Beyond belief: G Gordon Steel’s Thought for the week
‘The most profound glimpses of religious truth stem from the human spirit.’
I always have a wry smile when I hear the lovely hymn that begins ‘This is the truth sent from above / the truth of God, the God of love.’ You may remember that it goes on to say, ‘The first thing that I will relate / that God at first did man create’. I am in no doubt that this should really be – if you excuse the gendered language – ‘Man did God create’. These days I am not alone in the conviction that all religions are created by human beings, and it gives me great comfort to know that there are many Quakers, particularly in Britain, who feel this way.
Throughout human history, people in all parts of the world have tended to feel that ‘There must be something beyond this dreadful life.’ Early humans saw it in nature; in the far east and Mesopotamia the feeling gave rise to a variety of early religions. A key factor has been the way people tend to form groups around charismatic individuals, probably because this gives us a sense of support and identity. Thus came the great figures of world religions – we, of course, have George Fox and Margaret Fell.
Christianity is remarkable in its emphasis on the written word. Its intellectual processes have generated various theologies. Historically, Jesus of Nazareth is our charismatic individual, but there have always been debates about who he was. Karen Armstrong, the nun turned liberal author, says ‘It was St. Paul, not Jesus, who was the founder of Christianity and even he would have been dismayed by some of the theological conclusions that were later drawn from his letters.’
Another feature of historical Christianity has been its holding of political power. Quakers have viewed with dismay the vast edifices of the mainstream churches. Certain proclamations by the pope are thought to be inerrant, for example, and the church in England has burned many ‘heretics’.
So the contrast with Quakerism is marked. If power is exercised in the Society of Friends it is probably local. Many years ago I tended to speak too often in Meeting about the philosopher of religion Don Cupitt, who argues that everything is ‘non-real’, including God. I was counselled to hold off. In a Canadian Meeting, after speaking in a liberal way, I was followed by an elder who reminded Friends of the more orthodox view.
For me, the most profound glimpses of religious truth stem from the depths of the human spirit. They are gained through inwardness. They encompass the joy of being alive, our own experience of suffering, our compassion for others, and our oneness with friends and the many memorable people whose lives have influenced us – in history and literature, and those who have come our way. Another Quaker, William Penn, put it well: ‘The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious, and devout souls are everywhere of one religion.’
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