Friday of the
Fifth Week in Lent
(Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)
In a book about God, theologian Karen Armstrong gives the
so-called “new atheists” a sympathetic rejection. Although she thinks they have a point in
their critique of fundamentalist interpretations of religion, she finds their
own critique of religion simplistic. Armstrong
finds it unfortunate that self-proclaimed atheists Richard Dawkins, Christopher
Hitchens, and Sam Harris have not dialogued with religious thinkers whose ideas
are more mature and deeper than those of the fundamentalists. It may be said that Armstrong finds the new
atheists hard of heart for their unwillingness to carry out a true search for
truth. In the readings today Jeremiah
and Jesus likewise lament the hardness of their adversaries’ positions.
Jeremiah has preached religious and moral reform to the
Kingdom of Judah. The people, he would
say, have to stop thinking that foreign alliances will save them from the
threat of Babylon and to rely on God.
Jesus asks the people of Jerusalem, the heirs of those to whom Jeremiah
preached, to recognize him as God’s uniquely appointed messenger for all that
he has done in God’s name. In both cases,
however, the people roundly reject these divine emissaries and even threaten
their lives.
We should be wary of the ways some talk about God. People want and should give testimony to
their experiences of Him. But they err
on the side of enthusiasm when they reduce God to an unmerciful executioner or even
to an individual helper greater than themselves. God is holy mystery whose nature we cannot
hope to really understand. Some say God
is love, and of course He is that. But
love does not adequately explain God’s nature any more than we could say that working is our nature because we need to
work. What is more important than talking
about God is acting like God as demonstrated in Jesus’ life. We should become more compassionate,
understanding, and disciplined.
