God Archives - My Kidney Cancer

Outgrowing God – 7 to 12

I decided to complete my review of the remaining chapters of Outgrowing God by Richard Dawkins in one go. This is Part Two of his book, subtitled “Evolution and beyond”. Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, as well as an atheist, and so would like evolution and science generally to explain everything. In some ways he is hoist on his own petard because he accuses theists of using God to explain the unexplained, whereas he uses unknowable science and evolution to explain the unexplained.

Chapter 7, the first chapter of Part Two is entitled “Surely there must be s designer?” and goes on to explain how evolution explains everything, except the origin of life which he cannot explain. The creation story of the Bible is largely regarded as mythical or allegorical and largely superseded by evolution with two tremendous gaps, namely the creation of the universe and the creation of life within it.

Those of us who believe in God, believe that He created the universe and that He created life. Dawkins believes that nature evolved naturally without a designer. It blows my mind, on the other hand, that God could create living organisms that would grow into so many wonderful species of animals and plants and ultimately into intelligent beings like ourselves. That takes a level of magnificent genius that far exceeds making it up as He goes along.

Dawkins asks a couple of questions about belief in God and about belief in good and evil. He asks the question whether we evolved to believe in gods and he tries to explain it. While not denying the possibility, I cannot deny the possibility that God puts it in people’s minds that there is a god. They may not fully understand the god and the evidence is that they didn’t. But the fact is that different races were physically evolving throughout the world, in their different ways, but mentally evolving in the same way to believe in god(s). What a coincidence! Dawkins’ explanation is no more plausible than belief in God.

Likewise, there is remarkable similarity in the moral code of people and societies throughout the world. This point is well argued in the book Mere Christianity by C.S.Lewis. Because societies that had no connection with each other and with physical and cultural differences came up with the same moral code adds to the possibility of a uniform external influence on all people.

Of course, if you are looking for an excuse not to believe in God, you can put everything down to coincidence and as yet unknown science. Dawkins does include a chapter on “Crystals and jigsaw puzzles” which I find rather surprising because crystals, which did not evolve, to my mind demonstrate the mind of the Creator in their wonderful beauty and geometry. Not at all what you would expect by accident. This whole chapter speaks to me of the wonders of creation. What a pity some don’t believe in it.

The last chapter of the book is “Take courage from science”, and is written as if science somehow does away with the need for God, as if it explains everything, In fact, all science does is tell us more about God’s creation. So what this book will do is give atheists more reason to reject God, but it does not give one good solid argument to deny God’s existence.

I will finish with a quote from 1 Corinthians 1:25 – “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

Outgrowing God – 5&6

This is my 4th post commenting on the book Outgrowing God by Richard Dawkins, Here I am covering Chapters 5 and 6 which are related to each other. Chapter 5 is entitled Do We Need God in Order to be Good?, and Chapter 6 is How Do We Decide what is Good?

In a way these are silly questions because we are none of us “good” by God’s standard of perfection. Mankind’s standard is somewhat lower and we certainly do not need God for other people to consider us good or not. So in a couple of sentences I have answered the question that heads Chapter 5, yet he found it necessary to write a whole chapter. He finds it necessary to go through the 10 Commandments one by one, commenting on each. I really don’t think that Christians agonise over the 10 Commandments – we have internalised them even though we might well have to think carefully if asked what they are. The point is that we know we are not perfect and that we have sinned “in thought, word and deed”, for which we ask forgiveness and resolve to do better. “Sin” is an emotive word, but is a conveniently short one for falling short of perfection.

So being a Christian is not about “being good”, it is about praising God for the goodness of his creation, about thanking him for his goodness to others and to ourselves, and asking for what we deem to be important to us and to others and, importantly, giving us guidance on how to live our lives. If we have faith in Jesus Christ, we are promised eternal life, but that is not our motivation. I believe that Christianity is right for this life.

So on to Chapter 6, How do we decide what is good? Well Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist (not a theologian nor educated in logic) so he gives us an evolutionist view on how we decide what is “good”. So although it is perhaps interesting to see how people’s idea of good develops and changes, it is not really relevant as far as faith is concerned. I believe that God tells us through his Holy Spirit, whether what we are thinking, saying or doing is good or not. Not for us to judge whether what other people think, say or do is good or not, unless what they are doing is manifestly evil in its impact on others.

So that brings us to the end of Part One of the book. I should have mentioned earlier that he calls Part One “Goodbye God”. He certainly has not persuaded me to say goodbye to God. He has told us that people have had many gods over time: that does not preclude the existence of God. He has questioned the truth of the Holy Bible, without considering how much is eye-witness or second-hand at most. He has told us about myths. He has questioned whether the Bible is “good”. He has talked about goodness in a way that is irrelevant to faith. He has to do better to have us say goodbye, but will persuade those who have already said it.

Part Two is entitled Evolution and Beyond. As an evolutionary biologist, he has to include his pet subject. Some of it is quite interesting. Of course the origins of the universe and of life are complete unknowns, but he has faith that science will come up with answers, but more of that later in future posts.

Fight The Good Fight

While contemplating my situation the other day, the hymn “Fight the good fight” came to mind. As someone who is completely unable to sing, I don’t often think of hymns, but this one seems to me very apt, both from a faith and a health point of view.

Whether you agree with the Christian emphasis or not, the advice is just excellent. We are encouraged to live this life without fear and with determination to do our best. These are the words:

1 Fight the good fight with all your might,
Christ is your strength and Christ your right.
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
your joy and crown eternally.

2 Run the straight race through God’s good grace;
lift up your eyes, and seek his face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the path and Christ the prize.

3 Cast care aside, lean on your guide;
his boundless mercy will provide.
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its life and Christ its love.

4 Faint not, nor fear, his arms are near;
he changes not, and you are dear.
Only believe, and you will see
that Christ is Lord eternally.

Naturally I would like everyone to enjoy the benefits of faith, but either way there is a load of good advice contained within the Bible and within Christian songs and literature. Some of it, like this hymn, is very stirring. Other things are very calming, like Jesus’s encouragement “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11v.28-30). There are certainly times when our cancer makes us feel “weary and burdened” and at those times I am really thankful for my faith because I never feel anxious or depressed. I praise God that He makes this joy so freely available.

Invictus

The poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley was catapulted into the public consciousness by the 2009 film of that name about Nelson Mandela and post-apartheid South Africa. The poem helped to carry him through his imprisonment and is perhaps part of the reason that he emerged without resentment and vengefulness. Henley himself was no stranger to misfortune, having had part of a leg amputated at a fairly early age. He suffered ill health and did not live very long, dying at the age of 53. This is the poem:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul

Invictus is the Latin word for unconquered or undefeated, and is a marvellous example of how we should live our lives – as the master of our fate and captain of our soul. With God to help us

Invictus is kept in the public consciousness by the Invictus Games, the name of which is written with the letters I AM highlighted in a different colour. Was this in the knowledge that I AM is one of the names of God? Possibly not.

The poem is not overtly Christian – “I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul”, but the sentiment is entirely consistent with Christianity, except that he seems to have a rather gloomy expectation of the hereafter. I also believe it is a good fit with life with cancer: whatever it throws at us, we are personally responsible for our reaction and how we learn from it.

I certainly didn’t have this poem in mind when I formulated my approach to my cancer, so am somewhat blown away by how accurately it expresses my feelings about it. Initially I was rather inclined to leave it up to the medical profession, but then being told that I will probably never be free of cancer, inspired me to start taking responsibility.

I wasn’t given much dietary advice and the subjects of mental and spiritual wellbeing, and their importance in healing, never arose in conversations with oncologists. That is not a criticism of oncology today, because I realise that they are constrained by their training and even by their ethical code which prevents them talking about things that are not “proven” to be of benefit. Drug trials provide evidence of efficacy and side effects, whereas there is no “proof” that a particular diet will have a beneficial effect or that the mental and spiritual measures that I have already touched upon will promote healing. All I can say with certainty is that they have done wonders for my morale and that the recent scan results are very encouraging. And if they cease to be encouraging, that would indicate that there are further learning opportunities and different ideas to investigate and try out. “I am the master of my fate”.

Good News!

A couple of days ago I had my scheduled appointment with the oncology consultant. I was both eager and anxious for this appointment because I was to get the results of my recent scans. The CT scan of my body does not worry me greatly, although my lungs have four small metastases. Left to themselves, they are too small and slow-growing to be of much concern to someone my age, and they are totally symptom-free. On the other hand, the tumour in my brain stem is a major concern, and I have an MRI scan of my head for that. It was the symptoms of loss of balance and difficulty pronouncing some words that led to its discovery. If it grows too big, it will affect the ability of my brain to control my body, with devastating consequences.

The good news is that the MRI head scan showed that the brain tumour has shrunk significantly, as has the surrounding oedema, since my last scan 4 months ago. Praise God! This was my first scan since going back onto the Everolimus and Lenvatinib therapy at a reduced dose of Lenvatinib, so good to know that the reduction hasn’t done any harm.

That is not to say that the good result has come easily. First off, I give thanks to my Christian brothers and sisters who have supported me and the medical staff with their prayers. I firmly believe that this helps in general and specifically in steering us towards the right treatment.

The drugs have unwanted side effects, the worst for me being low energy and tiredness. On top of this, I have made major changes to my diet and supplementation to both detoxify and to consume those things that fight cancer and avoid those that tend to promote cancer growth.

The biggest dietary change has been to completely exclude sugar, red meat and dairy. I thought of going completely vegan at one time, but have since learned that the occasional organic free range egg is fine, as is a little white chicken meat, some fish, and cheese from sheep or goat milk. But I certainly miss my bacon at our monthly men’s breakfasts at Christ Church, Brownsover, which were about the only times that I had a full English breakfast. I still attend these for the company and the invariably interesting discussion after.

Very topical, as Christmas approaches, is that my alternative treatment involves both Frankincense and Myrrh, as oil in a blend of oils that I apply around my head and neck because of their anti-cancer properties. What we apply to our skin is absorbed into the body, which is why we need to be so careful about what cosmetics we use, as well as any chemicals with which we come into contact. Frankincense and Myrrh get several mentions in the Bible, not only as gifts to the newly born Jesus, so that reinforces their value. I also take Frankincense internally in the form of Boswellia Serrata capsules.

God, through His creation, has provided us with many natural medicines that we can use. In fact this was all that people did use until the pharmaceutical industry took off and persuaded people that man-made medicine was the way to go. Certainly the industry has done good, as well as a lot of harm. I think we have a problem in that a lot of the old “folk” remedies have been forgotten, but fortunately they are being rediscovered. Cannabis, for example, is a wonderful medicine for many ailments, including cancer, but is sadly hardly available legally in the United Kingdom, apart from the non-narcotic component CBD, which is legal and also beneficial, but not to the extent that the whole plant is.

Clearly the thing to do now is to continue along the same lines of medication and diet, perhaps refining it as I learn more. But as they say: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Probably the best advice I can give myself for now. But I would really like to be free of the medication, so that I can feel normal again. Perhaps the oncologist will agree to a break of a month or two when my brain tumour is smaller.

Belief, Faith And Religion

Belief, faith and religion are interconnected but distinctly different. I thought it worth putting my thoughts down because many people, especially atheists, confuse faith and religion, and to some extent belief. They tend to point to the failures of “religion” and “religious people” as proof that God doesn’t exist. That is clearly nonsense and defies all logic..

Belief and Faith

Belief and faith in God are often seen as the same thing. The reason that I have separated them is my own experience. Before I became a Christian and had faith in God, I believed that God actually existed, but that belief did not in any way affect my life. I didn’t feel a need to do anything about that belief. It was only later that the Holy Spirit led me to faith. Then my life, thoughts and emotions were changed. The difference is the feeling of love and trust. These emotions, for me, changed a belief in God’s existence to a faith that he loved me as his creation and that I could commune with him and ask his guidance and try to understand what he would have me do.

Religion

Religion is based on a core faith and belief. It is basically humankind’s way of expressing that faith and putting it into action. Then, over time, religion develops further beliefs and practices around that core faith. Most of these beliefs, or doctrine, arise from study and interpretation of the scriptures, from inspiration from God and some unfortunately, in my perception, arise from worldly consideration. Inevitably there is discussion about these further beliefs and practices and whether they are fully in accord with the faith. And then inevitably there are disagreements and one group splits off, still holding the core faith but wanting to do things a bit differently. That is why we have a number of Christian denominations, all with the same faith in God and Jesus Christ, but wanting to worship differently or having a particular belief on whether something is or is not in accord with the scriptures. This is both a weakness and a strength.

It is certainly a weakness when members of a particular denomination declare that theirs is the one true faith and the others are apostate. That shows a complete misunderstanding of the fact that we are all one in Christ and all have our different parts to play. The New Testament of the Bible has a number of references to “the body of Christ”, of which all the faithful are part, and that we are all different parts of that same body but with our own particular functions.

A strength of different denominations is that the faithful can find a “home” where they are spiritually comfortable. This may be because they are happier worshipping in a particular way, or because their interpretation of the scriptures is particularly in accord with one particular denomination. That is fine as long as we remember that we are all one and all equal.

I attend an Anglican church and am very comfortable there. That doesn’t mean that I accept everything that the Church of England leadership says and does. In fact I think that some of what they say and do is wrong. But most of that doesn’t affect the life and love so evident in our particular church. Unfortunately some political pronouncements on matters where there is no absolute right or wrong, and on which people hold strong and divergent views, can turn people off the Church of England and, by extension, Christianity as a whole. A lot of politics is a matter of choosing the least bad option and there will always be disagreement as to what that is.

Religious Wrongdoing

Another problem with religion is that some of its adherents do things that are egregiously wrong by any standards. Whether the acts are individual or collective, atheists love to trot out examples to “prove” that the religion and therefore the faith are false. Even worse are the individual cases where those in authority have tried to sweep it under the carpet. Unfortunately, any attempt to explain is seen as an excuse.

Christians certainly accept that humankind is imperfect and that we are individually imperfect. Which is one of the reasons that we are so grateful for our faith. The Bible gives us many examples of wrongdoing (sin) and redemption. “Sin” of course is an emotive and pejorative word that is seen as judgmental, but in reality is just a conveniently short word to use for anything that would be displeasing to God. None of us is free from it. As Jesus said when the adulterer was sentenced to death by stoning (John Ch.8), “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone”. Nobody did because nobody was. Jesus said to the woman “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more”. What wonderful compassion! One of the many reasons why our faith makes us so happy.

But why these terrible acts? Evil spirits? The devil? At one time I would have laughed at the idea that they existed, but now I am inclined to believe they do. If you wanted to destroy the Church, how would you go about it? Making it illegal has only ever driven it underground. Logical argument against it doesn’t work. Scientific argument doesn’t work. The brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking had to rely on a giant non sequitur to “prove” that God doesn’t exist. No, the only way that would succeed, but for God, would be to try to destroy it from inside. To exploit the weakness of its members, to have them speak or act in such a way as to cause revulsion or indifference towards the Church. I really do believe that is what is happening today. On the one hand attacking the Church from within, on the other hand enticing people away with material things so that they have neither the time nor inclination to think about the spiritual.

I really believe that the tide will turn when it becomes more evident to more people that the current way of the world is just not working for them.

Judgmental?

Christians are often accused of being judgmental, which unfortunately some are in spite of the direction “judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew Ch.7). But it is more often a case of Christians being judged. Just do an Internet search on what people think of Christians. It is quite eye-opening, fortunately not all negative, though much is. Every one of our misdeeds is used against our faith. I found a really good article about this online (See it HERE). I was actually searching to see if there was anything about what Christians think of non-Christians, but only found what people think Christians think, as well as their thoughts on Christians.

Command and Control?

On top of this, we see the archaic view that religion is about “command and control” – keeping the peasants under the thumb of the elite. Not realising that that is actually one of the evils of the modern secular world and almost completely absent in Christianity.

The world is becoming more and more polarised with power in the hands of the “elites” whether that elitism is through the power of money, government, industry or whatever. More or less the people who turn up to the World Economic Forum in Davos every year. We have even got to the point of thinking of self-serving misanthropists as philanthropists because they tell us that is what they are. If only more people could see that Christianity is about freedom and not command and control! We try to do what is pleasing to God because of our love for Him and His love for us, not because we are commanded to. Yes, we fall short. But we get up and keep on going because we know it is right for us and for the world. I’ve mentioned before The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan because it is such a beautiful allegory of the Christian journey. A tale of learning, of success and failure, of fear and joy, of trials and tribulations, and of following the wrong path and then getting back on track.

Summary

Faith is immutable and comes from God and is true. Religion is humankind’s attempt to define and follow that faith, and as such is subject to human frailty and weakness. The failure of people is not the failure of God and has no bearing on God’s existence.

Separate Faith and Cancer?

It was suggested to me that perhaps I should separate this blog into two blogs – one for Faith and one for Cancer. Here is some of my rationale for keeping things the way they are:

Healing

Every holistic healer and many in the medical profession will say that the mind is an essential part of healing. In fact there is evidence that mental trauma can make you sick in the first place. It is generally recognised that mental well-being is essential to physical well-being.

There is no doubt in my mind that my Christian faith contributes massively to my mental well-being. Two very powerful contributors that faith provides are Gratitude and Forgiveness.

Gratitude is so healthy because it is so positive. We are grateful for what we have and not anxious or envious of the things we don’t have. Christians are indeed extremely grateful for the redemption offered by Jesus Christ. Gratitude goes beyond that, for the beauty of God’s creation, for shelter, for warmth, for food, for other people. As I write this, I am additionally grateful for the warmth of the sun on this slightly chilly autumn day and for the beauty of the flowers outside the window. As I prepare to go to bed at night, I thank the Lord for all the blessings of the day.

Forgiveness is absolutely essential. If we do not forgive, we can become bitter, resentful and angry. All very negative emotions that damage our health. I remember a few years ago I was angry with the police for falsifying their testimony to make it appear that I had committed an offence that I didn’t commit. It made my blood boil, I lost sleep over it, it affected my whole life. I didn’t know it at the time, but I already had kidney cancer and I do not doubt that my mental state made it worse. Then I became a Christian and learned to forgive and put it behind me. Not forgiving hurts us and not those we don’t forgive.

We are forgiven by God through faith in Jesus Christ, so who are we not to forgive others? Like many others, I have difficulty forgiving myself for. things I have done that hurt others. But that is something we have to learn too – make amends where we can and ask forgiveness where we can, and then put it behind us. God doesn’t forgive us for us to feel guilty, but to feel free.

Mental Outlook

Gratitude and Forgiveness are two essential ingredients of mental well-being. But faith gives us more than that. I was diagnosed with a tumour in my brain stem. A devastating diagnosis, except I wasn’t devastated. I put that down to my faith which the Lord had given me just a few months before. What my faith gave me was acceptance. Not acceptance that this was fate and let it take its course, but acceptance that I had to do what I could to get well. And if I didn’t get well, so be it. That was over 2 1/2 years ago, since when there have been a few ups and downs with beneficial treatments and medication side effects. And a lot of learning too about cancer and the causes of cancer and about alternative healing, both the scientifically sound and the scientifically unsound.

All the while, my faith has given me a positive outlook. Of course, I am not absolutely joyful when suffering medication side effects, but extremely grateful for all the times when I feel better and have energy. Not only do I pray for healing, but also that the rest of my life will be useful. When I first prayed for healing, the answer I got was “Why?”. That is a very good question and if we are sick, we need to know the answer. That question did rather change my outlook.

Body, Mind and Spirit

Our body, mind and spirit are inextricably linked. Our bodies will not be healthy unless our minds and spirits are too. And that is why I have linked my cancer and my faith together in this blog. Although old in years, I am young in faith and continually learning, and some of that is reflected in this blog. All blog entries are categorised by Cancer or by Faith, so you can just choose to read one or the other. This post falls into both categories, and I hope helps the reader recognise the importance of making the whole person healthy,

The Lord’s Prayer

I was sitting outside in our garden this morning, at a not very warm for July cloudy 14 degC but there were breaks in the clouds when the wonderfully warm sun would shine through.

And as I was contemplating the beauty of God’s creation and how my partner Lyn had made our garden so beautiful, I got to thinking of the Lord’s prayer – especially of the last sentence called the doxology which was added early on but not part of the original biblical texts: “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen” in the traditional version. And as I said this, the sun burst through the cloud embracing me with its warmth. I love this traditional version because it sounds so powerful and, for me, puts things in the right order – First God; second His magnificence; third His eternity. To me the modern version is weak in comparison: “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.”. The original texts are Matthew 6.9–13 and Luke 11.1–4 in the New International Version.

Both contemporary and traditional versions of the Lord’s Prayer are on the Church of England website.

Back to the garden. As with so many things, God provides the raw materials and leaves it up to us to work with them to make things of beauty to glorify Him. Lyn has done a wonderful job, with a bit of manual labour from myself, because when we bought the house a few years ago, the back garden was a sea of gravel with a couple of trees and some bamboo spreading out of control, she has now created a space with beautiful flowers and foliage and fruit and somewhere that we can dine under shelter and somewhere we can sit and relax (in the sun when it shines) for much of the day. God has truly blessed us and we need to be mindful of that and share his blessings with others.

This kind of leads on to all the other wonderful raw materials that God has provided. Metals of all kinds, from the precious metals, gold and silver, to the more mundane metals required to manufacture the things that we use every day that make life easier and more pleasant. Stone from which we can make jewellery and from which buildings and carvings can be made. Fossil fuels which powered the industrial revolution and so much more, giving us a high standard of living (and of which we now need to reduce our usage so as not to spoil it all). We need to be ever mindful of the fact that we have a duty to conserve everything for future generations and a duty not to exploit everything for profit now with consequent loss in the future.

Atheist Delusions

I have just started reading Atheist Delusions by David Bentley Hart. While reading the first paragraph of the first chapter, I realised that I was going to like this book, both for its style and its content. It was published in 2009, but is perhaps even more relevant today. The paragraph starts with the fact that today newspapers and book publishers have never before been so open to those who will denounce faith in general and Christianity in particular because it is such an easy target. To quote:

“As I write, Daniel Dennett’s latest attempts to wean a credulous humanity from its reliance on the preposterous fantasies of religion, Breaking the Spell, has arrived amid a clamor of indignant groans from the faithful and exultant bellowing from the godless. The God Delusion, an energetic attack on all religious belief, has just been released by Richard Dawkins, the zoologist and tireless tractarian, who – despite his embarrassing incapacity for philosophical reasoning – never fails to entrance his eager readers with his rhetorical recklessness. The journalist Christopher Hitchens, whose talent for intellectual caricature somewhat exceeds his mastery of consecutive logic, has just issued God Is Not Great, a book that raises the wild non sequitur almost to the level of a dialectical method. Over the past few years, Sam Harris’s extravagantly callow attack on all religious belief, The End of Faith, has enjoyed robust sales and the earnest praise of sympathetic reviewers. Over a slightly greater span, Philip Pullman’s evangelically atheist (and rather overrated) fantasy trilogy for children, His Dark Materials, has sold millions of copies, has been lavishly praised by numerous critics, has been adapted for the stage, and has received partial cinematic translation; its third volume, easily the weakest of the series, has even won the (formerly) respectable Whitbread Prize. And one need hardly mention the extraordinary sales achieved by Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, already a major film and surely the most lucrative novel written by a borderline illiterate. I could go on.”

Of these, I have only read Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. I do not consider that I was a Christian at the time I read it, though as stated elsewhere in this blog, I did at the time believe it probable that God existed. This book was so bad that it tended to reinforce my belief rather than consider it a delusion. I do not doubt that those already of an atheist mindset thought that it justified their opinion.

Christopher Hitchens I have heard in debate, but I have not read anything of his. I did not find him particularly convincing.

His Dark Materials was turned into a television series, and I only know it through having watched a few episodes. It was clearly a fantasy for children and, for me, unwatchable. I did not see enough to know whether it was “evangelically atheist”.

I saw the film of the Da Vinci Code, which was clearly nonsense and it in no way encouraged me to read the book. I was not a Christian at the time I saw it, which is perhaps why I did not see it as overtly anti-Christian, even though it is.

Resurrection

Still in the first chapter of Atheist Delusions, David Bentley Hart goes on to say something that is very important and that we should never forget:

“Harris is quite correct to say, for instance, that Christ’s resurrection – like any other historical event – is known only by way of the testimony of others. Indeed, Christianity is the only major faith built entirely around a single historical claim. It is, however, a claim quite unlike any other made, as any perceptive and scrupulous historian must recognize. Certainly it bears no resemblance to the vague fantasies of witless enthusiasts or to the cunning machinations of opportunistic charlatans. It is the report of men and women who had suffered the devastating defeat of their beloved master’s death, but who in a very short time were proclaiming an immediate experience of his living presence beyond the tomb, and who were, it seems, willing to suffer privation, imprisonment, torture, and death rather than deny that experience. And it is the report of a man who had never known Jesus before the crucifixion, and who had once persecuted Jesus’s followers, but who also believed that he had experienced the risen Christ, with such shattering power that he too preferred death to apostasy. And it is the report of countless others who have believed that they also – in a quite irreducibly personal way – have known the risen Christ.”

Beautifully expressed. I like this book.

Addendum

I have now finished reading this book and am very impressed. I certainly liked the way he dismissed the pronouncements of prominent atheists. As the book goes on, the author clearly outlines many of their errors in logic and their lack of knowledge of history. David Bentley-Hart is amongst other things, both a historian and a philosopher and he has put together an enthralling history of Christianity – the good and the not so good – in the context of the times. A very scholarly work.

Pillars of Christianity

While pondering conversions to Christianity, I also looked at conversions to Islam to confirm that they were different in nature. In doing so, I was reminded of the 5 Pillars of Islam – Shahaadah (Profession of Faith); Salaat (Prayer); Zakat (Almsgiving); Sawm (Fasting); Hajj (Pilgrimage) – which got me to wondering whether there were considered to be any Christian “pillars”.

Although those 5 “pillars” appear in Christianity, although differently, they are not considered pillars of the faith, only as something that we will naturally do, or might do in the case of pilgrimage.

Then when I thought about it, I realised that Christianity is built on a rock. Far more substantial than pillars. When Jesus asked his disciples whom they say He is, Peter said “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16v16). Jesus replied “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it”. So there we have it, Christianity and the Church is built on a rock, and has not been overcome in spite of many attempts from within as well as from without. Praise God.

Anyway, I thought it might be useful to discuss how the confession of faith; prayer; almsgiving; fasting; and pilgrimage appear in Christianity.

Confession of Faith

There are 2 commonly recited statements of faith, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. The former is the one most commonly said in our church and is as follows in the original version with which I am most familiar from my childhood:

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, descended into hell, rose again from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, who will come again to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen”.

My memory is old but that seems to me to be the way it was. The words “crucified, dead and buried” have been replaced by “crucified, died and was buried”. The Church of England currently incorporates a couple of minor changes: ‘creator’ in place of ‘Maker’ and ‘he descended to the dead’ in place of ‘descended into hell’. The first change seems a bit unnecessary, but interesting in that many North American indigenous peoples believe in ‘the Creator’. The latter change presumably because there is some question as to the exact meaning of ‘descended into hell’. Also the “quick” have been changed to the “living”, effectively just a language update. The ‘holy catholic Church’ is the universal Christian Church, not to be confused with the Roman Catholic Church, so often abbreviated to Catholic Church.

So the first part of the Creed is the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Next the belief in the Holy catholic Church. This is important to recognise that we are all part of the same universal body of Christ, regardless of what denomination Church we worship in.

“The communion of saints” got me thinking. This is clearly not the Holy Communion or Eucharist or Lord’s Supper. So I went back to basics. A definition of “communion” that I like is “a close relationship with someone in which feelings and thoughts are exchanged”. So who are saints? They are not necessarily those who are designated as Saints by churches. The word saint comes from the similar French word which is derived from the Latin word ‘sanctus’ which means Holy and is the root of the word ‘sanctified’. Here is a nice article on ways we are sanctified: 3 Ways Christians Are Sanctified. Several times, Paul refers to church members as saints in his epistles. So my interpretation of the communion of saints is the close relationships and exchanges which we need with other church members. I believe that group Bible Study is a good example of this, where we exchange our thoughts and experiences.

Just as an aside, that is my interpretation and may differ from an “approved” interpretation. I believe the Holy Spirit gave me the idea of this blog so as to clarify and share my faith. As a relatively new Christian, I may be totally misinterpreting some things, in which case I shall be delighted to receive comments to put me straight.

The forgiveness of sins is an example of the amazing Grace and Mercy of God. It is one of the tenets of our faith that Jesus dies for our sins and that we are forgiven them through our belief in, and love for, Jesus

The resurrection of the body I do not fully understand. Yes, I believe that we will have a resurrected body, but not exactly the one we left behind, although I am sure it will have a close relationship to it. Whether we are buried or cremated, atoms of our body are dispersed into the environment and potentially become part of plants or animals or other people. Check out the words of “On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at” (aka. On Ilkley Moor Without A Hat) to see how that can happen. But then everything is possible with God and we won’t know until we do. As Paul said “Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face”.

The life everlasting is the final belief of the Apostles’ Creed. That is indeed the promise. Is that a motivation? Jesus is asked what someone has to do to achieve everlasting life, so it is not completely under the surface. On the other hand, it is not something I think about, even though I am in my 80th year, because it doesn’t affect my daily life or my love of God. For me it is a reassuring fact, very much in the background.

Prayer

Prayer, talking to God, is an essential part of our faith. Although there have been suggestions that Christians might pray at specific times of the day, the reality is that God is everywhere all the time so we can pray anywhere at any time. The advantage of having multiple set times during the day, means that you are constantly reminded of God’s presence, if you need a reminder. The disadvantage is that it may start to feel a duty, rather than a joy. I frequently thank God and praise him for things through the day, as well as trying to put aside time for specific praise, thanks, apologising for where I fell short, and making specific requests.

Alms

Since the beginning of Christianity, Christians have been giving to support those less fortunate than themselves. Many hospitals were founded by Christians. There are alms houses all over this country where people’s faith has moved them to help others. Giving is and always was a part of Christianity. The principle of tithing is mentioned in the Holy Bible and is emphasised more in some churches than in others. Paul in his epistles refers to giving a number of times and also makes clear his appreciation of churches that have collected to finance his ministry. He also makes requests for donations to relieve poor churches. There are examples of Christians giving away 50% to 90% of their income according to their means, but this does not belittle the giving of those who can afford less. Jesus makes this clear when he says the widow giving her mite is giving more than those who ostentatiously give large amounts they can easily afford.

Fasting

Prayer and fasting gets several mentions in the Holy Bible and is recommended but perhaps doesn’t get the emphasis that it needs. It can be both healthy and spiritual but should be done at times to suit the individual’s physical and spiritual needs, rather than at set seasons. I have fasted for several days for health reasons in my pre-Christian life, but not since. I am resolved to combine prayer and fasting as soon as I have resolved my problems with nausea from the meds. I did fast for 24 hours and then had a meal which almost instantly came up again,, and I am not anxious to repeat that. I am currently trying CBD to deal with the nausea and it seems effective so far, but I am only a week into it.

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is more of a Roman Catholic tradition than a Protestant one, though some Protestants will make a pilgrimage to a place such as Iona where there is an opportunity for Christian fellowship, prayer and meditation ‘away from it all’. Might be a very good idea, but I’m not sure I would be up to it at my age. Lourdes is a popular pilgrim destination for those in search of healing and not only for Roman Catholics. There are confirmed stories of healing there and I am unable to comment on whether they are conveyed by the waters or by the pilgrim’s faith. As Jesus said to the woman who touched his garment, believing that it would give her healing, “thy faith hath made thee whole” (Matthew 9 v.22).

In some respects, pilgrimage seems unnecessary with God being everywhere all the time. But never having been a pilgrim, I cannot really comment. Perhaps the travel is important – I can see that it would be very beneficial to be focused on the journey and the destination. And I can imagine the peace and tranquillity and closeness to God that one might feel having arrived at a Holy place. I think I might almost talk myself into making a pilgrimage.

Talking about pilgrimage, I have just recently read “The Pilgrim’s Progress” written by John Bunyan in about 1680. And a wonderful book it is too, being an allegory of the Christian faith journey with struggles and diversions and temptations on the way. I even felt a bit weepy at times when reading parts that particularly resonated. The pilgrim, named Christian, started out with a heavy burden of sin locked to his back, weighing him down as he began his journey. And it was beautifully released when he came to the Cross. Happy to say he reaches the Celestial City at the end of his journey. Part 2 is the journey of his wife and children when she realises how wrong she was not to accompany Christian in the first place. I highly recommend this book.

Conclusion

I am not trying to draw a comparison between Christianity and Islam, which is essentially anti-Christian in its denial of Jesus as the Son of God. We talk of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as the three major “Abrahamic” religions (there are others), which they are in terms of the number of adherents, but they are totally different of course. Christianity follows on from Judaism in that the prophets foretold the Christ Jesus, though He wasn’t what Jews expected, so many rejected him, though of course, the first Christians were Jews. I am hard pressed to see a reason for any religion to follow Christianity because Jesus with His teaching, with His crucifixion and with His resurrection showed us God in all His glory and all His love and all His mercy. It is true that mankind has periodically corrupted the message and people have twisted it to their advantage, but it continues to shine through in its original form. As Gamaliel said in the Sanhedrin, about the Apostles brought before them: “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5.38/39). After 2,000 years, I believe that says it is from God.

Breakfast

One Saturday in each month Christ Church, Brownsover holds a men’s breakfast. A full English breakfast for adult males only. It is usually attended by about a dozen people, sometimes more, and is open to men who are not members of the church and who are not necessarily Christian. After eating we have a discussion about Christianity or about Christian life. The topic is chosen by Simon who organises the breakfast. I like going because I rarely have a cooked breakfast otherwise and the discussion is always interesting. A while ago, we discussed the question of what God expects of us or wants us to do.

It was made interesting by the presence of someone who did not believe in God and who essentially held to the humanist philosophy which has the tenet that you can “be good” without God. In its atheistic view of course it does not accept that God gives us a sense of right and wrong. It is interesting that the forbidden fruit in the “Garden of Eden” was on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis ch.2 v.17).

Humanists

From the Humanists UK website: “Humanists are people who shape their own lives in the here and now, because we believe it’s the only life we have. We make sense of the world through logic, reason, and evidence, and always seek to treat those around us with warmth, understanding, and respect.”. Elsewhere on the website it states “They have trusted to the scientific method, evidence, and reason to discover truths about the universe and have placed human welfare and happiness at the centre of their ethical decision making.”. So it reads like a godless religion, with statements like “we believe”. And they talk about ethics and moral values which have no anchor other than that they stem from Christianity. A fact which they conveniently ignore.

Humanists have “trusted to the scientific method ….. to discover truths about the universe … “. Their trust runs out when it comes to creating a universe out of nothing. Or indeed to creating anything out of nothing. There is no “natural law” to explain it and they can’t even explain why there are laws of nature in the first place.

To be a humanist requires assumptions about humanity and requires a leap of faith, though they will likely not admit it.

Evidence for Christianity

Clearly I should also subject my Christian faith to the same brief critical analysis but quite frankly I find that difficult in that I didn’t get here by trusting to “the scientific method, evidence, and reason”. The fact is simply that I didn’t really believe until I did. I believed that there was most likely a God, in that the arguments against His existence were pretty weak, and the argument for the creation of the universe was pretty strong (humanists seem confident that science will work out how the universe created itself out of nothing). But it didn’t affect my life in any way until I felt the strongest urge, which I take to be the working of the Holy Spirit, to get a Bible and read it. Then everything just fell into place. It really comes down to two questions: “Is there or isn’t there a God?”, and “What should one do about the answer?”. The humanist would answer the first question with a ‘No’ and the second, apparently, with ‘Invent a substitute set of beliefs’. A Christian would answer the first question with a ‘Yes’ and the second with faith and a resolve to love God and love one’s neighbour (see my blog post on the Good Samaritan). Before I found real faith, I would have answered the first question with ‘Yes, probably’ and the second with ‘Do nothing’.

There is certainly evidence to support Christianity. In Jesus’ time there were religious cults that melted away when they lost their leaders. This is recorded after Jesus’ death and resurrection when the apostles were called before the Sabhedrin (Acts 5).

³³When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. ³⁴But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ³⁵Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: ‘Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ³⁶Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ³⁷After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸Therefore, in the present case I advise you: leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’

It was indeed from God and the message is still going strong 2,000 years later. But for the resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit, the disciples would surely have dispersed. They were dejected and demoralised after the crucifixion until they were aware of His resurrection. Then Jesus sent them the Holy Spirit. They were so energized and transformed that they preached the Gospel and gladly faced death. Their actions alone are convincing evidence of the Resurrection and divinity of Jesus.

The empirical evidence for Christianity is vast. The conversion experience and immediate transformation in many people’s lives alone is convincing. Indeed I don’t think any other religion has such profound conversion experiences. If they were bogus and purely emotional, then surely all other religions would have similar experiences,

I did check out some videos of conversions to Islam which confirmed my hypothesis that they were not the same. I make no comment other than that they are different. What I found rather sad was that Christians who converted to Islam, including those involved in leading and teaching young people in church, did not have a good understanding of Christianity. They had been brought up in the Christian faith but somehow missed out on the joy and the freedom it gives. The moral here is that Christian parents, bringing up their children as Christians does not make them Christians. Becoming a Christian requires a deliberate act of faith.

How Great Thou Art

“How Great Thou Art” is one of my favourite hymns and reminds us how awesome and magnificent God is. When I contemplate the wonders and beauty of this world and the universe, I am in total awe.

The world in its uninhabited state shows great beauty – the sky, the vast plains, the great forests, the magnificent mountains and the wonder of the weather. Admittedly mankind has damaged some of it, but has enhanced it too. As I look out at our garden I am struck by the beauty that can be created by working with nature.

An evolutionist would say that we are perfectly attuned to the world we live in, whereas a creationist would say that God has created the perfect world for us to live in. I believe the latter, but I don’t know whether it was done by creation as outlined in the Holy Bible or by creation of a universe that would evolve they way it has. There is a tendency to think of Biblical creationists as scientifically illiterate, but they include very intelligent people and their arguments are not without merit. I am prepared to keep an open mind, in the knowledge that we will ultimately know. As St Paul wrote “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:” (1 Corinthians 13 v.12 KJV).

I don’t have the brain to understand the science of the beginning of the universe. Extrapolating the observed data back in time, only gets back to 1 second after the supposed Big Bang. Now, as I understand it, something called inflation preceded the big bang. What nobody has come up with is any scientific explanation of the creation of something as awesome as the universe out of nothing. As St Paul wrote “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”. And I am left in no doubt that God created us the way we are and the world the way it is. I don’t of course have any problem with people trying to find out more about God’s creation. So far, all discovery has made me more in awe of what God has done.

We are clearly responsible for looking after this world and for many years conservationists have been reminding us of that responsibility, as well as doing invaluable conservation work. I am very impressed with the work of Allan Savory (see his talk on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTHi7O66pI), showing how land can be restored and carbon absorbed from the atmosphere. Interestingly it involves the introduction of grazing animals, which, of course, provide food which is necessary to cure hunger in so many parts of the world. So veganism may meet the moral and health requirements of some, but it is not an answer to climate change.

Miracles

Wednesday 22 February 2023 marked the start of Lent. Throughout Lent, our church Curate will be leading discussions on the miracles of Jesus recorded in the Gospel according to John. These discussions are held at the church of The Good Shepherd in Newton. The church I attend, Christ Church in Brownsover is part of a “Benefice” comprising 3 churches – St. Mary’s, the Parish Church of Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, The Good Shepherd in the same parish and Christ Church, the Parish Church of Brownsover – under the one Priest in Charge.

The Wedding of Cana

The first miracle, that we discussed on Wednesday, was Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. My first reaction was that we know all about that. Jesus had the wash jars filled with water and turned it into wine. “End of” as they say. Except when you study it, thinking about the culture of the time and place, it shows the enormous compassion of Jesus, and showing it in a way that it was known only to a few people at the time – the servants who filled the jars. And lots more learning and inspiration too.

Present Day Miracles

This led on to a discussion about miracles in general, and whether we see any today. My own thoughts are that all the workings of the Holy Spirit are miracles in our lives. “Coincidences” all stack up to the point where there is no reasonable explanation other than the working of the Holy Spirit.

More recently, in my life they include my move to the Midlands. So when my kidney cancer was discovered, I was under the care of one of the best surgeons. I was near Coventry, where the University Hospital has an excellent Oncology Department with excellent Nurses, Doctors and facilities. I was drawn to God just months before my brain tumour was discovered. When it was discovered, I was within easy reach of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, which is the centre of expertise for the type of radiotherapy I needed. And, unable to drive because of my brain tumour, I found a wonderful church within easy walking distance. Then, when walking became painful, I had a bike and found that I could ride that without pain.

A New Miracle

The day after this discussion of miracles, Thursday 23rd February, was a miracle day for me. I had an Oncology appointment in Coventry and got the great news that my brain stem tumour had shrunk from 22mm to 16mm. And my pain left me so that I was able to walk a whole mile, for the first time in a very long time.

I thank God for this great improvement. Thanks too to all my Christian brothers and sisters who have prayed for my recovery and to the medical team at University Hospital.

It is easy to say “It’s all down to the medical team” and I can’t fault them because they have been wonderful, nurses and doctors. But we believe in the power of prayer and that God uses and guides medical skill. And there are just too many coincidences, outlined above, for me to believe that God doesn’t have a hand in everything. I feel blessed.

February 23, 2023

February 23, 2023 was a miracle day for me. I had an appointment in the Oncology Department at University Hospital, Coventry for feedback on my latest MRI and CT scans. Great result – my brain stem tumour has shrunk from 22mm down to 16mm. I haven’t been too concerned about the 4 tumours in my lungs because of their small size. A couple were about 2mm and they reduced to about 1mm. I think the largest is about 10mm. We decided that I would continue on the combined therapy of Everolimus and Lenvatinib.

The good news didn’t end there. As mentioned in My Cancer background, I have been suffering from a severe groin pain for some months when standing and walking. A few weeks ago I had a couple of days when it almost went away and I was able to walk about a quarter mile on those days. When I woke up on February 23rd, the pain wasn’t too bad and by lunchtime it had gone. I celebrated by walking a whole mile. I had quite got out of the habit of walking and my muscles weren’t used to it. I was feeling quite exhausted, but elated, at the end of it.

I was concerned that the pain might come back today, a day later, but only the faintest hint of it this morning

I have written a blog post on Miracles to express my thanks and to say how these improvements connect with my faith.

Cancer and Faith

To try to make this website useful, I looked for the sort of things that people search for on the internet. One thing that a number of people ask is something like “Why does God allow cancer”. I am by no means a theologian, so this is just my take on the subject as someone who has both faith and cancer.

Free Will

First off, I believe that God gives us Free Will, which means that we are free to go off and do what we want, which is not necessarily what God wants for us and which is not necessarily good for us. We are of course restrained by the law and by discipline in our upbringing, but that still leaves us with considerable freedom.

That is on the individual level. On the group and population level. we have the freedom to mess up our environment, fight wars, massacre people we disapprove of and countless other evils.

We also have the freedom to do immense good and offset the bad things that people do, to alleviate disadvantage, to help others and all sorts of things that are pleasing to God and to humankind.

Causes of Cancer

Many cancers are a result of this free will. It may be what we knowingly or unknowingly do to ourselves – what we eat and drink, the chemicals and pollution we expose ourselves to, and probably other things besides. And then there is what others do to us – atmospheric pollution, toxic factory effluent and so on. So what we do to ourselves or what others do to us can cause cancer.

Why don’t we have immunity to cancer? I have no answer to that although it was recently discovered that some people do have complete immunity. Perhaps it will lead to effective cures. The human body is a miracle of design in its capability, both physical and mental. It is also very resilient – up to a point, after which it breaks down. It is interesting that there are pockets of disease-free longevity in the world, where people live long because of their active lifestyle, good diet and congenial society.

So even if what we do to ourselves and what others do to us explains a lot of cancers, it doesn’t explain cancers in the very young. I can’t remember where it is in the Holy Bible, but I recall a passage where Jesus is about to heal a man born blind and his disciples asked whether the man’s blindness was a result of his sin or his parents’ sin. He replies that it is neither but so that God might be glorified in the man’s healing. Whatever the outcome, a sick child brings out the best in people – the medics, the parents and others and that is certainly pleasing to God. But I don’t know if there are any answers. I certainly don’t know any. And it is distressing when a child dies, whatever the cause.

I don’t know the cause of my cancer, just that if I had done a lot of things differently I might not be in this state now. There are times in my life when my diet has been terrible; I have exposed myself to chemicals and dust without proper protective equipment; I have not always exercised enough. I have smoked and probably lots of other things too. Some of it through ignorance; some of it through being young and feeling invincible. It can catch up with us.

Faith Helps

However, what I do know is that cancer is easier to bear if you have faith in God and in our Saviour, Jesus Christ. In theory my condition is terminal. In practice, through God and prayer and the medical profession, I have exceeded my life expectancy. Praise God. Thank you.

The Good Samaritan

The other week, we covered the parable of the Good Samaritan in Bible Study. I’m sure this must be one of the best known parables, but if you want to read it, it is in Luke Chapter 10, verses 25 to 37. I have linked to that chapter in Bible Gateway which is a wonderful resource for looking up Bible texts and gives you a wide range of translations to choose from. The big insight for me was that it started with an expert in the Law asking Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”. Jesus responded “What is written in the Law?”. To which the man responded “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”. Jesus then said “Do this and you will live”.

The eye-opener for me was that Christianity condenses down to these two things. The Bible therefore ceases to be a “book of rules” as some non-Christians believe, but is a book through which we can get to know God and Jesus Christ better – knowledge of someone being a prerequisite of truly loving them.

The call to love our neighbour as ourselves is difficult, no one can deny. Jesus chose a Samaritan because of the long standing antipathy, hate almost, between Samaritans and Jews. The lesson is that the whole of humanity is our neighbour, including those who hate us, those who do us harm and those who do things we don’t like. But wouldn’t the world be a much better place if we all tried to do this, even if we don’t totally succeed? Imagine if all the hate whipped up by so many “activists” were turned into love for our fellow humans. Our social media are full of one group expressing hate and violence toward another. And if some object of hate is dead, they topple or deface his statue. Living people are cancelled amid a load of vitriol. What brought us to this? Is there a way back? I would like to see more people drawn to Christ, but even if non-Christians were to recognise that we need to replace hate by love, the world will improve. Something to pray about.