Saturday, April 11, 2009

AN Wilson on his refound faith


AN Wilson has a rather beautiful article in the Daily Mail explaining, or trying to explain, his return to belief in the reality of the Christian faith.
This little section in particular resonnated with me:-

My belief has come about in large measure because of the lives and examples of people I have known - not the famous, not saints, but friends and relations who have lived, and faced death, in the light of the Resurrection story, or in the quiet acceptance that they have a future after they die.
The Easter story answers their questions about the spiritual aspects of humanity. It changes people's lives because it helps us understand that we, like Jesus, are born as spiritual beings.
Every inner prompting of conscience, every glimmering sense of beauty, every response we make to music, every experience we have of love - whether of physical love, sexual love, family love or the love of friends - and every experience of bereavement, reminds us of this fact about ourselves.
Ah, say the rationalists. But no one can possibly rise again after death, for that is beyond the realm of scientific possibility.
And it is true to say that no one can ever prove - nor, indeed, disprove - the existence of an after-life or God, or answer the conundrums of honest doubters (how does a loving God allow an earthquake in Italy?)
Easter does not answer such questions by clever-clever logic. Nor is it irrational. On the contrary, it meets our reason and our hearts together, for it addresses the whole person.
Read the whole article, it will bring Easter joy.

6 comments:

Ma Tucker said...

A good start. May God bless his turning and draw him closer.

Kate said...

Thanks for linking to this beautiful conversion story Fr. A.N.Wilson's account of the convincing witness of ordinary Christians around him is truly moving.

Fr Ray Blake said...

Lizard,
A what cadaver?

Pastor in Monte said...

I thought it would happen sooner or later. Now watch out for Richard Dawkins.

Anonymous said...

Father, you misunderstood me, sorry - it was I who was confusing. I only wanted to tell that an atheist does not believe that it is possible to rise from dead because he has never seen any dead man rising (ANY dead man). He does not belive intellectual and deductive arguments that a person (ANY person) can rise from dead, he trusts his own sensory experience. Therefore an atheis's position is not rational.

Fr Ray Blake said...

Lizard, I thought you comment was fine, I did understand, I just objected to the euphemistic adjective.

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