Mere spirituality.

 Mere spirituality. 


CS Lewis wrote a book entitled ‘Mere Christianirty’ with a message of startling simplicity which posited that different Christian Churches had much more in common than separate. 


One might think he might have continued the logic and asserted that most religions have more in common than apart. In Christianity he saw the best reflection of the Divine. Admittedly he would have been informed by his early religious upbringing in Anglican Belfast. The image of a Christian God would have been closest to his sensibilities and iconography. Albeit one he had chosen to abandon for some years. 


Most religions are burdened with an anthropomorphic  bias. Not so much God creating us but our creating God. 

Atheism is a simplistic rejection of a cozy worldview where a loving God ensures all will be well, eventually. Atheism has millions of examples where religion was mad and bad. 


Atheism however conveniently chooses to ignore a huge part of our existence. Arguably the best part. The most common. Goodness, morality, altruism, occasional miracles are all erased as inconvenient and explained away badly and not very convincingly. 


That leaves those of us in the middle, unwilling to accept a confessional faith and unwilling to ignore what materialism fails to explain. I suspect there many who profess conventional religion who share similar doubts and insights. They may not even know it. 


What is common to all humans whether openly religious or not is a sense of morality. The belief that morality is simply a response to survive doesn’t ring true or convince. In many human beings is a conviction of a higher power or wisdom. There is a great debate as to whether that power intervenes and in what manner. 


There is the biggest decision a human has to make. To decide whether at the centre of reality and at the edges of the universe there is love and hope or nothing at all. That is the fundamental decision in life. Religion decides for the positive response and receives my appreciation. There is no proof either way. It is a matter of will rather than intellect. To say that love is everything is simple but arguably the most important and far reaching human statement. 


So I coincide with Seamus Heaney when he said, ‘Noli timere’, with Teresa of Avila who said ‘nada te turbe’ and with St Paul’s insight ‘now these three remain faith hope and love and the greatest of these is love’.  


Everywhere we look we see millions of acts of daily kindness of parents towards children and owners towards pets. At times we are overcome by the few exceptions called the daily news.  



Years of philosophy and religion have taught me no less and no more


PMM 1/11/24

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