and countless individuals would find meaning and purpose in life, as well as peace and joy. My assessment is that this secular ideology is indistinguishable from my faith-based ideology – certainly in respect of how we could tally off so many items that appear in both. We still have to decide whether there are any extra good elements that the religious world-view has that the secular one doesn’t. Secularists will also want to argue that they have their own unique good elements and have managed to avoid the negatives of religion. However, my response is that we simply need good religion – rather than to ditch religion. Of course, religion is capable of being corrupted into a force for evil – just as everything is, no matter how intrinsically good, but religion certainly matches the best that secularism has to offer, and, as I say, I will argue, adds extra good elements that secularism is, on a point of principle, incapable of delivering. Secular ideology, we know, is very often corrupted, so we have no difference between religion and secularism on this point.

So, let us accept that there is huge overlap between the best of religious and secular ideologies. Why should this be so? Surely it is because the human condition, our needs and desires, our fears and weaknesses, all point in the same direction as to what solutions we need to be happy.

Does this mean that religion is simply “a cunning plan” to achieve human wholeness? Quite possibly. It would be no surprise, and surely we should expect it, that the universal adoption of religion (till modern times) was enabled by the fact that it met human needs for wholeness. This returns us to the issue of the peculiar way that faith works, whereby, if we aim directly for our goal we seem to miss it, but if we aim for God in all sincerity, then we hit our goals. The moment we come to believe that faith is just an instrument for human wholeness, rather than a genuine relationship with the God of love, then the power of our faith to do good evaporates. So, if religion is a clever way of self-deception in order to create benefits that are truly wonderful, then religion is a very clever plan indeed! The religious understanding is that we believe in God because he is real and we have encountered him.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 10: Is this enough?

As a religious person, I can live with this way of life. It is noble, profound, good, making a beneficial impact on the world. It is not for me to say it is not fulfilling if wise, good people say that it is. This secular way of life is, of course, rare, just as those who live a devoted and good religious life are much rarer than they should be. I want to say that the secular person is still missing out on something though, and that’s because the thing I treasure most of all about my life of faith is precisely that sense of sharing it with the God of love. Perhaps that is my selfishness coming out? The list of principles and values above is so profound and good that you might feel it is wrong to say that there is anything more to living a good life. Surely that is enough? Yet for me – perhaps because of my weakness – I have no chance at all of even attempting this wonderful list except the love of God I experience in my inner life keeps prodding me onwards. Yet more than this, I want to say that our inner relationship with God is supremely precious. If I was somehow extremely limited in life, maybe by ill health or even imprisonment, I would still be able to access my relationship with God, and this can bring enormous joy and fulfilment, even if your external impact on the world is slight.

There is the crucial issue of whether the secular person is alone. Of course, they may be very active in the world, surrounded by friends, cherished by loved ones. When alone, they will be able to look inwards and cherish the fact that they are loved and cared for by others. They may feel enormous strength as they review their own values and mission. And no God is required! Yet I have to say again that what I cherish most of all (as well as what fuels my sense of mission) is precisely my relationship with God.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 9: A new “Ten Commandments” for the secular atheist?

So, we are trying to envisage a secular inner life that is truly healthy – in every possible way. We could begin by accepting the reality of our human experience. We are so made by evolution that we have the capacity to do both good and evil. We have to choose. And sometimes we get it wrong. We can be truly kind to ourselves and understand our weakness – without using that as an excuse to condone our failures, or trying to do anything to reduce them. If we understand both our powerlessness and our power, we can acquire wisdom to work for good, acknowledging what we have the power to achieve and what we don’t. This is all sounding good – and my only concern is that for this to work as a secular ideology it must be embraced with the same level of commitment and devotion that a religious believer brings to their faith. What else could we say?

We can adopt principles and values that strike us as utterly commendable:-

• The oneness of humanity. Our interconnectedness, Respect and care for all.

• The mutual dependence of humanity and all life on the well-being of the earth.

• A commitment to core principles of justice and compassion.

• Our personal commitment to play our part through adopting our personal mission as our contribution to the common good.

• Offering of forgiveness and second chances to those who have failed in some way.

• Acting with deep wisdom, using reason to weigh up all factors, rather than emotional, shallow, selfish or tribal impulses.

• Restraining self-interest under principles of valuing the common good and altruism.

• Striving for peace, to make friends and win people over, rather than striving for victory by destroying our opponents.

• Rejoicing in the wonder of life and making creative use of our abilities to express who we are and help others

• Use wise self-awareness and compassion to restrain our selfishness so that my life is about more than my personal enjoyment

Assurance for the modern age

Part 8: The powerful engine of the inner life

This sounds good in terms of our relationship to the outer world. How can a secular ideology help us in our inner life? Ways of life, such as meditation, enjoyment of beauty and creativity, fostering community life and enriching friendships are all important. What about our relationship with ourself? I struggle to envisage a secular alternative because, for me, my relationship with God is the method, or means, of conducting my relationship with myself. A sceptic, certainly a cynic, might say that this is what my faith in God is: a way of relating to myself, using God as a mechanism to review, direct and improve both my behaviour and my state of mind – to do with my inner happiness, peace of mind, confidence in coping etc. Let’s suppose for a moment that they sceptic/cynic is right – well, it’s a very effective mechanism! If, when I (falsely, perhaps) believe that I am in conversation with God, I am really in conversation with myself, then I have to declare that faith in God is humanity’s most brilliant ever invention. It successfully enables me to have access to inexhaustible reservoirs of goodness, love, forgiveness, peace, reassurance, confidence, strength etc etc etc! It enables me to pour love into my life! If God is not real, then when I believe God is saying to me, “Don’t worry, I love you”, then what is really happening is that I am saying to myself, “Don’t worry, I love you”. In this case, the “lie” -that God loves me – is proving amazingly effective, in making me feel loved. Now, as soon as I confront the possibility that all my faith is doing is saying to myself, “Don’t worry, I love you”, then I am appalled. What I have understood to be a gift from a compassionate and gracious God is really just self-serving massaging of my ego. I could not possibly accept what I currently understand to be a gift of God’s love if I came to believe that I am really just engaging in self-love. I am not certain, but I pick up some signs that in our modern society, expert psychologists might say, “No, this is right! We ought to bestow this sort of self-love on ourselves”. Now I am the sceptical one. Humanity is so intent on self-interested manipulation and distortion of the truth, that I truly doubt that self-love, overtly understood in this way, can be a good thing. Perhaps we will return to consider this point more. For now, my faith experience is that – because I understand the message of love to be coming from God – I can accept it, precisely because I am not doing it to myself, but receiving it as a gift from another. Before our sceptical secularist seizes on this to denounce religion as simply a method for self-love, we can note the religious impulse of constant penitence because, as well as God’s message of love to us, we believers constantly feel the need of confessing, “Forgive me Lord, for I am a wicked sinner!”. While a modern psychologist might criticise this impulse as unhealthy for mental health, for the believer it becomes a vital mechanism for avoiding precisely that self-serving love that humanity is so adept at, and which religious believers might fall into.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 7: Foundation stones for a good secular life

We looked earlier at how fortunate we are to live in the modern age, in the UK. So, let’s begin with a sense of gratitude and thankfulness. Let’s not, briefly, think, “Aren’t I lucky!”, and then forget how lucky we are and simply focus on enjoying our own opportunities. Thankfulness and gratitude look like a solid foundation for a good life. If we then engage our mind, and take notice that not everyone is so fortunate, then our thankfulness will naturally overflow into compassion. I consider that anyone who has consciously, actively taken on a compassionate life has probably already done enough to live a good life to the full. I will go on to say much more, but I think that compassion is so important that, if we have this, it will make up for many other things that we may lack. However, this compassion must be active, overt, arising from the core of our understanding of what life is for -rather than an occasional emotional response to an accidental meeting with someone in an unfortunate situation (valuable as such compassion is).

A compassionate life rests on our taking responsibility. We are not content with drifting through life. We take on a mission! The very word evokes resonance with a religious way of life, for mission is central to it. However, here we are accepting the value of secular mission. Each person takes on board roles and goals that strike them as central to expressing what life is for, in a way that expresses their own personal core values. This is vitally important, for it allows each person to choose their own distinctive way to make their contribution to the common good. It’s also vital because each person is likely to feel tempted to despair at the size of the task of making the world a better place. So, without absolving ourselves from responsibility, we can consciously, actively commit ourselves: “I am going to live in this way, and do this job, and help those two causes as my key contribution”.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 6: A possible positive world view for the secular age

How then might an entirely secular worldview look that still succeeds in promoting a fulfilling inner life, and fuelling a life that we regard as good – and hopefully win general approval? I think that simply following good customs in our culture, or even being a person of good character is not sufficient. I think we need to adopt a set of values and principles that can direct even a good character beyond simple qualities of kindness and honesty (wonderful as they are) to a life that has self-consciously set goals that are not based on personal achievement and satisfaction, but on achieving good goals for society and in our personal development. If you want to argue, “Well, we all do that!”, my challenge is to ask how effective this is? In contrast to the life of faith, where the believer has adopted a comprehensive package to guide their lives towards goodness and to guard them from selfishness, unless your secular philosophy has principles as coherent, intense, demanding and overarching, so that the whole of life comes under the direction of your values and principles, then it is likely that our lives are – to some degree – “lost” in wishy-washy good intentions that are superficial rather than transforming to your own life, and through you, transforming to society. I freely acknowledge that many religious people treat their faith in a similarly superficial way – and I would not exclude myself from this criticism. Nevertheless, with faith there is an overt goal, a belief in the complete sufficiency of your faith – even if you only intermittently live out the full depth and implications of your faith. In other words,, even though religious people often fail, they are trying to succeed in living the right way – which is the same as living life to the full – rather than never even attempting the task – and, perhaps, spending the whole of your life simply distracting yourself from the questions that ultimately really matter.

So, for a secular ideology to achieve the same impact – both internally on the individual, and through them on society – it would have to be an all-embracing, comprehensive way of life that energises living a good, fulfilling, creative and beneficial life. I will try and explore what this might look like – trying as hard as I can not to be drawn into those faith values that I already hold.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 5: We all need to adopt a world-view in which we can hold the myriad things that may happen to us

In this respect, one answer to my question about assurance is for some people to argue that it just doesn’t bother them. If I want to navel-gaze and agonise about existential, spiritual questions, then more fool me: they are quite happy to just have a good time. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way – enjoying time with your family, in your job and on holiday are wonderful things. Yet I write from the perspective of someone who has discovered that it is the inner life which brings the greatest source of satisfaction of all. It is a life of faith that makes all life more precious. I am going to argue that adopting a set of values, principles and ways of life is the ultimate way to bring meaning, purpose, value and joy to life. If I am right, then even the fortunate person whose life, on balance, tips strongly towards good things, needs to adopt their own set of values, principles and ways of life that gives them their foundation in life. Some way is needed to tie this list of good things into some coherent whole, to integrate all their experience into an understanding of what it is they are doing with their lives. Their good fortune needs, somehow, to sink into the roots of their lives, and it must be from their depths that their choices and decisions and judgements in life arise, so that the “list of good things in their lives” is not what defines them, as though all of life is just a surface flow of experience, but, rather, the good things that they produce in their lives arise from a person who is living with intent, to achieve purposes that they – and others – can affirm as good.

Otherwise, one obvious danger for modern secular people – and I think this is much in evidence – is that life becomes overtaken by consumerism. That is, in the absence of sound values on which your life is founded, life becomes about maximising consumption. If good things are good – and clearly they are, then it must be better to have more of them – more of everything. I feel an expression of this is found in the concept of “bucket lists” – 50 or 100 things that “we ought to do” before we die. Of course, there is no harm, and much to commend, in the idea of setting yourself goals and fulfilling dreams, and maximising pleasure – why settle for less when you can have more? My complaint is in the spiritual effect of an attitude that puts the focus of life on consuming pleasure. Surely life is more profound than that? Pleasure is good, and a good life will bring us many pleasures, but pleasure is not the same as goodness, nor the same as fulfilment.

Assurance for the modern age

Part 4: Coping with the fragility of what we have

Let’s suppose you are fortunate enough to be on track to enjoy all these things: what else might you still be lacking? What are the aspects of the human condition that might still unsettle you?

Firstly, there is the fragility of your good fortune. What if ill health or tragedy do befall you? How will you cope if your sense of well-being in life rests on the multitude of good and enjoyable experiences that pervade your life?

This fragility is multiplied beyond measure if you are deprived of your good fortune through injustice. This could well be at the national or international level through warfare or famine – not likely for us in Britain, but, even though we are considering our situation, our worldview needs to be able to encompass others – we cannot simply bury our heads in the sand and revel in our good fortune while ignoring the plight of others. And, of course, even in Britain, the scope for suffering from injustice is present – whether it be through crime, changes in technology and the economy, government decisions, or simply other people “doing us in” in some way to gain advantage for themselves.

Finally, there is finality. With a long and happy life, it is perfectly possible to just put off thinking about big questions, and only when time finally catches up with you and you realise you’re on the final countdown, then start to consider big existential questions. Perhaps by then, it will be too late to bother you, as you’ve already got 80 years of good living “in the bank”, and there is barely time to adjust to your new frailty before you’re gone.