You might have thought that in a society that has unobtrusively limped away from its Christian identity a replacement would have made itself felt. But no. It doesn’t work that way in England. The labels remain but the content has been subject to metamorphosis. Ovid has triumphed. Everything is something else.
Q the agnostics. It takes effort and imagination to qualify as an agnostic. The serious questions – about our origins, about meaning in the universe, about personality—have to be framed. Many fail to get that far. Present responsibilities as parents limit the time available for consideration of remotely pressing issues.
But agnostics set us an example. They frame the questions. Unanswered questions may rub the sore when we should bring the plaster but if we don’t ask the questions we don’t get any answers. And many find that the parish church recognises either plain unbelief or a tidy compartmentalised pattern of belief on a take it or leave it principle. Many are not ready for such a package deal.
Parish churches find themselves in difficulties over this. They offer a set menu. Likely customers want user-friendly material, about the nature of any possible God, about the problem of a flawed creation, about human destiny in a world in which plane earth is a piece of fluff. The cosmos deals in tons, not ounces.
The ever-ready complication is the assumption that big is good and small is bad. We know how effective nano-measures can be decisive. A cosmic battle between good and evil is likely to be even more telling.
NOW TWO MERCY SHIPS
The arrival of a brand-new second mercy ship, Global Mercy, is providing surgical training for the latest developments in cleft and other problems before the new ship goes on its first mission and brings the fleet to two. The new ship is the largest civilian ship hospital in the world. Both ships are at present docked in Dakar, Senegal. More details on the website.
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